This image from video obtained and verified by AP shows thick black smoke and flames rising from a fire at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo: AP)
India Sunday strongly condemned repeated attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and called for an immediate end to attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
“Repeated attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are completely unacceptable and must cease immediately,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement hours after at least 12 people were killed and more than 300 wounded in an attack on the airport.
The latest attack is the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade, as the Iran-backed Houthis escalate a campaign they launched this summer. At the latest count, 309 were wounded, officials said.
The MEA statement said, “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. We express our condolences to the families of the deceased and wish speedy recovery to the injured persons.”
“We stand in solidarity with the people and the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in defence of their sovereignty, and hope that peace and normalcy return to the region at the earliest,” it said.
On October 8, following the attacks by the Houthis on two airports in Saudi Arabia over the previous two days, India strongly condemned these actions. The Indian government stated that targeting civilian infrastructure is completely “unacceptable” and issued an advisory urging its nationals in Saudi Arabia to remain alert and vigilant.
The two previous attacks on King Khalid International Airport killed four and caused heavy damage to a Saudi commercial plane parked on the tarmac. The strikes have exposed vulnerabilities in Saudi defence capabilities as it wages an air campaign against the Houthis to support a ground war by the Yemeni government against the Iran-backed group.
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The Houthis have not claimed responsibility for the attack, but a Saudi-led military coalition vowed to respond.
The Indian community in the Saudi Kingdom numbers approximately 2.74 million, including skilled and semi-skilled professionals. This is not the first time in the last seven months since the war in West Asia began that Delhi has issued condemnatory statements and security advisories to warn its citizens to stay safe.
In the past seven months, at least four such occasions have warranted such statements, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the evolving conflict in March and August this year.