Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she firmly condemns Houthi attacks that struck Riyadh airport, that she stands with Saudi Arabia and the families of the victims, and that she wishes the wounded a speedy recovery. She said attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure are unacceptable and must cease. She posted the statement in Italian on Sunday. Two days earlier the Italian foreign minister issued a parallel condemnation.
“Condanno con fermezza gli attacchi degli Houthi che hanno colpito l’aeroporto di Riad. Sono vicina all’Arabia Saudita e alle famiglie delle vittime e auguro ai feriti pronta guarigione,” Meloni, the President of the Council of Ministers, wrote Sunday. “Gli attacchi contro i civili e le infrastrutture civili sono inaccettabili e devono cessare. L’Italia continuerà a lavorare con i partner della Regione per ridurre le tensioni e promuovere la stabilità e la libertà di navigazione nell’area.” The post does not name a casualty figure. No matching Cabinet release appeared on the government site Sunday.
The foreign minister’s statement is on the record. On Oct. 9, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said, according to a release on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs site, “I condemn the new attacks against Saudi Arabia’s civilian infrastructure, including the Riyadh airport. These attacks are unacceptable and must cease immediately.” He said Italy stands with Saudi Arabia and its people, that freedom and security of navigation in the Red Sea and through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait are crucial, and that further escalation must be avoided. He reaffirmed support for the UN Special Envoy for Yemen. Meloni’s Sunday post tracks the same points without naming the Red Sea or the envoy.
Meloni’s post addresses civilian targets and navigation. She said attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are unacceptable and must stop. She said Italy will continue to work with regional partners to reduce tensions and promote stability and freedom of navigation. Those commitments are hers. The post does not cite a specific partner, a naval mission, or a casualty count.
The Italian government has previously addressed energy price effects from regional instability. A Sept. 10 Cabinet communiqué said the Council of Ministers, under Meloni’s presidency, approved a decree-law on urgent measures for petroleum prices connected to the prolongation of the new crisis in international markets and for strategic energy infrastructure. The decree extended a reduction in diesel prices and a tax credit for road haulage companies. It did not address Houthi strikes on Riyadh.
The post does not mention Iran, the United States, or the diesel license issued by the U.S. Treasury on Oct. 9. It does not address Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy facilities or the Graham Act. Meloni’s statement is limited to the Riyadh airport attacks, civilian targets, and Italian engagement with regional partners on stability and navigation. Tajani’s Oct. 9 release names the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb. Meloni’s post does not.
No Italian Defense Ministry release posted Sunday names Italian personnel or assets involved in the response to the airport strikes. The X post and the Oct. 9 MFA release are the statements. Neither includes a casualty count or a damage assessment.
“Firmly condemn,” “unacceptable,” and “must cease” are Meloni’s. Tajani’s Oct. 9 release uses the same language on the airport and civilian infrastructure. The Sept. 10 Cabinet communiqué is the prior Italian document on energy prices tied to regional market instability. The gap is between the prime minister’s and foreign minister’s condemnations of strikes on a civilian airport and the absence of a same-day operational release detailing casualties or a new Italian deployment.