Two Killed, Including an Indian, in Houthi Attack on Dammam Airport; India Moves to Bring Home Stranded Pilgrims
Why It MattersMissile and drone strikes on major Saudi airports have cut international connections into the kingdom, leaving Indian carriers grounded on those routes and pilgrim travel dependent on whatever capacity remains.
Two people, including an Indian national, were killed and eight injured on Wednesday in a Houthi attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia's eastern oil hub, according to the kingdom's General Authority of Civil Aviation. The Indian Embassy in Riyadh confirmed the Indian national's death. The Iran-aligned rebels also claimed that Saudi Arabian forces had, on Thursday, targeted an Indian yacht carrying 14 Indians near Zuqar Island in the Red Sea, and said they were conducting rescue operations.
The Houthis said they launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense in Riyadh and on Dammam airport, and also struck an Aramco facility in Yanbu and Abha International Airport in the southwest. International flight connections to Saudi Arabia have been disrupted after attacks on several major airports, including Riyadh and Dammam, and Indian carriers IndiGo, Air India and Akasa Air have cancelled their flights.
The External Affairs Ministry said on Thursday that Indian missions in Riyadh and Jeddah are working with stakeholders to facilitate the early return of thousands of stranded Indian pilgrims. Over the past week, about 3,000 stranded Umrah pilgrims have travelled from Saudi Arabia to India on available flights, and arrangements are being discussed to bring back the remaining pilgrims at the earliest. AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi flagged the plight of around 4,000 stranded Indian pilgrims and asked that the DGCA permit airlines to run flights with large aircraft to bring them back.
