Riyadh airport missile attack kills 12 and injures 300, drawing condemnation from India and Pakistan

A missile strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport has killed 12 people and injured more than 300, bringing domestic terminals to a standstill and prompting immediate condemnation from both India and Pakistan.

The missile struck an airport complex housing terminals 3 and 4, which handle domestic flights, on Saturday, 10 October. It marks the deadliest single strike in a Gulf Arab nation since the wider conflict involving Iran and regional proxies began escalating. Saudi civil aviation authorities suspended flight operations immediately following the blast, extending the closure through 9 pm on Sunday as inbound services were diverted across the region.

The Saudi-led coalition blamed the strike on Iran-backed Houthi fighters operating from neighbouring Yemen, where cross-border missile launches have intensified alongside renewed clashes with Saudi-backed Yemeni forces.

Casualties across eight nationalities

Saudi authorities confirmed that the 12 victims killed in the blast came from eight countries. Four Saudi citizens were killed, alongside two Bangladeshi nationals, an American, an Egyptian, a Jordanian, a Palestinian, a Syrian and a Sudanese citizen.

More than 300 people sustained injuries and were moved to multiple hospitals across Riyadh for emergency treatment. Aviation monitors and flight-tracking services showed widespread delays and ground stops spreading through the Gulf airspace network while ground crews inspected the damaged terminals.

India and Pakistan condemn the strike

New Delhi and Islamabad issued strongly worded statements on Sunday, each backing Riyadh and denouncing the targeting of civilian transport hubs.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs described the strike as "dastardly" and said repeated attacks on civilian infrastructure were unacceptable.

"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," the ministry said in a statement. New Delhi added that it stands in solidarity with Saudi Arabia "in defence of their sovereignty, and hope that peace and normalcy returns to the region at the earliest."

In Islamabad, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the strikes as "heinous" and warned that deliberate assaults on civilian sites risk widening regional instability.

"Attacks targeting civilians and vital infrastructure are utterly unacceptable and pose a serious threat to regional peace and stability," Sharif said, reaffirming Pakistan’s "steadfast commitment to Saudi Arabia's sovereignty, territorial integrity".

What happens next at King Khalid International

The extended airport closure forced airlines operating across the Gulf to cancel scheduled services into the Saudi capital and offer rebooking options to stranded passengers. Aviation authorities have urged travellers not to head to the airport complex until terminal access is cleared and schedules resume.

While the Saudi-led coalition has pointed directly to Houthi units in Yemen, the rebel group has not formally claimed responsibility through its official military channels, and coalition commanders have not yet disclosed what retaliatory military actions they plan to take.