RIYADH: Arab countries and the Muslim World League on Thursday condemned Houthi attacks the previous night on Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd International Airport in Dammam and the Shaybah oilfield in the Eastern Province that killed four people and injured 10.
The UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Egypt denounced the strikes as violations of Saudi sovereignty and international law, and reaffirmed their support for the Kingdom’s efforts to protect its security and territorial integrity.
Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for international action to halt the escalating strikes and hold those responsible accountable. It warned that the attacks were part of a wider campaign targeting vital infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, citing four attacks on airports and energy facilities in less than two weeks.
It described the recent escalation as a threat to global energy security and called for action by the UN Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which grants the council authority to take action to address threats to international peace and security.
Qatar warned that the attack on King Fahd International Airport posed a direct threat to civilian aviation and regional security, and said the security of Saudi Arabia was an integral part of the collective security of Gulf Cooperation Council states.
The UAE condemned the airport attack as a violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and a threat to its stability, and Jordan expressed support for Saudi measures to protect civilians and national infrastructure.
Egypt denounced the targeting of civilian facilities and air traffic, and warned that such attacks threatened to further escalate regional tensions. Cairo described Saudi Arabia’s security as an integral part of Arab and Egyptian national security.
The Muslim World League condemned the attacks on the airport and the oilfield, saying the targeting of civilians and civilian facilities violated religious principles and international humanitarian law.
The organization’s secretary-general, Mohammed Al-Issa, reaffirmed its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and support for measures to safeguard the security of the Kingdom and the safety of its citizens and residents.
The two attacks on Wednesday night killed a Saudi citizen and three foreign residents and caused damage to civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom’s Eastern Province.
The strikes were the latest in a series of attacks this month by the Iran-backed Houthis targeting Saudi airports and energy infrastructure, including a deadly attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Oct. 10 that killed 13 people and injured more than 300.