What happened

According to Dawn, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned a missile strike targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The attack resulted in at least 12 deaths and left over 300 people injured. Operations at the airport were temporarily suspended following the afternoon strike, causing widespread flight cancellations and forcing incoming aircraft to divert to other cities, including Jeddah.

Saudi civil aviation officials and diplomatic sources attributed the assault to Yemen's Houthi rebels. Major General Turki al-Malki, speaking for the Saudi-led coalition, denounced the strike on a civilian facility as a war crime and promised a decisive response. Prime Minister Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to Saudi Arabia's security and territorial integrity under the Makkah Joint Defence Agreement, emphasizing that attacks on civilian infrastructure threaten regional peace.

Key facts

  • The casualties include 12 dead—four Saudi citizens, two Bangladeshis, and one citizen each from the US, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine, and Sudan—along with 309 injured.
  • Health officials in Riyadh issued an emergency call-up for ER doctors to treat the influx of wounded passengers and airport staff across local hospitals.
  • Flightradar24 reported that 155 arriving flights and 161 departing flights were cancelled, with another 222 flights delayed.
  • Multiple foreign embassies, including those of the US, Canada, Germany, and Spain, advised their citizens to avoid the airport area.
  • US President Donald Trump called the incident unacceptable and indicated that the US might join Saudi military strikes against the Houthis.

Why it matters

According to Dawn, the strike reflects a sharp escalation in regional violence following the collapse of a UN-brokered truce in July. Both the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi movement have indicated a willingness to continue military actions, raising ongoing risks for civilian infrastructure, energy supplies, and international travel routes in the region.

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Source: Dawn - Home · Published October 11, 2026 · Photo by Javad Esmaeili on Unsplash