Saudi Warning System Stayed Silent Before Deadly Riyadh Airport Attack
Saudi Arabia resumed public threat alerts on October 12 after four attacks on Riyadh airport killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 300. The government has yet to explain why its warning system fell silent for weeks ahead of the Houthi attacks.
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In a Nutshell
- Four attacks on Riyadh airport over the past week killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 300, with Saturday’s strike being the deadliest on Saudi soil in over a decade.
- Saudi Arabia stopped issuing public threat alerts after September 29 and resumed them on October 12, despite repeated Houthi attacks during the intervening period.
- Western embassies continued issuing internal missile and drone warnings to staff, but received no warning before Saturday’s deadly airport strike.
- A day after the Riyadh airport attacks, Saudi Arabia struck Sanaa International Airport and other Houthi strongholds, including an oil depot in Sanaa. It also fended off missiles launched towards Dhahran, home to Saudi Aramco’s headquarters.
Context
Saudi Arabia introduced its national early warning system in May, sending threat alerts to mobile phones and social media through its civil defence authority. The last alert before the recent airport attacks was issued on September 29 for the southern province of Najran. The system went silent before the Houthi attacks with public threat alerts resuming only as recently as October 12, two days after the Riyadh airport attacks.
Reuters has reached out to Saudi Arabia's civil defence authority and government media office with questions about why the threat alerts had stopped but they have yet to comment.
Why It Matters
Saudi Arabia is clearly on the defensive, having struck Sanaa International Airport and other Houthi strongholds, including an oil depot in Sanaa, a day after the Riyadh airport attacks. On October 13, it also fended off Houthi missiles launched towards Dhahran, home to the headquarters of Saudi Aramco, one of the kingdom’s largest energy companies.
Despite this, Riyadh seems uncertain about whether it has a winning hand against the Houthis, especially as its key Western partner, the US, has yet to commit to providing Bin Salman’s government with military aid.
Since the US-Israel-Iran war started in February, every Gulf country has been affected by missile and drone strikes, prompting each government to warn its citizens ahead of incoming attacks.
Qatar’s Interior Ministry has consistently sent mobile phone alerts before attacks, while Kuwait and Bahrain have repeatedly sounded sirens urging people to take shelter.
What We Think
The Saudi government has not commented on this unwarranted failure of its alerting system. According to various analysts, this “all is well” attitude from officials is likely an attempt to balance public perception by keeping citizens happy and avoiding scaring away tourists. An unsuccessful attempt, considering many countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US, have advised their citizens against travelling to the Kingdom.
The fact that Saudi Arabia went ahead with an international energy conference while the strikes were happening seems further proof that they are trying to maintain an image of normalcy. It remains to be seen whether Saudi Arabia will maintain the same attitude next month, when it is expected to host WWE, one of wrestling’s largest professional events.