RIYADH, October 9, 2026 — India has advised its nationals in Saudi Arabia to stay indoors and avoid circulating videos of the ongoing attacks, after a series of Houthi strikes on civilian airports across the Kingdom left three people dead and dozens injured.
In an advisory dated October 8, the Indian Embassy in Riyadh told all Indian nationals in the Kingdom to “remain alert and vigilant, stay indoors as necessary, and follow the instructions issued by local authorities through official channels,” state media reported.
The mission also strongly urged the community not to circulate or repost videos or news related to the ongoing events — a warning that echoes Riyadh’s own call earlier this week against filming missile and drone interceptions.
Embassy services functioning normally
The embassy said its offices in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah, along with outsourced VFS services, were functioning normally. A 24×7 helpline of the Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra remains available on the toll-free number 8002471234, and Indian nationals were directed to the embassy’s official social media handles for updates.
The advisory lands at a tense moment. Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said three people were killed and 36 injured in separate attacks on Abha and Riyadh’s King Khalid airports on October 6 and 7. On Thursday, witnesses reported explosions across the capital as the Houthis claimed fresh missile strikes on Riyadh’s airport, with Saudi civil defence reporting material damage to buildings from interception debris.
New Delhi condemns the attacks
Hours before the advisory circulated, India’s Ministry of External Affairs condemned the targeting of the airports. “The targeting of civilian infrastructure is completely unacceptable,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, expressing condolences to the families of those killed and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.
“We express solidarity and stand with the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the statement added, according to the Indian Express.
The US mission in Saudi Arabia also issued a security alert on October 8, warning that the Houthis had targeted civilian airports and that the conflict could escalate.
Flights between India and Riyadh suspended
The deteriorating security situation has disrupted air travel between the two countries. Air India and Air India Express cancelled services to and from Riyadh until October 10, while IndiGo cancelled through October 9 and Akasa Air through October 10, state media reported. Air India Express operates 16 weekly flights to Riyadh from Bengaluru, Kochi, Kannur and Kozhikode; Air India runs seven weekly services from Delhi and Mumbai.
Lufthansa has also suspended its Riyadh flights through October 16 amid the strikes, with nearly half of the airport’s departures cancelled on Thursday.
India is home to one of the largest expatriate communities in Saudi Arabia, with more than two million Indian workers and families in the Kingdom — a community now watching the skies with growing unease.
