Even the Guests of God Were Not Spared from Houthi Terrorism

They were preparing for an Umrah pilgrimage, awaiting boarding on their flights in the hope of reaching the Holy House of God. However, the Houthi attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport placed their safety and lives in the crosshairs, affecting pilgrims seeking to perform worship, as well as workers and innocent bystanders within the airport. Al Arabiya channel broadcast footage documenting the preparations of several Umrah pilgrims prior to the airport strike, a scene that represented a direct threat to individuals with no connection to combat. The presence of pilgrims among the passengers revealed that the repercussions of the attack extended beyond infrastructure and material damage, impacting the safety of the guests of God and their right to travel securely. The airport serves as a gateway for work, reunion, and worship; targeting it places everyone in the line of fire, regardless of their destination or reason for travel. In light of these scenes, the question arises: Which aggression endangers people preparing to perform Umrah? What fault do travelers awaiting their flights, or workers fulfilling their duties, have, so that their lives become part of an escalation they did not choose? The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation announced that the attack on Saturday, October 10, resulted in 12 deaths and 309 injuries. It clarified that this tally includes victims of the airport attack generally, without specifying a separate count for the pilgrims seen in the footage. Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki, the official spokesperson for the coalition forces, affirmed that targeting one of the passenger terminals, and the resulting civilian casualties, constitutes a fully constituted war crime. The attack was not limited to a building or operational facilities; it also endangered people who were waiting to arrive, including pilgrims who carried nothing but the intention of worship, only to find themselves in a place targeted by terrorism. No slogan justifies endangering innocents, and no political calculation diminishes their right to safety. Targeting civilians, including the guests of God, remains an assault on innocent people who have no part in any conflict.