RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia stopped issuing public warnings about possible military attacks days before a series of strikes on Riyadh airport killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 300, raising questions about the kingdom's security and its handling of the threat.

The government has not explained why it stopped sending alerts before four attacks on Riyadh in the past week. The warnings had previously informed residents about potential dangers during the kingdom's conflict with Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

The absence of alerts during the airport attacks raised concerns about Saudi Arabia's ability to protect its citizens and visitors, according to four Western and Arab officials in the region and political analysts.

The decision also appeared to reflect the government's efforts to maintain a sense of normality and preserve the kingdom's image as a safe and stable country.

"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," said Sultan Alamer, a Saudi academic based in the United States and a senior resident fellow at the Middle East Policy Council.

Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense authority, which operates under the Interior Ministry and handles emergency response and public warnings, did not respond to questions about why the alerts had stopped. The government's media office also did not comment.

Alerts Resumed After Attacks

On October 12, Saudi Arabia's Civil Defense authority issued its first public warnings since September 29, alerting residents to possible threats in Riyadh and southern cities.

Reuters could not establish whether the decision to resume the alerts was directly linked to the airport attacks. The Saudi government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The decision to stop the warnings has raised concerns among regional analysts that the policy could have the opposite effect to what the authorities intended, increasing public uncertainty rather than reassuring residents.

Before the airport attacks, officials from an allied Western government had asked Saudi authorities why the alerts had stopped, according to two officials familiar with the discussions.

The Saudi response was that the warnings caused too much disruption and that many residents had complained about being woken up by night alerts, the officials said.

Qatar's Interior Ministry has sent mobile phone alerts before almost every attack. During July attacks, residents were warned to stay indoors and stay away from windows.

Bahrain and Kuwait have repeatedly sounded sirens, telling people to seek shelter.

Saudi Arabia introduced a national early warning system in May, using mobile phone notifications and social media to alert residents to potential threats. However, the system stopped issuing warnings despite an increase in Houthi attacks in the period leading up to last week's strikes.

According to posts on the Civil Defense authority's X account, the last alert before the recent attacks was issued on September 29 for the southern province of Najran.

The authority continued to issue other types of public safety advice, including warnings about dangerous weather conditions such as heavy rain and flooding. It issued such guidance as recently as October 12.

Saudi authorities have also warned residents against sharing photographs, rumors or information about missile interceptions and the locations where attacks have caused damage.

A Civil Defense post repeated the warning, which forms part of government regulations introduced in March.

Reuters could not establish whether anyone had been prosecuted for sharing such information. The government's media office did not respond to questions on the matter.

The lack of public warnings before the airport strikes has added to scrutiny of the kingdom's security arrangements as it tries to protect its population while maintaining normal economic and diplomatic activity.

Despite the attacks, Saudi Arabia hosted an international conference on October 12. However, several major oil industry executives withdrew from the event.