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Kaja Kallas posted on X that the Houthi attack on Riyadh’s international airport constituted an appalling act of terror. She stated there can be no justification for indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. The EU stands in solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kallas added while offering the bloc’s deepest condolences to the families of the victims. The foreign policy chief said she remained in close contact with her Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan over the incident.
The strike on King Khalid International Airport took place on October 10 and prompted suspension of all operations at the facility. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation reported that 12 people died in the attack with 309 others wounded, some of whom were in critical condition. The fatalities included four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis and one national each from the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and Sudan. The authority confirmed that the deadliest assault on the kingdom in more than a decade also led to cancellation of more than 600 flights.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the Houthi strike a dangerous escalation. She said attacks by Iran’s proxies are pushing the region into a spiral of violence and destabilizing crucial global transport and energy nodes. Von der Leyen urged that these murderous attacks on civilians must stop at once while expressing the EU’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia.
Kallas stressed that enhanced coordination between the EU naval mission in the Red Sea and the Saudi-led maritime coalition is vital. She indicated that this cooperation would prove essential in addressing the growing tensions. EU foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Monday to discuss the situation according to her statement.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he was deeply shocked by the attack on the civilian airport. Guterres declared that such strikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international law and must cease immediately. His reaction formed part of widespread international condemnation that also included statements from Germany, Britain and the United States.
A Saudi-led military coalition described the strike as a war crime and vowed a decisive response according to coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Malki. The coalition has intercepted additional missiles targeting Saudi Arabia and destroyed launch platforms in related operations. The Iran-backed Houthis claimed earlier attacks on the same airport this week that killed four more people and damaged a commercial plane. The escalation follows the unraveling of a ceasefire in the Yemen conflict where the group controls significant territory.
