New Delhi [India], October 12 : UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash on Monday called for reviving joint Gulf action, particularly in security and defence, and strengthening the collective security framework amid escalating Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, with the recent one having killed 13 people, including an Indian national, in an attack on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport.
In a post on X, Gargash said the attacks had demonstrated that the security of Gulf states was indivisible and that targeting Saudi Arabia also undermined the security of the UAE and other Gulf nations.
"Since the onset of the aggression against the Arab Gulf states, stemming from the aggressor's misguided assessment that they were the weakest link in a war we sought to avoid, it has become clear that we are all targeted, and that our security is indivisible. For targeting the sisterly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia undermines the security of the UAE and all Gulf states," Gargash said.
"There is a pressing need to revive joint Gulf action, particularly in its security and defense aspects, and to strengthen the collective security framework. This is the dimension that has witnessed grave neglect, which has emboldened others to overreach against us. Gulf security is a shared responsibility that brooks no leniency or delay," he added.
The call for stronger regional security cooperation comes as the death toll from the October 10 attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh rose to 13 after the Indian Embassy in Riyadh confirmed that an Indian national injured in the incident had died.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), in a statement issued on October 11, said the attack on King Khalid International Airport on October 10 had resulted in 12 fatalities, including four Saudi citizens and residents of several nationalities, and left 309 others injured.
The October 10 incident followed earlier attacks targeting King Khalid International Airport and Abha International Airport on October 6 and 7, which GACA said had resulted in three deaths and 36 injuries.
Following the October 10 attack, airport operations were temporarily suspended while authorities assessed the damage and conducted safety inspections in coordination with relevant agencies.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is running low on interceptor missiles needed to defend against further Houthi strikes, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, citing Saudi officials, as the intensifying attacks by the Yemeni rebel group have raised security concerns.
According to the WSJ, the escalating attacks have transformed parts of the Saudi capital, located more than 500 miles from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, into a potential battle zone.
On Sunday, Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree reiterated the group's warning to international airlines, businesses and travellers against operating flights to Saudi airports, claiming they were unsafe.
"We reiterate our warning to all international companies, experts, employees, workers, and travelers from all over the world to not operate flights to Saudi airports, as they are unsafe, except for the airports and airspace of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina," Saree said in a statement on Telegram.
The reported shortage of interceptor missiles comes amid a series of attacks targeting Saudi Arabia, including the October 10 strike on King Khalid International Airport that resulted in multiple fatalities and hundreds of injuries.
Gargash's call for reviving joint Gulf security and defence cooperation comes against the backdrop of the escalating attacks and the growing security challenges facing Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.