The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia cited ‘recent developments’ on March 18 as the cause behind the death of the Indian national. On that day, Saudi Arabia downed four ballistic missiles targeting Riyadh. However, some debris fell near a refinery south of the city.
An Indian national was killed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, amid the Middle East conflict, taking the total casualties from India to six. While the circumstances regarding the Indian national’s death are not clear, the Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia cited “recent developments” on March 18 as the cause.
The embassy, in a post on X, said it was in touch with the Indian national’s family and was providing all necessary assistance.
On March 18 (Wednesday), Saudi Arabia claimed it downed four ballistic missiles targeting Riyadh, and some debris fell near a refinery south of the city. The Indian national likely died after being hit by falling debris.
The attack was in response to Israeli strikes on Iran’s South Pars gasfield, the world’s largest such facility. It is the backbone of Iran’s domestic electricity production as well as global LNG supplies.
In fact, according to a report in Al Jazeera, the developments on March 18 marked the first time many in Riyadh heard blasts or received warning messages via text.
Since the conflict began on February 28, Iran has fired a barrage of missiles and low-cost drones towards Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, in an effort to pile up economic pressure by choking energy supply chains. However, Riyadh has intercepted a vast majority of the projectiles.
It must be remembered that the Gulf states host lakhs of Indian expatriates, many of whom work in construction, healthcare, hospitality, and finance sectors.
So far, six Indians have been killed amid the ongoing Middle East conflict.
On March 14, two Indians were killed following a drone strike in Sohar, Oman. A week ago, an Indian national was killed in Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia, when an Iranian missile, meant to target radar systems, hit a residential area.
