Saudi warning system stayed silent before deadly airport attacks

Saudi Arabia ceased issuing public alerts of impending military assaults days prior to a series of devastating strikes on Riyadh airport that resulted in at least 18 fatalities and over 300 injuries. The government has not disclosed the reason behind the lack of warnings prior to the four Riyadh attacks within the past week. The absence of warnings cast doubt on the kingdom's capability to safeguard its residents and visitors, and on its resilience to attack, according to four Western and Arab officials in the region and political analysts.

It also suggested that the Saudi government was attempting to uphold a sense of normalcy, they added. A Saudi academic and Senior Resident Fellow at the Middle East Policy Council explained that the government seeks to have it both ways: to carry out military operations while simultaneously attempting to assure the population and external stakeholders.