India condemns Houthi airport attacks in Saudi Arabia

India has strongly condemned a series of Houthi drone and missile strikes on two major airports in Saudi Arabia, calling the targeting of civilian infrastructure "completely unacceptable".

The statement from New Delhi on Thursday follows two days of coordinated attacks targeting Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. The strikes, which took place on October 6 and 7, killed three civilians and left 36 others injured, prompting a sharp military escalation in the region.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that the strike on Abha Airport, located in the country's south-west near the Yemeni border, killed two women — one Moroccan national and one Algerian national — and wounded 28 others. A separate strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport killed one person and injured eight.

"India condemns the attacks over the past few days... which have resulted in civilian deaths and injuries," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. Expressing condolences to the victims' families, the ministry added, "We express solidarity and stand with the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

The Iran-aligned Houthi rebel group in Yemen claimed responsibility for the strikes. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that the group deployed ballistic missiles and drones against the airports. Saree framed the attacks as a direct response to "Saudi aggression", claiming the coalition had launched 60 airstrikes and missile attacks against Yemen within a 24-hour window.

In addition to the airport strikes in Saudi Arabia, Saree claimed Houthi forces had targeted Aden International Airport in southern Yemen, a vital gateway for territory held by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government.

The rebel group went on to issue a "last warning" to international airlines operating in Saudi Arabian airspace. Saree declared the country's skies a "theatre for our military operations," warning commercial carriers of the risks of continuing flights, though he noted that the airspace over the holy sites in Mecca and Medina would remain exempt.

The response from Riyadh was swift and heavy. Coalition spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Maliki warned that the attacks on civilian facilities "will not go unpunished."

Within hours, the Saudi-led coalition launched a comprehensive retaliatory operation, claiming to have destroyed 82 Houthi military targets across Yemen. The coalition said its airstrikes targeted ballistic missile storage sites in the northern stronghold of Saada, a launch platform in the capital Sanaa, and various command, control, and communication centres across Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, and Ma’rib.

The rapid escalation has raised security anxieties for international travellers. The US Mission in Saudi Arabia has urged American citizens to exercise "heightened vigilance", warning that the threat of continued Houthi attacks could trigger flight cancellations, sudden airspace closures, and broader travel disruptions across the kingdom.