Houthi strikes in Riyadh: Lebanese officials express support for Saudi Arabia

BEIRUT — Following Saturday’s deadly Houthi attacks on Riyadh, which killed at least 12 people and injured 309 others, several Lebanese officials expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

The attack, which targeted King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, was the deadliest in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade.

President Joseph Aoun expressed Lebanon’s “total solidarity” with Saudi Arabia on Saturday and condemned “acts of aggression that constitute a threat to the security and stability of the kingdom, as well as to the entire region.”

He called for “respect for the sovereignty of states and the integrity of their territories” and rejected attacks on “civilian and vital installations.” Aoun also reaffirmed the “brotherly relations” between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia and Beirut’s desire to strengthen ties for the benefit of both peoples.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the latest Houthi threats against Saudi airports, which he said revealed a “persistent desire to undermine Saudi Arabia’s security.”

“I offer my sincerest condolences to the families of the victims and wish the injured a speedy recovery. I reiterate Lebanon’s full and complete solidarity and its support for all measures the kingdom deems appropriate to defend itself and protect its people,” Salam wrote on X.

The Foreign Ministry also condemned the attacks on Sunday, describing them as “a blatant violation of the principles of international law and the rules of humanitarian law.” The ministry expressed its “categorical rejection of any attack on the sovereignty, security and integrity of Saudi Arabia.”

Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Joumblatt, meanwhile, called for a return to the Islamabad agreements and their further development, arguing that this was the only way to spare the region “total ruin,” which would benefit “the oil and arms giants.” He added that “any bet on outside support is an illusion and a fantasy.”

Signed by the United States and Iran on June 17, 2026, the Islamabad memorandum of understanding aims to end hostilities in the Middle East through mediation led by Pakistan and Qatar. Negotiations between Washington and Tehran have since stalled.