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Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh on October 16 to discuss strengthening bilateral relations and joint efforts to enhance regional security and stability, a statement from Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates carried by the Syrian Arab News Agency reported. Al-Shaibani reviewed the latest regional developments with his Saudi counterpart during the talks, which followed a telephone conversation between the two ministers on October 11. The Syrian minister used the occasion to reiterate his country’s full support for Saudi Arabia in the face of ongoing threats to its territory.
According to the Syrian Arab News Agency, al-Shaibani reaffirmed Syria’s full solidarity with Saudi Arabia following recent attacks targeting civilian facilities in the Kingdom and stressed that Saudi security remains an integral part of Syria’s security and that of the wider region. The ministers highlighted their commitment to closer cooperation in addressing shared regional challenges, the agency added. Al-Shaibani arrived in the Saudi capital the previous day leading a high-level delegation, the Syrian Arab News Agency reported.
The Syrian Arab News Agency reported that Damascus issued a similar condemnation on October 11 after the Houthi militia targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, describing the strike as a violation of Saudi sovereignty and a direct threat to its security, stability, civilians, infrastructure and air navigation. In that statement, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates extended condolences to the Saudi leadership and people, as well as to the families of victims from several countries including Syria itself. The ministry called on the international community to take serious steps to halt such attacks on civilian infrastructure that threaten regional security.
Saudi authorities had previously detailed the human cost of the October 10 strike on the Riyadh airport, with the General Authority of Civil Aviation reporting at least 12 people killed and 309 others injured, the Syrian Arab News Agency noted in follow-up coverage. Victims included nationals from Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan, according to the same Saudi figures relayed by regional outlets. The Syrian statement on October 11 specifically offered condolences to the family of the Syrian victim and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Earlier Houthi actions had already drawn repeated Syrian condemnations throughout the first half of October, the Syrian Arab News Agency documented in a series of statements. On October 8 the ministry condemned strikes on Abha and King Khalid International Airport that left several dead and injured, while a October 6 statement addressed attacks on airports in Jazan and Najran that caused injuries and material damage. A further statement on October 2 denounced a strike on a power distribution station in Medina, each time reaffirming Syria’s support for legitimate Saudi measures to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The October 16 meeting reflects improving ties between Damascus and Riyadh that have developed in recent years following the restoration of diplomatic relations, according to reporting by the Syrian Arab News Agency. Both sides have emphasized coordination on regional stability amid persistent Houthi threats that have also targeted other Saudi civilian and economic sites in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, Najran, Taif and Yanbu over recent months. The Syrian ministry has consistently described such actions as violations of international law that endanger civilians and threaten broader Gulf security.
