Saudi Gazette report

DOHA — The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Joint Defense Council convened an extraordinary session in Doha on Thursday and announced a series of urgent defense measures in response to the recent Israeli strike on Qatar.

The ministers directed an immediate expansion of intelligence-sharing through the Unified Military Command, integration of regional air operation centers, acceleration of the GCC’s joint early-warning system for ballistic missiles, and the update of collective defense plans.

They also approved joint exercises between air and missile defense centers within three months, to be followed by a live regional air drill.

The session, chaired by Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, was held in implementation of the directives of GCC leaders during their extraordinary summit in Doha earlier this week.

Defense ministers and senior representatives from the six member states attended, alongside GCC Secretary-General Jassim Al-Budaiwi.

In their deliberations, the ministers strongly condemned the Israeli attack on Doha as a grave violation of international law and the UN Charter.

They stressed that an assault on Qatar is an assault on all GCC states, reaffirming that collective security is indivisible under the Joint Defense Agreement.

The Council underscored that the attack posed a direct threat to regional stability and was also an attempt to undermine Qatar’s diplomatic mediation efforts aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages.

The ministers further emphasized the importance of sustained military and intelligence coordination at all levels to reinforce Gulf defense integration and strengthen interconnected defensive systems.

They pledged to confront any threats or aggression that could undermine the security and stability of the region, reaffirming the GCC’s unified stance in defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its member states.