Key facts
- Saudi Arabia stopped issuing public warnings of imminent military attacks days before deadly strikes on Riyadh airport.
Saudi Arabia ceased issuing public warnings of imminent military attacks days before a series of deadly strikes on Riyadh airport killed at least 18 people and wounded over 300. The government has not explained the absence of alerts, raising questions about the kingdom's vulnerability and its ability to protect residents and visitors.
The cessation of public threat warnings by Saudi Arabia during a period of increased Houthi attacks raises concerns about the kingdom's security posture and its ability to protect citizens and visitors, potentially impacting investor confidence and regional stability.
Saudi Arabia ceased issuing public warnings of imminent military attacks days before a series of deadly strikes on Riyadh airport killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 300. The government has not explained the absence of alerts, raising questions about the kingdom's vulnerability and its ability to protect residents and visitors.
The warnings had previously served to highlight the violence undermining the kingdom's efforts to project an image of calm during its war with Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis. Their absence during the airport strikes led some regional officials and analysts to suggest it reflected efforts to maintain a sense of normalcy, while others argued it risked backfiring by heightening uncertainty.
Saudi Arabia's civil defence authority, which operates under the interior ministry, had begun issuing threat alerts to mobile phones and social media accounts in May. However, despite increasing Houthi attacks leading up to last week, the system went silent, with the last alert before the airport attacks issued on September 29 for the southern province of Najran. The authority continued to issue warnings about adverse weather.
Officials from an allied Western government had previously asked Saudi authorities why the alerts had stopped, reportedly receiving the response that they were too disruptive and had woken citizens at night. Former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney commented that while Riyadh was trying to balance public messaging on attacks with preventing disruption, the lack of alerts created nervousness.
Despite the attacks, Saudi Arabia hosted an international conference on Monday, where Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salaman acknowledged risks but stated the kingdom's intent to keep its economic plans on track, thanking attendees for traveling to Riyadh "because you know this country is safe."
Western embassies in the kingdom have been issuing their own internal missile and drone alerts to staff, compiled from intelligence and input from Saudi authorities. However, even these embassies reportedly received no warning before Saturday's airport strike, the deadliest of the week.
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