Gulf bloc approves new defense steps after Israeli strike on Qatar

Defense ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) announced a package of steps on Thursday to strengthen collective security after Israel's Sept. 9 airstrike on Qatar.

In a joint statement, the Gulf Joint Defense Council said members agreed to step up intelligence sharing through the Unified Military Command, provide a common air operations picture across the Gulf, and accelerate work on a joint ballistic missile early warning system.

The ministers, meeting in Doha, also endorsed updating joint defense plans, holding coordination drills between operations and air defense centers within three months, and conducting a large-scale aerial exercise.

They pledged to link national defense systems more closely to counter "any potential threats or acts of aggression."

Chaired by Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah, the emergency session brought together senior officials from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman.

The council condemned "in the strongest terms this dangerous military attack," calling Israel's strike on Doha a "serious escalation" and a "gross violation of international law and the UN Charter."

The attack on Qatar, it stressed, "was an attack on all GCC states." The ministers vowed support for any measures Doha takes to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, while warning that the strike also undermined Qatar's mediation efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.

The statement followed a separate meeting of Gulf military chiefs in Doha on Wednesday, which focused on bolstering deterrence and reviewing regional threats.

The Sept. 9 Israeli airstrike on Doha killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer, drawing sharp condemnation from Qatar, which vowed accountability and stressed its right to defend its sovereignty.

The attack came even as Doha, together with Egypt and the US, was mediating indirect talks between Hamas and Israel for a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange.