The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis has accused the Iran-aligned group of attacking an electricity distribution station in Medina, Saudi Arabia, earlier this week. The Houthis have denied the allegation.
According to the coalition, the attack occurred on Tuesday at a power distribution facility that supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid an-Nabawi). One transformer was reportedly taken out of service, although the incident did not disrupt the wider electricity network.
The coalition said an investigation and examination of debris from a drone confirmed that the Houthis were involved in planning and carrying out the attack.
However, a Houthi military source, quoted by the group’s Saba news agency, rejected the accusation as a “lie”. The source claimed the allegation was aimed at covering up Saudi Arabia’s failure to provide evidence for its earlier accusation that the Houthis had targeted Mecca.
The Saudi-led coalition said the Medina incident was part of what it described as repeated Houthi attempts to target Islam’s two holiest mosques in Mecca and Medina. It vowed to continue measures aimed at protecting the holy sites and pilgrims.
The coalition also said it intercepted and destroyed four drones launched by the Houthis over Khamis Mushait in southern Saudi Arabia, as well as two ballistic missiles over Khamis Mushait and Jazan.
Heavy Fighting Reported in Taiz
The latest escalation comes amid intense fighting in Yemen’s Taiz province between forces loyal to the internationally recognised government and Houthi fighters.
Yemen’s government forces said the Houthis launched heavy attacks on several fronts, including Jabal Habashi, Maqbanah and al-Aqrud.
The Saudi-backed forces claimed that at least 30 Houthi fighters were killed on the al-Aqrud front, while dozens more were wounded. They also reported six air strikes that caused heavy losses on fronts southeast of Taiz and in the Humayr area of Maqbanah.
Meanwhile, the number of internally displaced people in Yemen continues to rise. Government figures showed that 197,906 people, representing 29,519 families, had been officially registered in displacement camps as of Wednesday. More than 97,000 displaced people were in Taiz province, while over 50,000 were in Lahij.
Saudi Arabia Approves Nearly $60m for Yemen
Saudi Arabia has also approved 224 million Saudi riyals, equivalent to about $59.7 million, in budgetary support for Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed al-Jabir said the funding would help maintain government financial flows, improve fiscal policy and support the purchasing power of Yemeni citizens.
The development comes after the Houthis expanded their control over the strategic Bab al-Mandeb area last month by capturing the Red Sea port city of Mocha.
Bab al-Mandeb is a major international shipping route connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is an important corridor for global energy supplies and commercial trade.
Yemeni government forces have vowed to prevent further Houthi advances and have said they intend to retake Mocha.
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