2 October :The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and several Arab countries have strongly condemned a drone attack on a power distribution facility in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Medina. The United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain issued separate statements on Thursday condemning the incident. The Saudi-led coalition blamed Yemen’s Houthi group for the attack, while the Houthis denied the allegation.
According to Anadolu Agency, the reactions came after Saudi Arabia reported that a drone had targeted a power facility in Medina. Saudi authorities said the attack struck the Taiba power distribution centre, which supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque. One transformer was put out of service, but the wider electricity supply system remained operational.
The Saudi-led coalition said an investigation, including an examination of debris from the drone used in the attack, had established that the Houthis were involved in planning and carrying out the strike.
The Houthis rejected the accusation. A military official from the group, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, described the Saudi claim as “false”. The official alleged that Saudi Arabia had made the accusation to divert attention from its inability to provide evidence for earlier claims that the Houthis had targeted Mecca.
The Saudi-led coalition said the Medina attack was part of what it described as repeated Houthi attempts to target Islam’s two holiest mosques, the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. It also accused the group of attempting to provoke Muslims around the world and said it would continue taking measures to protect the holy sites and worshippers.
The OIC expressed “strong condemnation and protest” over the attack. It described targeting critical infrastructure and facilities in Medina as a “dangerous escalation” and an apparent violation of the sanctity of holy sites. The organisation also said such attacks constitute violations of international and humanitarian law and established principles.
The OIC reaffirmed its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia’s efforts to safeguard its territory, security and stability. It also expressed support for measures aimed at protecting Islamic holy sites as well as Saudi citizens and residents.
The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the drone strike constituted a “clear violation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and a threat to its security and stability”. Abu Dhabi reaffirmed its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and support for measures taken to protect the kingdom’s security and stability.
Jordan also condemned the attack, describing it as a “clear violation” of Saudi sovereignty and a threat to the kingdom’s security, stability and territorial integrity. Amman said the strike violated international law and the UN Charter.
Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman Fuad Majali expressed the country’s “full solidarity” with Saudi Arabia and support for measures to protect Saudi institutions, citizens and residents.
Kuwait condemned the attack on the facility supplying electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, describing it as part of a series of hostile attacks against civilian infrastructure.
The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said such attacks violated Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, international law and international humanitarian law. It added that attacks of this nature hurt the sentiments of Muslims worldwide and threaten the sanctity of Islamic holy sites.
Kuwait also reaffirmed its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, saying the kingdom’s security was closely linked to the security of Kuwait and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Bahrain, meanwhile, condemned what it described as “continued attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis” against Saudi Arabia. Manama said it supported Riyadh’s measures to protect its sovereignty and security under its right to self-defence.
Bahrain also called on the UN Security Council to adopt a firm position against continued Houthi attacks and urged implementation of relevant resolutions, including UN Security Council Resolution 2216 of 2015 and Resolution 2817 of 2026.
The Saudi-led coalition had earlier said on Thursday that a Houthi drone struck the power distribution centre in Medina early Tuesday. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said the attack disabled one transformer but did not disrupt the entire power supply system.
Al-Maliki said an examination of the investigation findings, operational information and drone debris had provided “evidence of the Houthi militias’ involvement in planning and carrying out the attack”.
On 15 September, the Saudi-led coalition said it had detected and destroyed another Houthi drone south of Mecca. The coalition said the drone was intercepted before entering Mecca’s designated restricted airspace.
Source: Anadolu Agency