Riyadh Under Attack: Houthi Strikes on King Khalid Airport Kill Indian and Pakistani Nationals
Riyadh has become a focal point of regional tension as the Houthi movement has carried out a series of attacks on King Khalid International Airport, one of the busiest aviation hubs in the Arabian Peninsula. The strikes have resulted in casualties among South Asian workers and residents in the Saudi capital, with at least one Indian national and at least one Pakistani national confirmed dead in separate incidents. The death toll across multiple attack waves has climbed significantly, with the Anadolu Agency reporting a figure of 13 fatalities as of mid-October 2026. These events have sent shockwaves through the large Indian and Pakistani expatriate communities in Riyadh, who rely heavily on the airport for travel home.
Death Toll in Riyadh Airport Attack Rises to 13 as Indian National Succumbs to Injuries
The death toll from a Houthi attack on Riyadh King Khalid International Airport rose to 13 as an Indian national who sustained critical injuries in the strike succumbed despite receiving emergency medical treatment, according to a report by Anadolu Agency. The incident represents a devastating blow to the Indian community in Saudi Arabia, which numbers in the millions and relies on the Kingdom as one of its most important overseas employment destinations. The Indian national who died was among workers or travellers at or near the airport facility at the time of the strike, caught in the blast radius of the weapon used by the Houthi forces. Indian diplomatic missions in Riyadh were coordinating with Saudi authorities to identify and provide consular assistance to those affected. Families back in India have been plunged into grief upon receiving confirmation of the deaths, and there have been calls from Indian expatriate communities for enhanced security measures at transportation hubs across the Gulf. The casualty figures underscore how attacks on civilian infrastructure put the South Asian workforce in Saudi Arabia at direct risk, even when the stated targets of the Houthi campaign are national government and military assets. [2]
Pakistani National Killed, Eleven Wounded in Separate Houthi Strike on Riyadh Airport
A subsequent Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh resulted in the death of a Pakistani national and left eleven others wounded, as reported on October 12, 2026. The latest strike continued the pattern of repeated Houthi targeting of the airport as part of a broader campaign against Saudi infrastructure and population centres. The Pakistani national killed represented yet another tragedy for the Pakistani diaspora in Saudi Arabia, which forms one of the largest overseas worker communities in the Gulf region. Six Pakistanis were also reported wounded in the broader series of attacks on the airport, according to other agency reports of related incidents. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia share deep diplomatic and religious ties, and Pakistani workers in Riyadh have historically viewed the Kingdom as a relatively safe environment for employment. The repeated attacks have changed that calculus considerably, with Pakistani community groups expressing alarm and urging their government to open a formal dialogue with Riyadh about evacuations, insurance coverage for workers, and diplomatic pressure to protect civilian areas. Regional defence arrangements are under renewed scrutiny as Houthi capabilities appear more sophisticated than many analysts anticipated. [4]
Houthis Claim Responsibility for Latest Riyadh Airport Attack as Hindu Covers International Response
The Houthi movement issued a formal claim of responsibility for its most recent attack on Riyadh airport, marking yet another episode in the prolonged series of strikes that have targeted Saudi aviation infrastructure. The Hindu reported on the claim, situating it within the broader regional conflict that involves Houthi forces in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners, and international actors. The Indian media coverage of these events has been particularly extensive given the scale of the Indian diaspora in Riyadh, where hundreds of thousands of Indian professionals, domestic workers, and skilled tradespeople live and work. The Houthi narrative frames these attacks as acts of resistance against Saudi military operations in Yemen, while the Saudi and international perspective characterises them as deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure that endangers non-combatants including the large South Asian worker population. For the Indian and Pakistani communities in Riyadh, the airport attacks have created an atmosphere of heightened anxiety about personal safety and travel access to and from the Kingdom. [1]
Sources: [2] Anadolu Ajansı · [4] Kurdistan24 · [1] UA.NEWS