Date: October 1, 2026
Reporter: Emilly Jordan
Saudi Arabia's Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Thursday that the Iran-aligned group carried out a drone attack on a power distribution station in Madinah earlier this week, putting one transformer out of service but leaving the wider electricity network operating.
The Taiba power distribution station was attacked early Tuesday morning, according to coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki. The facility supplies electricity to the Prophet's Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites, as well as other civilian facilities in the city.
Al-Maliki said an investigation, including an examination of debris recovered from the drone, concluded that the Houthis were responsible for planning and carrying out the attack. Saudi authorities described the facility as a civilian installation and said the strike did not cause a wider disruption to Madinah's electricity network.
The coalition said the attack occurred at about 5:11 a.m. local time on Tuesday. One transformer was taken out of service, but the broader electrical grid continued to function, according to Al-Maliki.
Saudi authorities characterized the incident as part of what they described as repeated Houthi attempts to threaten the country's Islamic holy sites. Al-Maliki said the station's connection to the Prophet's Mosque made the attack particularly serious and accused the Houthis of seeking to provoke Muslims around the world. Those statements represent the Saudi-led coalition's assessment of the incident.
The Houthis have denied the accusation. A Houthi military source quoted by the group's Saba news agency called the Saudi account a “lie” and said the allegation was intended to distract from what the source described as Saudi Arabia's failure to substantiate an earlier accusation that the Houthis had attempted to target the holy city of Makkah.
Saudi Arabia said about two weeks ago that its air defences had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Makkah before it entered restricted airspace around the city. The Saudi-led coalition described that incident as the second attempted Houthi attack on Makkah since 2017. The Houthis denied that they had targeted Makkah or any other Islamic holy site.
The latest incident comes amid a sharp escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, after a period in which a United Nations-brokered truce had largely halted cross-border attacks beginning in 2022. Reuters reported that hostilities have intensified 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 significant territorial gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast.
Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes in Yemen while supporting forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government in their fighting against the Houthis.
The confrontation also expanded on Thursday. Houthi-run media reported that Saudi Arabia had carried out strikes on Yemen's capital, Sanaa, as well as areas of Saada, Taiz and Amran. Saudi authorities did not immediately confirm those reports. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces separately said they had carried out more than two dozen airstrikes against Houthi positions in Taiz, targeting what they described as missile storage sites, command centres and other military facilities.
The Saudi-led coalition also said Thursday that it intercepted and destroyed four Houthi drones and two ballistic missiles launched toward southern Saudi Arabia. One missile and the four drones were intercepted over Khamis Mushait, while the second missile was intercepted over Jazan, according to the coalition. Debris from one missile reportedly fell in residential areas of Khamis Mushait, damaging buildings and vehicles, although no casualties were reported.
The escalation around Madinah has drawn condemnation from several regional governments. The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan issued statements supporting Saudi Arabia and condemning the reported attack on the power station. The Gulf Cooperation Council said the security of Saudi Arabia and its holy sites was closely linked to the collective security of its member states.
The incident has also raised concerns because of the location of the targeted infrastructure. Madinah is home to the Prophet's Mosque, also known as Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, and is one of the most important Islamic pilgrimage destinations.
Saudi officials said the attack did not disrupt the overall power network or affect the operation of the holy site. The coalition said it would continue taking measures intended to protect the Two Holy Mosques and visitors to the sites.
The reported attack is part of a broader deterioration in regional security linked to the conflict in Yemen and the wider confrontation involving Iran-aligned groups. The Houthis have increasingly used drones and missiles against Saudi territory and shipping, while Saudi Arabia has strengthened its military response and support for Yemeni government forces.
The claims surrounding the Madinah attack remain contested. Saudi authorities say the drone debris and their investigation established Houthi responsibility, while the Houthis reject the accusation. Independent verification of the competing claims was not immediately available.
As Saudi Arabia works to protect critical infrastructure and the country's major religious sites, the renewed attacks have added another layer of tension to an already deteriorating security situation around Yemen and the Red Sea.