“Our security is indivisible”: UAE adviser Gargash urges renewed Gulf defence cooperation after deadly attacks on Saudi Arabia

UAE presidential diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash called for stronger joint Gulf security and defence efforts on Monday, saying attacks on Saudi Arabia also threaten the UAE and other Gulf states. In remarks on X, he said the attackers had wrongly viewed Gulf countries as “the weakest link” and that it had become clear “we are all targeted.”

Gargash said Gulf security was a shared responsibility that could not be neglected or delayed. He called for reviving joint Gulf action, particularly on security and defence, and strengthening collective security arrangements; he said serious shortcomings had encouraged others to overstep.

His comments followed repeated attacks on Saudi Arabia, including strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Saudi authorities reported 13 people killed and more than 300 injured in the October 10 attack. A Pakistani resident was killed and 11 people were injured in a further attack on October 11. The airport remained closed on Monday; Reuters reported that about 60% of scheduled flights were expected to be cancelled that day.

The attacks are unfolding amid the wider U.S.-Iran war, which began on February 28, and an intensifying conflict between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis. The Associated Press reported that Houthi attacks had killed at least 14 people and wounded at least 320 in recent days.