Houthi drone damages Madinah power station supplying Prophet’s Mosque

Madinah: The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has blamed Houthi rebels for a drone strike that damaged a power distribution station in Madinah which supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, calling the attack a deliberate attempt to target Islam’s holiest places.

According to the coalition, the Taibah electricity distribution station was hit at 5:11 am on Tuesday, September 29, with one transformer knocked out of service while the rest of the network continued to function normally. Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Malki said an investigation that included an operational review and analysis of drone debris confirmed Houthi responsibility for what he termed a “cowardly terrorist act”.

Al-Malki described the facility as a civilian site serving the Prophet’s Mosque and said the strike fitted a pattern of repeated Houthi efforts to threaten the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Madinah and stir sentiment among Muslims worldwide. A Houthi military source rejected the coalition’s version, dismissing the claim as baseless, Reuters reported.

The incident comes just two weeks after the coalition said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Makkah before it could enter restricted airspace over the holy city, an allegation the rebels also denied.

The attack drew swift condemnation from across the region. GCC Secretary General Jasem Al Budaiwi called it a serious escalation and a breach of the sanctity of Islamic holy sites. The UAE said it violated Saudi sovereignty and threatened the Kingdom’s security and stability, while Jordan expressed solidarity with Riyadh and denounced the strike as an assault on its territorial integrity.

Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt, the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Muslim World League and the Arab Parliament issued separate statements backing Saudi Arabia and urging the protection of civilian infrastructure and religious sites.

The strike occurs as fighting intensifies in Yemen between Houthi forces and troops loyal to the internationally recognised government. Yemeni government sources reported assaults on Houthi positions in Sanaa, Saada and Taiz, with explosions heard in the rebel-held capital. The Houthis, who control Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, have in the past carried out attacks on Saudi targets and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.