• GCC leaders vow tighter intel sharing under Unified Military Command
• Plan missile early warning system; joint drills

GULF Cooperation Council (GCC) countries have pledged sweeping steps to bolster collective defence, including plans to increase intelligence sharing, develop new missile warning systems, and hold joint defence drills, after Israel launched a deadly strike on Doha earlier this month.

Following an emergency Arab-Islamic summit, where leaders expressed alarm about Israel’s attacks across the Middle East, GCC officials met in Doha to discuss military intelligence unification, UAE-based The National reported.

The GCC — a political and economic alliance of six Middle Eastern nations: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — has agreed to expand intelligence sharing through Unified Military Command.

The six-member bloc said they would fast-track the creation of a regional early-warning system to counter ballistic missiles and share the “air situation” with all affected countries.

The measures will also see joint troops and command-centre drills within three months, to be followed by live air defence exercises, the statement said.

To address all risks and challenges, continuous efforts across military and intelligence sectors will be undertaken to enhance Gulf security cooperation and integrate the security systems, the statement added.

“The priority is ensuring the security, stability and safety of all GCC countries,” the council said, warning of the risks to a region already unsettled by months of conflict.

The decision comes days after Israel targeted a Hamas delegation in Doha that had been discussing ceasefire terms for the war in Gaza.

The strike killed five members of the Palestinian group, including the son of exiled political leader, alongside a Qatari security officer. Qatar said it had received no prior warning before the explosions erupted in its capital and Hamas said its senior leadership survived the attack

During the meeting, the council denounced Israeli strikes as a “dangerous and unacceptable” provocation.

Delegates in Doha included senior defence officials from all six Gulf states, with the Mohammed Al Mazrouei, the UAE’s Minister of State for Defence Affairs; Bahrain’s Minister of Defence Affairs, Lt Gen Abdullah Al Nuaimi; Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Defence, Prince Abdulrahman bin Mohammed; Secretary General of the Oman’s Ministry of Defence, Mohammed Al Zaabi; Kuwait’s Minister of Defence Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al Abdullah Al Sabah; and Jasem Al Budaiwi.

The presence of all ministers underscored, officials said, the urgency of forging a common regional shield.

While the GCC has long spoken of greater military integration, efforts have often faltered amid political rivalries and divergent threat perceptions.

Thursday’s agreement, amid the gravity of Israel’s unprecedented strike inside Qatar, was presented as a turning point.

Published in Dawn, September 20th, 2025