Prime Minister Masrour Barzani Condemns Attacks on Saudi Airports
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani condemned attacks on King Khalid and Abha international airports, expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia and condolences to the victims' families.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Friday condemned attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, stressing that civilians and civilian infrastructure must not be targeted.
In a statement posted on X, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia following the attacks.
"We condemn the attacks that targeted King Khalid International Airport and Abha International Airport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and we affirm that targeting civilians, facilities, and civilian infrastructure is unacceptable," Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said.
He also extended condolences to those affected.
"We extend our sincerest condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims, and we express our full solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its leadership and people," he added.
The statement followed deadly attacks on Thursday against Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport and a Saudia Airlines aircraft.
Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said Friday that three people were killed in the attacks.
Among the dead was the captain of a Saudia Airlines aircraft, according to the national carrier, which confirmed his death and expressed sadness over the incident.
The attacks also caused significant disruption at Riyadh's main international airport, with numerous flights delayed or cancelled.
Airport authorities advised passengers to contact their airlines before travelling as operations were affected.
Explosions were heard across Riyadh during the attacks, while diplomatic missions took shelter and international schools introduced safety precautions.
Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense agency also said debris from intercepted projectiles damaged a kindergarten and a medical complex in the capital.
Authorities did not immediately announce whether anyone had been injured at those locations.
Yemen's Houthi movement claimed a series of attacks against the airport amid an intensification of fighting between the Iran-backed group and the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia.
The latest escalation comes against the background of Yemen's long-running conflict.
Saudi Arabia intervened militarily in Yemen in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized government after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and other major population centers the previous year.
Recent fighting has intensified as Houthi forces expanded their territorial control and Saudi-backed government forces sought to regain lost ground.
The confrontation has also centered on territory near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the strategically important maritime passage connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
A regional source told AFP on Friday that Saudi Arabia would not give in to what the source described as Houthi "military blackmail."
The source said Riyadh would not agree to a truce until the Yemeni government recovered territory lost in recent weeks.
The attacks on Saudi airports have further highlighted the risks the conflict poses beyond the battlefield, particularly to civilian transportation, public facilities and other infrastructure.
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani's statement focused specifically on those civilian consequences, emphasizing that attacks on airports and other civilian facilities were unacceptable and extending the Kurdistan Region's solidarity to Saudi Arabia and the families of those killed.