Yemen’s Ministry of Justice and Human Rights has condemned what it described as Saudi Arabia’s continued fabrication of allegations against Yemen and its armed forces, particularly claims that Yemeni forces have targeted sites in Mecca and Medina.

In a statement, the ministry said invoking Islam’s holiest sites in the political and military conflict amounted to a desperate attempt to manipulate Arab and Muslim public opinion and divert attention from what it described as Saudi Arabia’s crimes and its ongoing blockade of Yemen.

The ministry maintained that Yemeni military operations are grounded in the right of self-defense under international law and, according to its statement, are directed at military and economic facilities linked to the war effort rather than civilian sites or religious sanctuaries.

It also warned of the possibility of deliberately staged attacks against holy cities or facilities being falsely attributed to Yemen in order to provide a pretext for renewed military escalation or tighter economic restrictions. 

The ministry held the Saudi leadership fully responsible for any threat to the security of the holy sites and the safety of pilgrims and visitors.

The statement further called for the establishment of an independent, joint Islamic administration to oversee the holy sites and Hajj, arguing that Mecca and Medina constitute a shared heritage of the entire Muslim world. 

It also urged Islamic governments and organizations to reject what it called the Saudi narrative, while maintaining that an end to the war, the lifting of the blockade, and the termination of foreign intervention in Yemen are the only path, in its view, toward peace and stability in the region.