Saudi-led coalition claims Houthis targeted power station in Medina

Saudi-led coalition claims Houthis targeted power station in Medina

The Saudi-led pro-government coalition in Yemen has claimed that the Houthi rebel group targeted a power centre in Medina in a drone attack on Tuesday, damaging one transformer but leaving the overall electricity network unaffected.

Medina, in Saudi Arabia's western Hejaz region, is among the holiest cities in Islam. 

The Houthis, officially called Ansar Allah, have siezed territory in Yemen's southwest this month in a rapid offensive triggered by the Saudi bombing of Sanaa airport in July.

The group has also bombed the Saudi East-West oil pipeline, through which Riyadh has diverted oil exports amid Iran's closure of the strait of Hormuz. 

But the Houthis previously denied Saudi claims that they had targeted Mecca, the holiest place in Islam.