Saudi accuses Houthis of drone strike on Medina power plant

According to coalition sources reported by Al Jazeera, the attack occurred on Tuesday, disabling a transformer at the distribution facility without causing a total blackout. The coalition stated that technical analysis of drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement, calling the strike part of a broader pattern targeting Islam's holiest sites.

The Houthis firmly denied the allegations. A military official quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency called the claims "false," asserting that Saudi Arabia fabricated the Medina incident to divert attention from unproven accusations regarding prior strikes on Mecca.

In a related development on Thursday (October 1), the Saudi coalition announced that air defenses intercepted and destroyed four Houthi drones over the southern city of Khamis Mushait, alongside two ballistic missiles over Khamis Mushait and Jizan.

Concurrently, intense fighting broke out in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province between Houthi fighters and forces aligned with the internationally recognized Yemeni government. Ground clashes in the Jabal Habashi, Maqbanah, and Al-Aqrud areas—supported by six coalition airstrikes—resulted in heavy casualties, including at least 30 Houthi fighters killed on the Al-Aqrud front alone, according to military sources.

The escalating military conflict continues to drive internal displacement across Yemen. Official data from the camp management unit indicates that over 197,906 displaced individuals (29,519 families) have registered with authorities, with Taiz hosting the highest concentration at over 97,000 refugees, followed by Lahij province with over 50,000.