A UAE-based educator traveling to Saudi Arabia for Umrah was among the hundreds wounded during the tragic attack at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on October 10. The teacher, who was in the middle of a transit flight from Abu Dhabi, was visited in the hospital by Saudi Health Minister Fahad Abdulrahman AlJalajel. During the visit, the minister reassured her and her colleague that the Saudi government would provide full support for their recovery and help them continue their religious pilgrimage to Makkah as originally planned, emphasizing that their spiritual journey remains a priority for the Kingdom’s leadership.

The assault, attributed to the Iran-backed Houthi group, resulted in 13 fatalities and over 300 injuries, impacting both Saudi citizens and various expatriates. In the aftermath of the strike, the airport faced severe operational disruptions, with a vast majority of flights cancelled as authorities managed the emergency. Despite the harrowing experience and the subsequent follow-up attack on October 11, the injured teacher expressed deep gratitude toward the medical staff attending to her, while Saudi officials remained steadfast in their commitment to ensuring that those targeted in the violence would still be able to complete their Umrah rites.