Calls attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure unacceptable, urges immediate end to hostilities
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. Photo: DPM Office/X
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday strongly condemned the Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities and reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and security under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement.
At least 12 people were killed and 309 injured in the attack on the Saudi capital’s international airport, according to Saudi officials, as tensions escalated in the region following recent hostilities.
In a statement on X, FM Dar said Pakistan condemned the attacks in the strongest terms and expressed deep concern over the Houthi assault.
“Attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure are totally unacceptable, violate international law and pose a serious threat to regional peace and security,” he said.
Deeply concerned by the Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which Pakistan condemns in the strongest terms. We pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured, including the six Pakistani nationals.
Attacks targeting civilians and civilian…
— Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) October 11, 2026
FM Dar prayed for the speedy recovery of all those injured, including six Pakistani nationals, and stressed that such acts must cease immediately.
He said Pakistan was in contact with the Saudi authorities and closely monitoring the situation.
Read: Saudi-led coalition says new attack at Riyadh airport causes fire, day after strike kills 12
The deputy prime minister also directed the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh to coordinate with the relevant authorities to provide all possible assistance to the injured Pakistani nationals.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s longstanding commitment to the Kingdom, FM Dar said Islamabad stood in solidarity with Saudi Arabia’s leadership and people.
“Pakistan remains firmly committed to the Kingdom’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and security in accordance with the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement,” he added.
In Saturday’s attack, the third on Riyadh’s airport in a week, the 12 dead included 4 Saudis, 2 Bangladeshis and nationals of the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan and Egypt, Saudi authorities said.
It was the deadliest such attack in the kingdom in more than a decade and comes amid an escalation of fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.
Saudi Arabia has stepped up its military involvement in Yemen in recent weeks, launching strikes against the Houthis and backing a Yemeni government counteroffensive after the group seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month.
Earlier, Yemen’s Houthis warned airlines, travellers and airport workers to stay away from Saudi airports.
Also Read: Yemen’s Houthis renew warning over Saudi airports after deadly Riyadh attack
“We renew our warning to all airlines, experts, employees, workers and travellers against using Saudi airports and airspace, as they are vulnerable to attack and have become a theatre of operations for our forces, except the airports in (the holy cities of) Makkah and Madinah.”
Yemen’s Houthi-run foreign ministry said later on Sunday that further Saudi military action in Yemen would trigger a stronger response, adding that its actions would be guided by the principle of reciprocity.
“Unless the Saudi enemy stops its aggression and interference in Yemen, worse is yet to come, God willing,” the ministry said in statements carried by Houthi-run Al Masirah television.
The two previous attacks on King Khalid International Airport this week killed four and caused heavy damage to a Saudi commercial plane parked on the tarmac. The strikes have exposed vulnerabilities in Saudi defence capabilities as it wages an air campaign against the Houthis to support a ground war by the Yemeni government against the group.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday the United States was considering joining Saudi strikes on the Houthis in the conflict, a spillover from the wider war on Iran that the US and Israel launched in February.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the attacks on the airport, saying they “demonstrate a blatant disregard for innocent civilian life”.
Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government have claimed hundreds of strikes on targets in Houthi-held territory. The Houthis have said these killed civilians, including women and children. Reuters could not independently verify those claims.
The Saudis entered the Yemen war in 2015 at the head of an Arab coalition to try to force the Houthis out of the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The war became a bloody stalemate, with hundreds of thousands of Yemenis killed by fighting and famine.
A 2022 ceasefire reached by the Saudis and the Houthis unravelled this summer, culminating in a lightning Houthi advance that took the Red Sea chokepoint of Bab el-Mandeb from Saudi-backed government forces.
