Mogadishu (AX) — Somalia has denounced an attack on a power distribution facility in Saudi Arabia’s Medina, warning that the strike threatened infrastructure supplying electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque as tensions between Riyadh and Yemen’s Houthis mount.
Somalia’s Foreign Ministry said the incident violated Saudi sovereignty and international law. It also condemned the targeting of civilian infrastructure connected to one of Islam’s holiest sites as a breach of the sanctity of the holy places.
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“The Federal Republic of Somalia stands in full solidarity with the Government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the ministry said in a statement.
Mogadishu backed Saudi Arabia’s efforts to defend its territory and protect citizens, residents and visitors to the Islamic holy sites, while urging that those behind the attack be brought to justice.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen has accused the Iran-aligned movement of carrying out a drone strike early Tuesday on the Taibah electricity distribution station in Medina.
Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said an investigation, including an examination of the drone wreckage, confirmed Houthi involvement. The strike disabled one transformer, although the broader electricity network remained operational, the coalition said.
The Houthis rejected the accusation. A military source quoted by the group’s Saba news agency described Saudi Arabia’s claim as false and said it was aimed at reinforcing previous allegations that the Houthis had attacked Islamic holy sites.
Medina’s Prophet’s Mosque is among Islam’s most sacred sites and houses the tomb of the Prophet Muhammad.
The reported strike follows the most serious deterioration in Saudi-Houthi relations since a U.N.-brokered truce in 2022 largely brought an end to years of cross-border missile and drone attacks.
Hostilities have intensified again this year. The Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in July and subsequently resumed attacks on Saudi territory and shipping.
Following the Medina incident, the Houthis also reported Saudi strikes on Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, and other areas of the country. Forces supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government said coalition aircraft had hit what they called high-value targets in Sanaa, although Saudi Arabia had not immediately confirmed the operations.
Somalia, which belongs to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), said it opposed actions that endanger regional peace and stability and renewed its support for Saudi Arabia’s security and sovereignty.
