The Successful Attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh
The Yemeni Armed Forces announced that they had carried out an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh yesterday afternoon, Saturday, October 10, 2026.
The attack reportedly left 12 people dead and 309 injured, including several in critical condition. Sources stated that a ballistic missile struck the airport.
Airport operations were temporarily suspended, while schools across Riyadh switched to remote learning for the entire week. The Arab coalition vowed to respond “decisively.”
Countries Rush to Condemn the Attack
A total of 20 countries and 8 international, Arab, and Islamic organizations condemned the attack, bringing the total number of condemning entities to 28.
▪️ Countries: United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen, Iraq, United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Cyprus, Uzbekistan, Maldives, Pakistan, and India.
▪️ Organizations: United Nations, European Union, Gulf Cooperation Council, Arab League, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Muslim World League, Arab Parliament, and the Council of Arab Interior Ministers.
Among the reactions, U.S. President Donald Trump described the attack as “unacceptable.”
Where Were These Countries When Saudi Arabia Repeatedly Attacked Yemen’s Airports?
This rush to condemn the attack exposes the hypocrisy of these governments.
Between 2015 and 2022, Sanaa International Airport alone was reportedly subjected to approximately 227 airstrikes, including:
▪️ 67 airstrikes in 2015
▪️ 62 airstrikes in 2016
▪️ 47 airstrikes in 2018
These figures, attributed to United Nations statistics, were documented amid overwhelming international silence.
And the destruction was not limited to Sanaa.
At least 15 Yemeni airports, 16 seaports, 344 power stations, and 7,099 roads and bridges were reportedly targeted.
Direct and indirect losses in Yemen’s transportation sector alone exceeded $13 billion, while the closure of Sanaa International Airport reportedly resulted in the deaths of 60,000 patients who were denied the opportunity to travel abroad for medical treatment.
While Western and Arab capitals were quick to issue statements condemning the attack on Riyadh, they failed to issue comparable condemnations as they watched Yemen’s airports being systematically destroyed year after year.
Nor did they respond with similar outrage when the United Nations itself described the blockade of Yemen as being “akin to slow torture.”
UN reports documented that the comprehensive blockade imposed since March 2015 had caused a 50% reduction in imports of food, medicine, and fuel by the end of 2016.
Meanwhile, by the end of 2021, only 10% of the civilian sector’s petroleum requirements were reportedly being allowed into the country.
Despite all this international hypocrisy, despite years of isolation, abandonment, and blockade, Yemen remains unbroken and refuses to surrender.
It continues to pursue its policy of “blockade for blockade” until its legitimate rights are secured, raising the banner of steadfast resistance against those who believed that a blockade could break its will or that propaganda could erase their crimes.