Leaders across the world condemned the deadly strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. The attack has sharpened fears of wider regional instability and a stronger military response.
Leaders and senior officials from across the world have condemned the attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh that killed 12 people and injured more than 300. The strike on Saturday, which Saudi Arabia blamed on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, was the latest in a series of attacks on the kingdom’s infrastructure.
The attack drew reactions from the UN, the United States, Canada, India and several countries in the region, with many describing attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure as unacceptable. The latest violence has also added to concerns over wider instability in the region against the backdrop of the war involving Iran and its regional adversaries.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday he was “deeply shocked” by the attack and strongly condemned it. “Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are a violation of international law. These attacks must cease immediately,” he said in a post on X.
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that Washington was considering whether to join Saudi strikes against the Houthis. “We may. We’re going to look at it. We just found out about the recent attack. So we’ll make a decision. We move very quickly,” he told reporters, according to the AP news agency.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US strongly condemned the recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, including the strike on Riyadh’s airport that killed an American citizen. “These reprehensible attacks must stop,” he said, adding that Washington stood with Saudi Arabia and extending condolences to the victims and their families.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described the Houthi attacks as “abhorrent”, saying there could be no justification for attacks on civilian infrastructure or the deliberate targeting of innocent people. “Canada condemns these reckless acts of violence in the strongest possible terms,” he said in a social media post, while extending condolences to the families of those killed and wishing a full recovery to the injured.
Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy for Yemen, described strikes on civilian airports in Saudi Arabia as a “grave escalation” and said they threatened regional security and complicated efforts to achieve peace.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack as a grave violation of Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and a direct threat to regional security, civilian safety and air navigation. It expressed solidarity with Riyadh and said Saudi Arabia’s security was integral to Qatar’s own security and that of the Gulf Cooperation Council states.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also strongly condemned the attack, calling it a flagrant violation of international law and a threat to regional peace and stability. He reaffirmed Islamabad’s support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, citing the two countries’ ties and the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement signed in August. The agreement, signed by Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkiye on August 7, says that an armed attack against any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against all three.
Palestine’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia. It offered condolences to the families of those killed and wished the injured a speedy recovery. Egypt also condemned the attacks, calling them a violation of international law and expressing concern over the threat to civilian safety.
India on Sunday also strongly condemned the repeated attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport over the past few days, including Saturday’s strike. “We strongly condemn the repeated attacks on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport over the past few days, including the dastardly attack on October 10, which have led to loss of lives, injuries and damage to property,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. Describing the attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure as “completely unacceptable”, the ministry said they must cease immediately. It expressed condolences to the families of those killed, wished the injured a speedy recovery, voiced solidarity with the Saudi government and people in defence of the kingdom’s sovereignty, and said it hoped peace and normalcy would return to the region soon.
Saudi authorities said 12 people were killed and more than 300 injured in Saturday’s attack, some of them critically. The dead included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshi nationals, and one citizen each of the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Sudan.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis blamed the rebels for the attack, called it a war crime and vowed a firm response. There was no immediate statement from the Houthis on Saturday’s strike, though the group had claimed responsibility for an earlier attack on the airport during the week. Saudi civil aviation authorities suspended airport operations after the attack and diverted flights, while several countries warned their citizens to avoid the facility.
The attack on Riyadh’s airport has triggered strong international condemnation, fresh expressions of support for Saudi Arabia and renewed concern over the risk of further instability in the region.
With PTI Inputs
