Saudis react to Netanyahu’s condolences over Riyadh airport attack

• Respondents said they did not want sympathy from Netanyahu.
• Some drew parallels between Netanyahu’s statements and those of the Houthis, accusing both of issuing warnings before attacks on civilian infrastructure.
• Others described Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and said his remarks would not change their opposition to Israel.

 Saudi social media users have pushed back against ‘Israeli’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s condemnation of the reported attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, rejecting his condolences and accusing him of lacking the moral authority to denounce attacks on civilians.

 Netanyahu condemned what he described as a “horrific terrorist attack” on King Khalid International Airport, saying it had killed 12 people and injured hundreds more. He offered condolences to the families of those killed and wished the injured a full recovery.

 “On behalf of the people of Israel, I extend our deepest condolences to the families of those murdered,” Netanyahu said, adding that terrorism must be confronted with resolve.

 The statement drew sharp criticism from Saudi users, several of whom rejected the ‘Israeli’ leader’s expression of sympathy and questioned his credibility given ‘Israel’s’ military operations and the Palestinian civilian toll.

“The similarities between you and the Houthis are astonishing!” one response read, accusing both of issuing warnings before targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. The commenter added that such warnings did not legitimize what they described as terror.

Another response said: “We don’t want your condolences. You’re terrorists, no different from the Houthis.”

 Others accused Netanyahu of hypocrisy, with one commenter writing: “You are a war criminal who killed thousands of innocent people, don’t act like you care about Saudi Arabia.”

One response rejected the statement as an attempt at manipulation, declaring that Saudi opposition to ‘Israel’ would remain unchanged regardless of Netanyahu’s words.

 “Who are you to condemn anyone?” another commenter asked, accusing the ‘Israeli’ prime minister of having “zero moral authority.”

Saudi Arabia and ‘Israel’ have no formal diplomatic relations, and efforts to secure a normalization agreement have stalled amid the war in Gaza and disagreements over Palestinian statehood. Riyadh has repeatedly said it will not establish diplomatic ties with ‘Israel’ without a clear path toward an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

Read more: Houthis claim missile strike on Riyadh airport, drone attack on Khamis Mushait airbase