SAUDI COALITION ACCUSES HOUTHIS OF ATTACKING MEDINA POWER STATION

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said its air defences intercepted missile and drone attacks on southern Saudi Arabia this week, blaming the Houthi movement. One report said a ballistic missile was destroyed as it approached Khamis Mushait, while another said the coalition downed four drones and two ballistic missiles over Khamis Mushait and Jazan on Thursday. Separately, the coalition accused the Houthis of attacking a power station in Medina on Tuesday that supplies electricity to the Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque. The Houthi movement denied involvement, with a military source quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency calling the accusation a "lie".

The coalition said an investigation of drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement in planning the Medina attack, which disabled one transformer without affecting the wider network. It accused the Houthis of trying to target the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque, saying the group sought to "provoke" Muslims worldwide. The Houthi source said the accusation was meant to cover up Saudi Arabia's failure to substantiate an earlier claim that the group had targeted Mecca. Saudi-backed government forces separately said they repelled a large-scale Houthi attack in Yemen's Taiz governorate on Thursday, reporting heavy losses among Houthi fighters.

The coalition said it would continue taking measures to protect the two holy sites and pilgrims visiting them. None of the claims, including the Medina attack, the Taiz fighting and the Khamis Mushait interceptions, could be independently verified. The figures for Thursday's interceptions differ, ranging from a single missile to four drones and two missiles. The accusations and denials add to a longer-running dispute between the coalition and the Houthi movement over attacks near Islam's holiest sites.