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‘Every innocent life matters’: Zaqy Mohamad on Riyadh airport strike, urges S’poreans to stay vigilant
"Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure cannot be justified."
October 11, 2026, 08:10 PM
Photos from @OSINTWarfare/X and @zaqym/Instagram.
Singaporeans, including pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, should remain vigilant, follow the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MFA) travel advisories and register with MFA, said Senior Minister of State of the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) Zaqy Mohamad on Oct. 11.
His comments come after a strike on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Oct. 10 killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300.
In an Instagram post, Zaqy, who is also Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, said he was "deeply saddened" by the recent attacks.
"My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," he wrote.
"Every innocent life matters. Attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure cannot be justified."
Zaqy said he hoped for an end to the violence and for peace and stability to prevail in the region.
He also noted that Saudi Arabia is home to Makkah and Madinah, the two holiest cities in Islam.
"I understand the concerns of Singaporeans, especially those with loved ones there or planning to perform Umrah. I urge Singaporeans, including our pilgrims in Saudi Arabia, to remain vigilant, follow MFA’s travel advisories and register with MFA," he said.
Attack on Saturday was the third in the week
Iran-backed Houthis were reportedly behind the attack on Saturday, with a Saudi-led military coalition calling it a "war crime" and vowing to respond to it.
The Saudi civil aviation authority said that some of the injured were in "critical condition", and that damage to the airport was being assessed.
All flights were diverted from Riyadh and operations at the airport were temporarily suspended.
The strike came a day after authorities said three Saudis were killed in two Houthi attacks on two Saudi airports on Oct. 6 and 7.
A Saudi-led coalition was formed in 2015 after Arab countries joined forces to stop the Houthis from taking over Yemen.
A temporary ceasefire was brokered in 2022 but it began to unravel in July this year, after the Houthis seized strategically important stretches of the Red Sea coast.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government launched an offensive this week to retake the territory.
The Houthis have since declared Saudi airspace a zone of military operations and warned airliners to avoid it.
