The international military coalition operating in Yemen under the leadership of Saudi Arabia has reported this Sunday the interception of two unmanned aircraft in the area of Mecca and of a third drone in the Medina region, where are located the two cities of greatest religious relevance for Islam. The Houthi rebels have rejected this version.
"Interception and destruction of two drones in the region of the sacredi city of Mecca launched by the Houthi terrorist militia," the official spokesman of the Coalition Forces, Turki al Maliki, has reported. "Interception and destruction of one drone in the region of Medina the Illumined," he has published a little later.
The military representative of the Houthis, Yahya Sari, has denied that his forces have carried out drone attacks against the areas of Mecca or Medina. "It is a lie," he denounced, before warning of up to 75 bombardments and missile launches by the coalition over the Yemeni provinces of Saada, Taiz, Lahj, Al Yauf and Marib in the last 24 hours.
Instead, he has admitted offensives directed against King Khalid Airport, in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as well as against the city’s financial district. "We have attacked government troop concentrations in the Qaua camp, in Lahj, with six missiles. We have attacked King Khalid Airport and the financial neighborhood with two ballistic missiles," he explained.
In addition, Sari pointed to an attack with two drones against two crude pumping stations belonging to the Saudi East-West pipeline, located in the Riyadh region.