International condemnation of the Houthi terrorist attacks on King Khalid Airport in Riyadh

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Arab, Islamic and international denunciations and condemnations of the "brutal Houthi attacks" that targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh are expanding, amid assurances of solidarity with Saudi Arabia and support for its measures to protect its security and sovereignty, in exchange for the "war crime" carried out by the Houthis against the passenger lounges at King Khalid Airport, which caused deaths and injuries among civilian passengers and workers.

The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority announced that the “brutal attack” that targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, on Saturday afternoon, caused the death of (12) people, including citizens and residents, and the injury of 309 others, according to the authority’s statement.

Civil Aviation stated that the death toll included (4) citizens and residents, including two of Bangladeshi nationality, one of American nationality, one of Egyptian nationality, one of Jordanian nationality, a Syrian person, another Palestinian, and a Sudanese person.

The Coalition to Support Legitimacy considered the “cowardly terrorist attack” on King Khalid International Airport “a heinous act that contradicts principles, values ​​and morals,” stressing that the leadership of the joint forces of the coalition will respond to this terrorist attack firmly and in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules.

In the context of successive international condemnations, US President Donald Trump stressed that the Houthi attack that targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh represents a "terrible and unacceptable matter."

For his part, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed the United States' strong condemnation of the Houthi attacks that targeted Saudi Arabia during the past few days, including the targeting of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Saturday, which resulted in the death of 12 people, including an American citizen.

Also, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "strongly" condemned the attack on Riyadh airport, which left 12 dead and hundreds wounded, on Saturday, calling on the Houthis to immediately stop strikes on civilians and civilian facilities.

Guterres announced in a statement, "I strongly condemn the bloody attack launched by the Houthis on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh," stressing that "attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are a violation of international law. These attacks must stop immediately."

In a related context, the United Nations envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, stressed on Saturday that the Houthi attack on Riyadh airport “represents a dangerous escalation.”

“These actions pose a serious threat to regional security, continue cycles of violence, and further complicate peace efforts in Yemen,” Grundberg said in a statement, calling on the Houthi militia to “stop these attacks” targeting civilian targets in Saudi Arabia.

Likewise, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen considered the Houthi attack on Riyadh International Airport a "dangerous escalation," stressing that the Iran-backed Houthis must stop their strikes on civilian targets.

Von der Leyen said: “These attacks by Iranian proxies are pushing the region into a spiral of violence. They are destabilizing essential transportation and energy lines, sending shockwaves across the world. These bloody attacks on civilians must stop immediately,” expressing “her solidarity with Saudi Arabia.”

In the context of condemning positions, Italy, France, Poland, Germany, Romania, Britain, and India condemned the Houthi terrorist attacks that targeted King Khalid Airport and sparked a wave of international condemnation, affirming their solidarity with the government and people of Saudi Arabia in defending its sovereignty.

Gambia condemned the Houthi attacks on King Khalid and Abha International Airports, and considered them a violation of the Kingdom’s territorial integrity and sovereignty and a threat to the security of the Middle East, reiterating its support and solidarity with the Saudi government and its people.

Cyprus also condemned the attacks on the two airports, noting that they targeted civilians and vital infrastructure, and expressed its solidarity with the Kingdom and its condolences to the families of the victims.

Pakistan stressed that the continued targeting of civilians and vital installations by the Houthi militias is unacceptable, calling on the international community to condemn the attacks and take a firm stance to stop them immediately.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry renewed its country's firm solidarity with the Kingdom's leadership and people, affirming Islamabad's commitment to Saudi Arabia's security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability, in accordance with the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement and the recent decisions of the Political and Defense Strategic Committee emanating from it.

It also stressed Pakistan's full support for the Kingdom's legitimate right to defend its lands and protect its people, cities and vital installations, stressing its continued support for Riyadh in the face of threats and attacks.

In parallel, the Muslim World League condemned the terrorist Houthi militia’s continued targeting of Saudi Arabia and King Khalid International Airport, noting in its statement that the attacks violate religious values, international and humanitarian laws and norms, and confirms the intentional targeting of civilians and civilian objects.

The Association renewed its solidarity with the Kingdom and its support for its measures to deter aggressors and protect its citizens and residents.

The General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers also denounced the attack, considering that it comes within an approach that targets aviation facilities, civilians, and civilian objects in Saudi Arabia, and threatens the security and stability of the region. It affirmed its support for the Kingdom and its support for the measures it is taking to protect its security and capabilities.

In the Gulf, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassim Al-Budaiwi, condemned the attacks in the strongest terms, warning that repeated targeting of civilian facilities threatens the lives of travelers and workers and the safety of civil aviation, and violates international laws.

Al-Budaiwi affirmed that the GCC countries stand united alongside the Kingdom, stressing that the security of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the security of the Gulf states.

In turn, Kuwait described the attack as “heinous and cowardly,” stressing that it constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law. It warned that the recurrence of systematic hostilities targeting civilian objects and vital installations represents a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to air navigation and the safety of civilians, and requires those responsible to be held accountable.

Kuwait renewed its absolute solidarity with the Kingdom and its support for it, affirming its support for all measures it takes to preserve its security and stability and protect its citizens and residents of its lands.

For its part, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the Houthi attacks represent a violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and a threat to the security of the region and the safety of civilians, civilian objects and air navigation, wishing those injured a speedy recovery.

Bahrain also affirmed its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for its sovereign measures and right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, in line with the Joint Defense Agreement of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Manama called on the Security Council, the International Civil Aviation Organization and the international community to take firm measures to stop the attacks, hold their perpetrators and supporters accountable, and ensure the implementation of relevant resolutions, especially Resolutions 2216 and 2817.

In the Arab world, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed its strong condemnation of the attacks, describing them as blatant and irresponsible behaviour, noting their flagrant violation of the rules of international law and disregard for the safety of civilians of various nationalities.

Egypt stressed its complete rejection of practices that would destabilize the security and stability of the region, affirming its support for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in confronting the attacks and supporting the steps it is taking to preserve its security, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens.

For its part, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs condemned the attack on the airport, describing it as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.

The Ministry affirmed Jordan's absolute rejection of the attack and its strong condemnation of the continued attacks on civilians and civilian and economic objects in the Kingdom, reiterating Amman's solidarity with Riyadh and its standing by its side in all the steps it takes to protect its security, stability, capabilities, and the safety of its citizens and residents.

In turn, Palestine offered its condolences to the victims of the attacks, and affirmed its support for Saudi measures aimed at protecting citizens and residents of the Kingdom’s lands.

As for the Yemeni government, it condemned the attack, describing it as a hostile escalation that targets civilian facilities and puts the lives of civilians in danger.

She stressed that the security of Saudi Arabia is an integral part of the security of Yemen and the region, and that targeting the Kingdom’s lands or facilities represents an attack on the right of the peoples of the region to security, stability, freedom of movement, and safety of air navigation. It also renewed its support for the Kingdom and its support for its measures to protect its security and sovereignty, praising its role in supporting Yemen, its legitimate leadership and its people.

Likewise, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, in a statement today, condemned in the strongest terms the attack that targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, on Saturday, and led to the killing of twelve civilians and the wounding of more than 300 others.

The Ministry reaffirmed that targeting vital installations and civilians constitutes a blatant violation of the principles of international law and the rules of international humanitarian law, reiterating its categorical rejection of any threat to the sovereignty, security and safety of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It expressed full solidarity with the Kingdom and its people, and standing by its side in the face of any attack that affects its security and the safety of its citizens and residents of its lands.

Today, the Syrian Arab Republic condemned in the strongest terms the Houthi militia’s targeting of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and considered it a violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and a direct threat to its security and stability, and to the safety of civilians, civil installations, and air navigation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs said in a statement today, according to the Syrian News Agency “SANA”: “It offers its sincere condolences and sympathy to the leadership and people of the Kingdom, and to the families of the victims of the attack, expressing its deepest condolences and sympathy to the leadership and people of the Kingdom, and to the families of the victims of the attack, expressing Its solidarity with them, and its wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured.”

The official spokesman for the coalition forces, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, said that the attack carried out by the Houthi militia on one of the passenger lounges at King Khalid International Airport, and the resulting deaths and injuries among passengers and workers, “amounts to a full-fledged war crime,” according to international humanitarian law and its customary rules.

Al-Maliki described the attack as “a heinous act that contradicts principles, values ​​and morals,” stressing that the leadership of the joint forces of the coalition will respond firmly to it, in accordance with international humanitarian law.

The General Authority of Civil Aviation had announced the temporary suspension of operational operations at the airport, until the damage assessment is completed and the safety of the facilities is verified, in coordination with the competent authorities.

The authority later reported that the attack resulted in the death of 12 people, including 4 Saudi citizens and 8 residents of Bangladeshi, American, Egyptian, Jordanian, Syrian, Palestinian and Sudanese nationalities, in addition to the injury of 309 others, including critical cases, while the material damage is being assessed.