UAE adviser urges stronger Gulf defence cooperation after Riyadh airport attacks

UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash called for stronger Gulf security and defence cooperation on 12 October after deadly attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. His appeal came as the airport remained closed to flights and Saudi officials examined how the attacks got through its defences.

Gargash described Gulf security as a shared responsibility, according to Euronews. He said attacks on Saudi Arabia undermined security in the UAE and other Gulf states, warning that ‘we are all targeted.’ He also argued that shortcomings in collective defence had encouraged attacks. The remarks called for closer cooperation; the cited report did not identify a new joint defence measure agreed by Gulf governments.

What happened at Riyadh’s airport

The airport has been hit on several dates, with separate casualty reports that should not be combined into a single toll. Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said attacks on 8 October targeted airport facilities and a Saudia aircraft. Three Saudi citizens were killed and residents of other nationalities were injured, according to statements published by the Saudi Press Agency. The airport resumed operations after those incidents.

Euronews reported that an attack on Saturday, 10 October, killed 13 people and wounded more than 300. It said the death toll had risen from 12 after an injured Indian citizen died on Sunday. In a separate Sunday attack, a Pakistani national was killed and 11 people were injured, Euronews reported, citing Saudi authorities. The report said the Houthis claimed responsibility for both weekend attacks.

The disruption has affected travellers and airlines. Citing Cirium data, Euronews said almost all scheduled flights at the airport were cancelled on Sunday. It reported that Air France and KLM suspended Riyadh flights through 31 October, while Lufthansa Group cancellations ran through Friday. Those airline schedules did not establish when the airport itself would reopen.

How other governments responded

Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan joined a Sunday statement backing Saudi Arabia’s right to defend itself under the UN Charter and international law and demanding an end to Houthi attacks, Euronews reported. That diplomatic backing did not amount to an announced deployment by those governments in the report. Gargash’s proposal likewise remained a call for stronger cooperation, rather than an announced collective operation.

France said it would continue supporting Saudi Arabia in defending its territory and infrastructure. Its foreign ministry also said a French woman was among those wounded in Saturday’s attack, according to Euronews. The reported injuries across several nationalities show that the attacks affected people beyond Saudi Arabia, including those using or working around its international airport.

At a forum in Riyadh on Sunday, Qatar’s energy minister, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, said the wider conflict affected flows of around 20% of global oil and gas supplies and urged protection of energy infrastructure, Euronews reported. His remarks placed the airport attacks within a broader regional concern; they were not an estimate of disruption caused by the airport closure alone.

What remains under investigation

Saudi Arabia has launched an investigation into how air defences failed to intercept the barrage, the Associated Press reported on 12 October. AP said two regional officials, speaking anonymously, described a preliminary sequence in which multiple drones preceded cruise and ballistic missiles. That account was preliminary information from an ongoing investigation, not a final Saudi finding about the attack.

Euronews also reported that Iran’s foreign ministry said on Monday it was ready to help mediate between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis; the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers had spoken by phone on Sunday. Separately, the Saudi-led coalition said Monday it was responding to a drone and cruise-missile threat, without identifying targets or reporting damage. The cited statements left the scope of any next military or diplomatic steps unclear.