International Community Condemns Fatal Houthi Strike on Riyadh Airport

President Trump has labeled the incident “terrible” and indicated Washington is assessing whether to directly intervene alongside Saudi operations.

Saudi Arabia has attributed a third assault on Riyadh International Airport this week to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, accusing them of killing at least 12 individuals and injuring 300 others.

According to the Saudi civil aviation authority, the Saturday casualties included four Saudis, two citizens of Bangladesh, and one national each from the United States, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Sudan, and Egypt.

Officials have described the incident as the deadliest attack in the kingdom in more than a decade.

The strike arrives as the war in Yemen intensifies, with Houthi forces clashing against backings for the internationally recognised government. Riyadh is currently conducting an air campaign to support the Yemeni government’s ground offensive against the Iran-backed group.

Below is a summary of the global response to the incident:

United States

US President Donald Trump characterized the attack as “terrible” and confirmed he plans to speak with Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, shortly. He also indicated that Washington is evaluating whether to join the military effort against the Houthis.

“We may. We’re gonna look at it. We just found out about the recent attack, so we’ll make a decision. We’ll move very quickly,” he said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the Houthi strike resulted in the death of an American and called for an end to “these reprehensible attacks”.

“We stand with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its people and extend our condolences to the victims and their families,” he wrote on X.

United Nations

Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy for Yemen, stated that the deadly strikes against civilian airports in Saudi Arabia constitute “a grave escalation”.

“Such actions pose a serious threat to regional security, perpetuate cycles of violence and complicate even more peace efforts for Yemen,” he said in a statement.

Egypt

The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “strong condemnation” of the Houthi attacks, denouncing what it termed a “flagrant violation” of international law and the “disregard” for citizen safety inherent in such actions.

Qatar

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attacks, describing them as a “serious violation of Saudi sovereignty and a direct threat to the security of the region, the safety of civilians, civil facilities and air navigation”.

Doha expressed full solidarity with Saudi Arabia, stating support for “all legitimate measures” the kingdom “takes to preserve its sovereignty, security and safety of its territories”.

Palestine

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared “its full solidarity with the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” and affirmed support for “all measures taken by the Kingdom to safeguard its security, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens and residents”.

Japan

Japan’s embassy in Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the repeated Houthi attacks, asserting that assaults on civilians “cannot be tolerated” under any circumstances.

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