Dr Anwar Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the President of the United Arab Emirates, has warned that Gulf states cannot separate their security from one another, declaring in a post on X that "we are all targets" following repeated attacks on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.
Gargash said there is a pressing need to revitalise joint Gulf action, particularly in its security and defence dimensions. He argued that targeting Saudi Arabia undermines the security of every state in the Gulf region and called for strengthening collective defence systems. He also pointed to serious shortcomings in regional security arrangements, saying these gaps had "encouraged others to overstep."
His remarks came after two separate strikes on King Khalid International Airport within a single week. On 10 October, a Houthi strike on the airport killed 13 people, including four Saudi nationals, and injured more than 300 others. A day later, on 11 October, a fresh attack on the same airport killed one Pakistani resident and injured 11 more people. Together, the two attacks caused 18 deaths over the course of a week, forced a temporary suspension of airport operations, and led to the cancellation of a significant share of scheduled flights.
The attacks form part of the wider escalation tied to the US-Iran conflict that began on 28 February 2026, a conflict that has already disrupted regional air travel and forced UAE carriers, including Etihad and flydubai, to extend cancellations on routes to Saudi Arabia. Gargash's comments reflect growing concern among UAE officials over the spillover of regional insecurity and are likely to feed into renewed discussions among Gulf Cooperation Council members about deepening joint security and defence cooperation in the months ahead.