No Public Alerts? Saudi Warning System Stayed Silent Before Deadly Airport Strikes: Report

Last Updated:October 13, 2026, 06:34 IST

The silence comes as the kingdom seeks to maintain an image of stability while facing growing security threats from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

Witnesses inside the terminal described scenes of utter panic as projectile impacts shattered glass panels and caused structural collapses across departure areas. Image/AP

Saudi Arabia stopped issuing public warnings of imminent attacks days before a series of deadly strikes hit Riyadh’s international airport, raising questions about the kingdom’s ability to protect residents and visitors amid escalating Houthi attacks, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The attacks has killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 300. Saudi authorities have not explained why public alerts were absent before four attacks on Riyadh over the past week.

The silence also comes as the kingdom seeks to maintain an image of stability while facing growing security threats from Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

Why Did Saudi Arabia Stop Public Alerts?

Saudi Arabia introduced a national early warning system in May, sending threat alerts to mobile phones and social media accounts. However, the system stopped issuing security warnings despite rising Houthi attacks in the run-up to last week’s strikes.

The last public alert before the airport attacks was issued on September 29 for the southern province of Najran, according to posts on the Saudi civil defence authority’s X account.

Two officials familiar with the matter told Reuters that a Western government had asked Saudi authorities why the alerts had stopped. They were reportedly told that the warnings were disruptive and that some residents had complained about being woken up at night.

‘Lack Of Alerts Creates Nervousness’

Sultan Alamer, a Saudi academic based in the US and a senior resident fellow at the Middle East Policy Council, said Riyadh was trying to balance military action with the need to reassure the public.

“They (the Saudi government) want to have it both ways: to launch a military operation and at the same time try to give confidence to the population and external stakeholders,” he told Reuters.

Michael Ratney, a former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said the approach risked creating the very anxiety authorities wanted to prevent.

“Their approach to public messaging seems like a corollary to the quandary they are in: They need to respond to the Houthis but don’t want that to result in societal disruption and their public messaging is a reflection of that,” Ratney said.

“But the lack of alerts of incoming Houthi attacks creates the very nervousness they are trying to avoid,” he added.

Air Defence Shortages Add To Concerns

Ali Shihabi, a Saudi analyst close to the government, said the kingdom faced a difficult task protecting its vast territory and critical infrastructure.

“In Saudi Arabia you have too much to protect. It’s a huge country with airports, pipelines and oil facilities,” he told Reuters, adding that there were not enough Patriot systems, interceptors and missile batteries to defend everything simultaneously.

Saudi Arabia’s civil defence authority issued fresh alerts on Monday, warning of potential threats in Riyadh and southern cities. Reuters said it could not establish whether the decision was directly linked to the airport attacks.

Despite the security concerns, Saudi Arabia continued hosting an international energy conference in Riyadh. Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman acknowledged the risks, saying: “Our gathering here does not mean the risk is gone.”

(With inputs from Reuters)

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Why did Saudi Arabia stop issuing public early warnings before the recent airport attacks?

Saudi authorities reportedly stopped issuing public alerts because they considered the warnings disruptive after receiving resident complaints about being woken up at night.

How many total flights were cancelled across major Saudi airports following the Houthi attacks?

Following the attacks by Houthi rebels, approximately 1,500 flights were cancelled across major airports including Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam over a two-day period.

When was the last public early warning issued by Saudi authorities prior to the airport strikes?

The final public alert before the airport attacks was issued on September 29 for the southern province of Najran via the civil defence authority’s X account.

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