India's embassy in Riyadh has urged nationals living in Saudi Arabia to exercise vigilance as developments unfold, limit time outdoors where circumstances require it, and refrain from circulating footage or reports connected to ongoing events. The notice was issued on 8 October.
Indian nationals were advised to follow any directions put out by local authorities through official channels and to remain alert. The mission also told recipients to avoid sharing or reposting any footage and news reports tied to the unfolding situation.
Operations at both the Riyadh mission and the Jeddah Consulate were continuing without disruption, according to a statement from the embassy. Operations through VFS channels have faced no interruption and remain fully functional. Callers seeking assistance can reach the Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra through its toll-free line — 8002471234 — at any hour of the day or night.
Indian nationals living in Saudi Arabia received an advisory from the embassy to stay on guard. Guidance went out urging them to keep to directions put out by area authorities through verified, formal channels.
Updates from the mission will flow through its verified social media channels. The embassy maintains a presence across four platforms: X (handle @IndianEmbRiyadh), Facebook under the page name IndiainSaudiArabia, Instagram at indianembriyadh, and LinkedIn listed as Embassy of India in Riyadh. Additional notices and travel advisories would be released by the embassy as circumstances warranted.
Twelve people were killed and more than 300 others taken to hospital after a missile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, an attack that prompted a formal condemnation from India. A projectile came down on the part of the airport where Terminals 3 and 4 are located, both of which serve domestic routes.
Among those killed, the statement identified four people holding Saudi nationality, two from Bangladesh, and individual nationals from Palestine, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Sudan.
The Saudi-led coalition attributed responsibility for the strike to Houthi forces operating out of Yemen. A formal statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs conveyed condemnation of the series of attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh — including the one on 10 October — noting that the incidents had resulted in deaths, injuries, and property destruction, and calling on all parties to halt such actions against civilian populations and infrastructure without delay.
India conveyed its backing for the Saudi Arabian population and its administration as they worked to uphold the nation's territorial integrity. A statement from India expressed the hope that calm and ordinary conditions would be restored to the area without delay.
The strike unfolded against a backdrop of assertions by Houthi forces — a group aligned with Iran — that they had conducted operations against airports, military sites, and oil infrastructure in Saudi Arabia over the preceding days. At the same time, the kingdom aligned its position with that of the United States. Broadcast reports described the strike as the deadliest incident recorded across the region since hostilities between the United States and Iran broke out at the end of February.