Saudi Coalition Says Houthi Drone Struck Power Facility in Medina
The Saudi-led Coalition said on Thursday that a Houthi drone struck the Taibah electricity distribution station in Medina early Tuesday, September 29, in an attack that temporarily knocked one transformer out of service without affecting the wider electricity network.
Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki said the attack occurred at 5:11 a.m. and that an operational review and examination of debris from the drone established Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out the strike.
The Coalition said the facility provides electricity services linked to the Prophet’s Mosque, and announced that measures would be taken to deter further attacks and protect the Two Holy Mosques and visitors to Makkah and Medina.
Background: Previous Officially Announced Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia
The Medina strike follows a renewed series of Houthi attacks against Saudi territory in 2026.
On September 24, the Coalition announced that Saudi air defenses had intercepted and destroyed six ballistic missileslaunched by the Houthis and said attempts to target Taif and Yanbu had been thwarted.
Two days later, on September 26, the Coalition announced the interception and destruction of another Houthi ballistic missile targeting Khamis Mushait.
Earlier in September, Saudi authorities reported the interception of a drone south of Makkah. The GCC subsequently described it as a Houthi attempt to target the holy city. A separate drone intercepted over Taif on September 17 caused falling debris that killed one person, injured two others and damaged buildings and vehicles; the Arab League subsequently described the incident as a Houthi attack.
The escalation began earlier in the summer. On August 8, the Saudi Foreign Ministry welcomed a UN Security Council statement condemning Houthi missile attacks against Saudi Arabia since July 13, indicating that the renewed cross-border campaign had been underway for several weeks.
The attacks revive a pattern documented in previous years. Saudi official statements attributed to the Houthis ballistic-missile attacks toward Makkah in 2017, Riyadh in 2017, ( and the Abha International Airport attack in June 2019, which injured 26 civilians. In March 2022, Saudi authorities also attributed attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure in Jazan, Khamis Mushait, Taif, Yanbu and Dhahran Al-Janub to the Houthis.
