Yemen’s military says its operations target Saudi oil facilities and military bases, rejecting claims that its drones threatened the holy cities in the kingdom.
Yemeni military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree (File photo)
Yemen’s Armed Forces have rejected Saudi Arabia’s claim that it intercepted two Yemeni drones over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, describing the allegation as fabricated and saying their operations target only Saudi oil facilities and military bases.
Yemeni military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree dismissed the Saudi account in a statement on Sunday, calling on Riyadh to acknowledge its battlefield setbacks and refrain from involving Islamic holy sites in military disputes.
Saree also stressed that Yemeni operations are directed exclusively at Saudi oil installations and military bases.
His remarks came after the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Major General Turki al-Maliki, claimed in a post on X that Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed two drones over Mecca and Medina regions.
Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Yemen of launching missile or drone attacks toward Mecca and Medina, Islam’s two holiest cities.
Sana’a, however, has rejected such allegations, insisting that the airspace over both holy cities remains safe despite escalating hostilities with Saudi Arabia.
Separately, a report by Yemen’s Armed Forces said Saudi warplanes and missile units have carried out 75 airstrikes and missile attacks over the previous 24 hours, targeting civilian areas in the provinces of Sa’ada, Ta’izz, Lahj, al-Jawf and Ma’rib.
The attacks involved F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets operating from the Khamis Mushait and Taif air bases, as well as missile strikes launched from Najran, leaving civilians dead and wounded.
According to the statement, the latest attacks brought the total number of Saudi airstrikes and missile attacks since the start of the escalation to 5,095.
The latest escalation in Yemen began after Saudi Arabia bombed Sana’a’s international airport in July.
The Yemeni Armed Forces responded by attacking Saudi airports, oil facilities, and tankers in the Red Sea, and also enforcing a “blockade for blockade” policy.
In March 2015, Saudi Arabia launched a devastating bombing campaign on Yemen and imposed a blockade on the country, triggering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, but Saudi Arabia has failed to achieve its stated objective of installing a puppet regime in Sana’a.
