India condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and civilian deaths as ‘completely unacceptable’ | Today’s news
India on Thursday condemned the attacks targeting Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Indian government called the targeting of civilian infrastructure “completely unacceptable” in a statement.
The Iranian-backed Houthis have claimed repeated attacks on Riyadh airport in recent days, along with salvos targeting critical infrastructure and military sites elsewhere in Saudi Arabia.
India’s statement came after three people were reportedly killed and 36 others injured following the attacks on Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport, which took place separately on October 6 and 7, according to the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).
Two people were killed and 28 injured at Abha airport, while one person was killed and eight were injured in a strike at King Khalid International Airport, news agency ANI reported.
MEA notes
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “India condemns the attacks in the last few days targeting the Abha International Airport and the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which resulted in the death and injury of civilians.
“Targeting civilian infrastructure is totally unacceptable,” the MEA said in a statement.
India also expressed its deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
“We express our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones. We wish those injured a speedy recovery,” the ministry said.
The MEA further expressed India’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its people and government.
“We express solidarity and stand with the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” it added.
The conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis
Several explosions rang out in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Thursday, AFP journalists heard, during the war between the kingdom and Houthi fighters in Yemen.
Earlier, Saudi-led coalition forces claimed to have destroyed 82 military targets belonging to Houthi militias in Yemen following “attacks” on civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport.
In an official press release on Wednesday, coalition forces spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said Houthi “attacks” on civilian targets “will not go unpunished.”
“The brutal attacks by Houthi terrorist militias on civilians and civilian objects in the kingdom, most recently targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport, will not go unpunished,” Al-Maliki said.
“As a result, the United Coalition Forces launched a comprehensive operation that destroyed a total of 82 legitimate military targets belonging to Houthi terrorist militias across the governorates of Saada, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf and Ma’rib,” he added.
According to the coalition, the targets included ballistic missile sites, including 11 mountain ballistic missile storage sites in Saada, as well as command and control centers, communications systems, missile and weapons depots and assembly points for Houthi groups.
The coalition also said it had destroyed a ballistic missile launch platform in Sana’a that was preparing for an imminent “strike” against Saudi Arabia.
The US mission in Saudi Arabia also urged American citizens to exercise “heightened vigilance” amid Houthi threats against airports and airspace in Saudi Arabia, warning of possible flight cancellations, airspace closures and travel disruptions.
Meanwhile, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group carried out missile “strikes” against Saudi Arabia and Saudi-backed targets.
(With input from agencies)
