Indian Embassy in Riyadh Urges Nationals in Saudi Arabia to Follow Emergency Safety Directives Amid Houthi Strikes
Riyadh: The Indian Embassy in Riyadh has asked Indian nationals in Saudi Arabia to take note of and follow updated emergency safety directives issued by Saudi authorities, amid heightened security concerns following drone and missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels.
The advisory, issued on Sunday and shared through the embassy's social media platforms, asks Indians who receive emergency warnings through Saudi Arabia's National Early Warning Platform for Emergencies to remain calm, follow official directions and immediately move to the nearest safe place inside a building — preferably an interior room away from windows — until the danger has passed.
People have been advised not to leave their homes or buildings until the threat subsides, to stay away from open areas, windows and glass, and to avoid standing on balconies or rooftops. Those who are outdoors when an alert arrives should enter the nearest building or take shelter behind a solid barrier. The instructions also urge people to avoid crowds and dangerous areas and to refrain from taking photographs or videos of security incidents.
Those who receive an alert while driving have been asked to pull over to the side of the road, away from bridges and high-rise buildings. In case of any threat or danger, people can call the emergency number 911 in the regions of Makkah, Madinah, Riyadh and the Eastern Province, and 998 in the rest of Saudi Arabia, the instructions state. People have also been asked to follow directions issued by the competent authorities through official channels.
The guidance comes amid heightened security concerns following drone and missile attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels on targets in Saudi Arabia. The immediate trigger was a deadly strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on October 10, which killed an Indian national and injured several others.
The attack brought the security threat home for India's large expatriate community in the kingdom and prompted the embassy to reiterate and strengthen its safety advisory.
The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi has condemned the attacks on Abha and King Khalid airports and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia, describing the targeting of civilian infrastructure as unacceptable.
For the estimated millions of Indians who live and work in Saudi Arabia — the largest Indian expatriate community anywhere in the Gulf — the advisory is a sober reminder of the risks that come with the region's volatile security environment. Indians form the backbone of Saudi Arabia's workforce across sectors: construction, hospitality, healthcare, retail and professional services.
Many live in densely populated labour accommodations and city apartments where access to information about emergency protocols can be uneven, making embassy-led outreach through social media and community channels particularly important.
The National Early Warning Platform for Emergencies is Saudi Arabia's official system for broadcasting alerts about incoming threats, severe weather and other hazards directly to residents' mobile phones. Embassy officials stressed that the alerts are time-sensitive and that following the instructions immediately — rather than attempting to document the event or move toward windows for a better view — can be the difference between safety and exposure to blast fragments.
Diplomats and security analysts say the renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi targets mark an escalation in the group's campaign, which has expanded since the conflict in the region widened.
The group's missile and drone attacks on Saudi energy infrastructure and civilian targets have periodically forced flight disruptions and prompted the closure of airspace around airports — including disruptions that affected Indian Umrah pilgrims travelling to Makkah, for whom the embassy had earlier established a dedicated control room.
New Delhi's response has been calibrated: strong condemnation of the attacks, full solidarity with Riyadh, and practical support for its nationals on the ground. Indian missions in the Gulf have long maintained emergency helplines and WhatsApp-based outreach systems to reach the diaspora quickly during crises, and community associations and Indian schools are routinely roped in to amplify advisories.
Security experts advise expatriates to keep passports, essential documents and a basic emergency kit accessible, to register with the embassy's emergency contact systems where available, and to stay tuned to official channels rather than relying on unverified forwards on social media, which can amplify panic during fast-moving security events.
India and Saudi Arabia have built a close strategic partnership over the past decade, with the relationship elevated to a Strategic Partnership Council in 2019. Beyond energy — Saudi Arabia is one of India's largest crude oil suppliers — the partnership now spans defence cooperation, counter-terrorism coordination, investment flows and the welfare of the Indian diaspora, which sends home a significant share of India's Gulf remittances.
New Delhi's condemnation of attacks on Saudi soil and its visible solidarity reflect how central the kingdom has become to India's West Asia policy.
The Houthi campaign against Saudi Arabia has ebbed and flowed over the years but never fully ceased. The group, which controls large parts of Yemen including the capital Sana'a, has used long-range drones and ballistic missiles to strike Saudi oil facilities, airports and population centres — most infamously the 2019 attacks on the Abqaiq and Khurais oil installations.
Saudi Arabia's air defences intercept most incoming projectiles, but the ones that get through can cause casualties and disruption, as the October 10 airport strike tragically demonstrated.
For Indian families back home with relatives working in the kingdom, advisories like the one issued on Sunday are often the first sign that the security situation has worsened. Embassies in the region advise families in India to stay in regular contact with their relatives abroad during such periods and to use official helpline numbers rather than relying on rumour-driven social media forwards.
The embassy's reiteration of emergency numbers — 911 and 998 — and its insistence that Indians follow only official Saudi channels underscore how dangerous misinformation can be when alerts are live.
As the situation develops, the embassy is expected to update its guidance based on assessments from Saudi authorities. For now, the message to the Indian community is simple and direct: when the alert sounds, get inside, stay away from glass, avoid rooftops and balconies, and follow only official instructions until the all-clear.
(Reporting based on The Times of India, The Economic Times and the Hindu BusinessLine.)