The Embassy of India in Riyadh on Thursday advised all Indian nationals in Saudi Arabia to remain vigilant and stay indoors as necessary, amid attacks
on civilian infrastructure. In the advisory, dated 8 October, the mission asked Indians to follow instructions issued by Saudi authorities through official channels. It also strongly urged them not to circulate or repost videos or news related to the ongoing events. The Embassy of India in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah, along with their outsourced VFS services, are functioning normally, the mission said. The 24x7 helpline of the Pravasi Bharatiya Sahayata Kendra remains available on the toll-free number 8002471234, and the community has been directed to the embassy’s official social media accounts for updates. Read More: Wildlife Populations See Staggering 73% Decline Since 1970, WWF Report Finds The advisory follows a spate of attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. 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 6 and 7 October. Witnesses reported several explosions across the capital on Thursday morning, and the Houthis claimed missile strikes on the Riyadh airport. Saudi civil defence reported material damage to buildings from falling shrapnel after interceptions. Indian carriers cancelled or diverted several Riyadh services on Thursday. Air India Express cancelled flights to and from the Saudi capital until Saturday, 10 October, and PTI reported that Air India had done the same. IndiGo said it had cancelled all Riyadh flights until 9 October, while Akasa Air extended its cancellations until 10 October.
The US mission in Saudi Arabia also issued a security alert on 8 October, saying the Houthis had targeted civilian airports and that the conflict could escalate.
Indians form one of the largest expatriate communities in Saudi Arabia, so any wider escalation would put a very large number of Indian nationals at risk.
