UN, EU leaders slam attack on Saudi airport

Smoke and flames rise from King Khalid Airport, after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said they attacked the airport, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 8, 2026, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Social Media/via REUTERS

United Nations and European Union leaders voiced shock on Sunday at an attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on an airport in Saudi Arabia and warned against an escalation in the deadly conflict.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply shocked” by Saturday’s attack on Riyadh’s airport, which killed 12 people and wounded over 300, according to aviation authorities.

“Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are a violation of international law. These attacks must cease immediately,” Guterres said in a statement.

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called the attack a “dangerous escalation” and said the Iran-backed group must halt strikes on civilian targets.

“These attacks by Iran’s proxies are pushing the region into a spiral of violence. They are destabilising crucial global transport and energy nodes with shockwaves sent through the world,” von der Leyen said.

“These murderous attacks on civilians must stop at once,” she said, adding the EU stands in “solidarity with Saudi Arabia.”

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he “firmly condemns” the attack, which he described as “a terrorist act against Saudi Arabia and civil aviation.”

“Our thoughts are with the victims, and I send my sincere condolences to their loved ones,” he wrote on X.

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Meanwhile, UK Defence Minister Wes Streeting said the attacks were “contemptible” and a “dangerous escalation.”

PUNCH Online reports that several people were wounded in a blast at Riyadh’s international airport in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, according to eyewitnesses and people briefed on the incident.

Travellers were evacuated from parts of the facility following the explosion, which left multiple people injured, according to two eyewitnesses and two people briefed on the matter.

One eyewitness said they saw an explosion and subsequently found several people lying injured on the ground inside the airport.

AFP

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