Indian national among two killed in Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia's Dammam airport
Two people, including an Indian national, were killed and eight others injured on Wednesday when the Houthi movement attacked King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, a hub for Saudi Arabia's eastern oil industry, the kingdom's General Authority of Civil Aviation said.
The Indian Embassy in Riyadh confirmed the death of the Indian national on Thursday. In a social media post, the embassy said Saudi authorities had informed it that one Indian was among the two people killed in the attack on the airport "yesterday night", and that two Indian nationals were injured. "We are ascertaining further details and contacting the affected families. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of the deceased and we wish speedy recovery of the injured," the embassy said.
Airport operations and air traffic returned to normal after brief disruption, the Saudi aviation authority said.
The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, said they launched missile and drone attacks on the Saudi Ministry of Defence in Riyadh and on the airport in Dammam. The group, which controls northern and north-western Yemen including the capital Sana'a, said it also struck a facility of Aramco, the state-owned petroleum and natural gas company, in Yanbu, and Abha International Airport in the south-west.
According to the Houthi-aligned Almasirah television, the group warned that if Saudi Arabia continued to attack Yemen, "we will resort to major options we did not want to take, and we hold it responsible for the consequences".
Separately, the Houthis claimed that Saudi forces had targeted a yacht carrying 14 Indians near Zuqar Island in the Red Sea on Thursday, and said rescue operations for those on board were under way. The claim could not be independently verified. "This reckless behaviour by the Saudi enemy threatens international navigation in the Red Sea," the group said, according to Almasirah, adding that the international community should act to stop such actions. The Houthis said the targeting of a civilian vessel carrying Indian nationals raised serious concerns about the safety of international navigation and the possibility of civilian casualties. There was no immediate response from Saudi authorities to the claim, and Indian officials have not commented on it.
The strikes are the latest in an exchange that has intensified in recent weeks. Saudi Arabia began air strikes on Yemen in 2015, a few months after the Houthis captured Sana'a in 2014. In 2022, Riyadh and the Houthi leadership agreed to a ceasefire as part of a broader rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia. That ceasefire collapsed in July this year, amid the conflict between the United States and Iran, after Saudi Arabia bombed Sana'a airport to prevent an Iranian airline carrying a Houthi delegation from landing. The Houthis then resumed attacks on Saudi Arabia, launched a ground offensive against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, and announced a blockade of Saudi ports in the Red Sea. The group expanded its control along Yemen's Red Sea coast in September.
On Thursday, the Houthis said their operations against Saudi Arabia would continue. "There will be siege for siege and escalation for escalation," the group said, adding that the strikes would continue until Saudi Arabia lifts its blockade of Houthi-held areas of Yemen.
Attacks on civilian airports and on shipping in the Red Sea have raised concerns about the safety of civilians and of international navigation on a route that carries a significant share of global trade. Both sides in the conflict have accused each other of endangering civilians.
The Ministry of External Affairs has shared helpline numbers for Indian nationals in Saudi Arabia.
Embassy of India, Riyadh: Telephone +966-554412016 and +966-542126784; toll-free 8002471234 (calls from within Saudi Arabia only); WhatsApp +966-536216082 (messages only).
Consulate General of India, Jeddah: Telephone +966-12-2614093 and +966-556122301; WhatsApp +966-536209704 (messages only).
