Houthis Accused of Drone Attack on Power Station in Madina
Houthis Accused of Drone Attack on Power Station in Madina
RIYADH: The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday that the group had carried out a Madina power station attack earlier this week, in an incident that has raised fears of strikes near Islam’s holiest sites.
The coalition said the attack, carried out on Tuesday, put one transformer out of service but did not affect the electricity network. A Houthi military source denied the accusation, according to Dawn.
What the coalition said
The coalition said an investigation and examination of drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out the attack. It said the station supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.
The coalition described the strike as part of what it called repeated Houthi attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques and to “provoke” Muslims worldwide. It said it would continue taking measures to protect the holy sites and pilgrims.
There was no immediate public comment from the Houthis on the coalition’s statement, though a Houthi military source rejected the charge.
Madina power station attack raises holy-site fears
The allegation is sensitive because Madina, home to the Prophet’s Mosque, is Islam’s second-holiest city. Millions of Muslims, including large numbers of Pakistani pilgrims, travel there every year for Hajj and Umrah.
The incident follows an earlier scare two weeks ago, when Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered restricted airspace over the city. The coalition described that as the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca since 2017. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca or any other Islamic holy site.
For Pakistan, which sends hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia annually, any threat near the holy cities is watched closely. Pakistani officials routinely stress the security of the Two Holy Mosques as a matter of national concern.
A truce under strain
The latest escalation is the most serious fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis since a UN-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022.
Hostilities resumed this year after the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began attacking Saudi territory and shipping. Houthi forces have also made major territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes in Yemen and backed government forces fighting to push the Houthis back. What happens next will depend on whether either side moves to contain the fighting or lets it spread further.
Where did the attack happen?
The coalition said a Houthi drone struck a power distribution station in Madina on Tuesday, knocking out one transformer. The station supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque.
Did the attack affect electricity in Madina?
No. The coalition said the wider electricity network was not affected, with only a single transformer put out of service.
How have the Houthis responded?
A Houthi military source denied the accusation, according to Dawn. The group has also previously denied targeting Mecca or other Islamic holy sites.
Why is this attack significant?
It is the most serious Saudi-Houthi fighting since the 2022 UN-brokered truce, and any incident near the holy cities carries deep religious and political weight across the Muslim world, including Pakistan.
