A missile strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh killed at least 12 people and wounded 309 on Saturday, Saudi civil aviation officials told AFP. The Riyadh airport attack is the deadliest in a series of strikes on Saudi airports this month. Pakistan’s prime minister and Foreign Office both condemned it on Sunday.
What happened at the airport
A diplomatic source said a missile hit at about 3 p.m. local time, which was 5 p.m. in Pakistan. A witness at the domestic terminal said gate 401 took the hit. Operations stopped straight away. Flightradar24 counted 155 arrivals and 161 departures cancelled, plus 222 flights delayed. Meanwhile, airlines diverted inbound flights, mainly to Jeddah.
Four Saudi citizens died, along with two Bangladeshis. One person each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan also died. Health authorities sent emergency doctors to hospitals across Riyadh, and one hospital had five patients in intensive care.
Who is blamed
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen blamed the Houthis. Its spokesman, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, called the strike a cowardly terrorist attack and a war crime. He promised a decisive response. However, the Houthis did not announce new attacks on Saturday. They had claimed strikes on the same airport on Thursday, which killed three people and damaged a plane.
Claims on both sides are hard to verify independently. Even so, the conflict has escalated sharply since a four-year UN-brokered truce collapsed in July. Since then, the Houthis have repeatedly hit Saudi airports, oil facilities and tankers.
Pakistan condemns the strike
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack on X. He called strikes on civilian and critical infrastructure completely unacceptable. He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi sovereignty and security under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
The Foreign Office called the strike a heinous act of terrorism. It urged the Houthis to stop their attacks. In addition, it asked the international community to take a firm stand.
International reaction
US President Donald Trump called the attack not acceptable. He said the United States may join Saudi strikes, and he planned to speak with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The US, Canadian, German and Spanish embassies warned citizens to avoid the area.
Why it matters in Pakistan
Millions of Pakistanis live and work in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom was also the largest source of remittances in the first quarter of this fiscal year, sending $2.69 billion, according to State Bank of Pakistan data reported by Dawn. Disruption at Riyadh’s main airport therefore affects travel and families here. Geo News reported on Friday that PIA had temporarily suspended its Riyadh flights.
Sources: AFP via Dawn, Pakistan Foreign Office, Geo News.
