Indian National Killed in Houthi Attack on Riyadh Airport

An Indian national is among thirteen people killed in a recent strike by Houthi rebels on the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saturday's attack, which marks the third strike on the same airport over the past week, initially left 12 people dead and 309 others injured. The Indian embassy in Riyadh confirmed that one of eleven injured Indian nationals unfortunately lost his life. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar expressed deep grief over the loss and stated the embassy will provide all possible assistance to the bereaved family.

Reactions and Response

India strongly condemned the repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure and called for an immediate end to the targeting of civilians across the region. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that India stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia to defend the country's sovereignty amidst escalating attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The Saudi civil aviation authority reported that the deceased victims also include four Saudi nationals, two Bangladeshis, and individuals from Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and the US. Nearly 20 Indians have died so far in the ongoing West Asia conflict that began in February, while more than four million Indians live in Saudi Arabia as part of the diaspora.

Context

Saudi Arabia hosts one of the largest concentrations of the Indian workforce abroad, making regional security a matter of direct concern for New Delhi. The conflict in West Asia has increasingly impacted civilian areas and international travel hubs as hostilities expand across borders.