Saudi Arabia accused Houthis of targeting a Medina power grid near the Prophet's Mosque, which Houthis firmly denied.
Heavy ground fighting and missile strikes erupted in Taiz and Aden, marking the worst escalation since 2022.
The four-year de-escalation broke down after coalition strikes on Sanaa airport triggered Houthi naval blockades
Saudi Coalition Says Houthi Attack Hit Power Station Serving Prophet’s Mosque In Medina
The coalition said the strike damaged one transformer at a power station supplying the Prophet’s Mosque, while the Houthis denied targeting Medina or any Islamic holy site
Summary
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthis have escalated after the Saudi-led coalition claimed that the Iran-aligned group attacked a power distribution station in the Muslim holy city of Medina that supplies electricity to the Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet’s Mosque.
The Saudi led coalition claimed that the attack in Medina put one transformer out of service but did not affect the power network. It said investigators and drone wreckage analysis confirmed Houthi involvement in both the planning and execution of the attack, as reported by Al Jazeera.
However, a Houthi military source, reported by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, denied the allegations and called them a blatant lie. It argued that these allegations are intended to cover up Saudi Arabia’s failure to substantiate its earlier allegation that the Houthis targeted the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
The coalition further claimed that the Medina strike formed part of what it described as a series of Houthi efforts to hit the two holy mosques, the Masjid al-Haram (the Grand Mosque) in Mecca and Masjid an-Nabawi. It also claimed that these attacks were to “provoke” Muslims worldwide. They said it would keep up the effort to protect the holy sites and pilgrims.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia had claimed two weeks ago that it had successfully intercepted a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it could enter restricted airspace over the holy city. The Saudi coalition said it was the second such attempt since 2017. The Houthis have denied targeting Mecca or any other Islamic holy site.
Fighting Continues In Yemen
In the latest events of escalation, the armed forces of Yemen’s internationally recognised government claimed that they have killed dozens of Houthi fighters in Taiz province in southwestern Yemen.
According to a Reuters report, local officials said that on Friday the Houthis had targeted the headquarters of the Saudi-led coalition forces command in Aden with ballistic missiles and drones.
In a statement released on X, Yemen’s military claimed that the Houthis had opened heavy fire on Wednesday evening in Jabal Habashi and Maqbanah districts of Taiz. The statement added that six airstrikes also resulted in heavy losses southeast of Taiz.
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This is the worst flare-up between the two parties since 2022. A UN-brokered truce had largely stopped cross-border attacks between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis, but that calm has now given way to fresh fighting.
Fighting started up again this year after the Saudi-led coalition and Yemeni government forces struck the working runway at Sanaa International Airport with five munitions on July 13, 2026, ending a four-year de-escalation phase.
In retaliation, the Houthis announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July. They then struck Saudi territory and shipping; at the same time, Houthi forces made major territorial gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast
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