India Strongly Condemns Deadly Houthi Strikes on Saudi Civilian Airports
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi issued an unequivocal condemnation on Thursday against the recent cross-border missile and drone assaults launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebel faction targeting commercial aviation facilities in Saudi Arabia. Denouncing the deliberate aggression against innocent passengers and vital civil infrastructure, the official statement declared that such acts violate international norms and are utterly intolerable under any diplomatic or strategic pretext. Emphasizing that innocent travelers and public transport hubs must never be turned into military targets, New Delhi voiced profound condolences to the families of deceased victims while expressing complete diplomatic solidarity with the government and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Devastating Toll: Three Civilians Dead and 36 Injured Across Two Saudi Hubs
The diplomatic condemnation follows harrowing official casualty reports emerging from the Kingdom’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA). According to Saudi aviation authorities cited by global broadcasters, sequential strikes targeting Abha International Airport and Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on October 6 and 7 left a tragic toll of three fatalities and 36 civilians severely injured. At Abha International Airport, projectile detonations claimed the lives of two female foreign nationals, identified as Moroccan and Algerian citizens, while injuring 28 others. Meanwhile, coordinated strikes near King Khalid International Airport resulted in one additional death and eight critical injuries, creating widespread alarm across Gulf commercial airspace.
Regional Escalation: Houthi Factions Claim Responsibility as Global Outcry Intensifies
Shortly after the strikes disrupted scheduled civil aviation corridors and prompted multiple international airlines to suspend operations, the Houthi militant group claimed full responsibility for executing the coordinated long-range offensive against Saudi air terminals. While Saudi Arabia's civil aviation regulator refrained from officially naming the perpetrators in its operational damage assessments, regional intelligence confirmed the usage of explosive-laden drones and ballistic systems. With geopolitical tensions flaring across the Middle East, India's immediate diplomatic intervention underscores New Delhi’s firm, zero-tolerance commitment against terror-linked strikes on civilian population hubs, reinforcing strategic and economic bilateral ties with Riyadh during regional security crises.
