The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday that the Iran-aligned group carried out a Medina drone attack on an electricity distribution station in the holy city that supplies power to the Prophet’s Mosque — an accusation the Houthis strongly denied.
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said a drone struck the Taibah electricity distribution station in Medina at 5:11am local time on Tuesday, September 29, knocking one transformer out of service. He said an examination of the drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement in what he called a “cowardly terrorist act” against a civilian facility serving the Prophet’s Mosque.
FAKTA: The Medina drone attack claim
- What: A drone strike on Medina’s Taibah electricity distribution station, which supplies the Prophet’s Mosque.
- When: 5:11am local time on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.
- Damage: One transformer taken out of service; the wider electricity network was unaffected, the coalition said.
- Claimed evidence: Drone-wreckage examination and an operational after-action review, according to coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki.
- Houthi response: Denied via the Houthi-run Saba news agency, calling the claim a “lie”.
- Context: The most serious fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since a UN-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022.
The Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, one of Islam’s holiest sites. The Saudi-led coalition says the Taibah station supplying it power was hit by a Houthi drone. (Photo: Watan News International)
What the coalition says happened
Al-Maliki said the investigation and evidence gathered by the competent authorities “have confirmed the involvement of the Terrorist Houthi Militia in planning and executing this cowardly terrorist act, based on after-action review and the wreckage of the drone used.”
He described the facility as a civilian site providing electricity services to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites, and accused the group of continuing attempts to target Islam’s two holiest mosques in Mecca and Medina.
Houthis reject the claim
A Houthi military source quoted by the group’s Saba news agency denied the coalition report, calling it a “lie” and saying it was intended to cover up what the source described as Saudi Arabia’s failure to substantiate an earlier allegation that the group had targeted Mecca.
The accusation comes about two weeks after the coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it could enter restricted airspace over the holy city — a claim the rebels also denied.
Escalation beyond the 2022 truce
The clash comes amid a sharp escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis after years of relative calm. Hostilities resumed this year after the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began attacking Saudi territory and shipping, while Houthi forces also made major territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
The Houthis later reported Saudi strikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa and other parts of Yemen, with a spokesperson for Yemen’s armed forces saying coalition forces had attacked what it described as “high-value targets” in the capital. The latest round of violence is being described as the most serious fighting between the two sides since the 2022 truce.
The incident unfolded against a wider regional crisis, with three oil tankers struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz earlier this week. For full international coverage of the Medina power station allegation, see France 24’s report on the Saudi-led coalition’s accusation.
