Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned on Tuesday 13 October 2026 the attacks carried out by the Houthis against Saudi territory during a telephone call with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. The Turkish Presidency’s Communications Directorate said the two sides discussed the latest developments in the region and the attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Erdoğan reaffirms condemnation of attacks and support for Saudi Arabia
Erdoğan said his country strongly condemned the Houthi attacks targeting Saudi territory. The Turkish president expressed his sadness over the deaths caused by the attacks and offered his condolences to Saudi Arabia and the families of those who died. He also stressed that Turkey would continue to stand by the kingdom in the coming period, expressing his belief that this challenge could be overcome.
The call came after a series of attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh over several days. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation had announced that an attack on the afternoon of Saturday 10 October had killed 12 people and injured 309 others, according to a preliminary toll, including people in critical condition.
The authority said the preliminary death toll included four Saudi citizens and residents of various nationalities, including two Bangladeshi nationals, as well as nationals of the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan. The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia later said that an Indian national had died from injuries sustained in Saturday’s attack, raising the toll from that attack to 13 deaths, according to the embassy’s announcement.
Series of attacks hit airport facilities
The airport came under another attack on Sunday 11 October, which Saudi authorities said killed a Pakistani resident and injured 11 people. The authorities also announced that they had dealt with a fire that broke out after an unidentified projectile fell on Terminal 4 at the airport. These incidents followed attacks on 8 October targeting King Khalid Airport facilities and an aircraft belonging to Saudi Airlines.
The Civil Aviation Authority said the two attacks had killed three Saudi citizens and injured a number of citizens and residents, in addition to causing material damage, before operations resumed and air traffic returned. On 11 October, the Turkish Foreign Ministry had condemned the renewed targeting of King Khalid International Airport, offered its condolences to the victims’ families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
It said that targeting civilian infrastructure and civilians constituted a violation of international law and international humanitarian law, renewing Ankara’s support for Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry also called for an end to actions that threaten the region’s security and stability and undermine international efforts to establish peace. During his call with the Saudi Crown Prince, Erdoğan reiterated the same position, affirming his country’s solidarity with the kingdom in confronting the attacks.
