Houthis Fired at Holy City of Madinah, Saudi-Led Coalition Says

The Houthis in Yemen this week carried out an attack on one of Islam’s holiest cities, Madinah in Saudi Arabia, according to a Saudi led-coalition that backs the Yemeni government in that country’s civil conflict.

(Bloomberg) -- The Houthis in Yemen this week carried out an attack on one of Islam’s holiest cities, Madinah in Saudi Arabia, according to a Saudi led-coalition that backs the Yemeni government in that country’s civil conflict. 

The Tuesday drone strike targeted the Taibah power distribution station, which provides electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque. A transformer had to be taken out of service, but the damage didn’t affect the electricity network, a spokesman for the coalition, Turki Al-Malki, said in a post on X Thursday.

The assault marked a “continuation of this extremist militia’s attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques,” he added, referring to a previously reported Houthi strike on Mecca, which receives millions of Muslim pilgrims every year at the Grand Mosque. 

The Saudi government has not commented on the attack, which triggered a wave of condemnation including from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Qatar. 

The coalition also said it had intercepted on Thursday two ballistic missiles in Khamis Mushait and Jazan near the Red Sea coast. Missile debris in Khamis Mushait, which was also targeted by drones, caused damage to buildings and vehicles, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. 

The Houthi strikes have caused more uncertainty in the global oil industry, already trying to recover from the vital Strait of Hormuz becoming a battle ground in the US-Iran war. They also underscore the Iran-backed group’s escalation against Saudi Arabia in recent months. Those assaults have injured dozens of people and damaged energy infrastructure. The group says it stepped up attacks as its cities and ports are under “siege” from the Saudi government.

Earlier: Trump Rejects Iran’s Hormuz Deal as Houthis Target Riyadh

The military actions ended a 2022 ceasefire with Saudi Arabia, which had intervened in the Yemeni civil war that erupted after the Houthis, a clan from the country’s north, took over the capital, Sanaa, in 2014.

The Houthis have recently made advances against Saudi-backed forces in Yemen itself. They has captured almost all of the country’s Red Sea coastline, including islands in the middle of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which have become crucial for Saudi oil exports after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year.

The Saudi government has sought military support from allies, including the US which hasn’t promised any backing beyond intelligence provision. In August, Saudi Arabia signed with Turkey and Pakistan a trilateral defense agreement.

Madinah is revered by Muslims as the place where the Prophet Muhammad established Islam’s first community after he fled Mecca. 

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