Saudi Arabia has reported three instances of Houthi attempts to strike Makkah and Madinah over the last nine years. The most recent alleged assaults targeted Madinah and an area situated south of Makkah.
The first recorded attempt occurred in July 2017. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Houthis since March 2015.
The Yemeni group has maintained control over the capital Sanaa and several provinces since September 2014. On Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition stated that a drone attack, which it attributed to the Houthis, hit a power station in Madinah.
Investigation findings, operational data, and debris examination from the drone used in the attack confirmed the Houthi militia’s involvement in planning and executing the act. On 16 September, Maliki stated that Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Makkah before it entered the city’s restricted airspace.
Furthermore, on 27 July 2017, the Saudi-led coalition announced it intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Makkah over Taif province, near the holy city, without causing damage. Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and Hizam al-Assad, a member of the group’s political bureau, denied the allegation.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated on United States social media company X that any attack targeting Makkah should be condemned. The Saudi-led coalition also reported on Thursday that the militant group attacked a power distribution station in Medina this week.
The coalition added that an investigation and examination of drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out Tuesday's attack. Coalition spokesman Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki specified that the attack hit the Taibah electricity distribution station at 5:11 am local time on Tuesday.
A Houthi military source, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, denied the accusation. Saudi Arabia previously stated that two weeks ago it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Makkah before it entered restricted airspace over the city.
