Gulf States in September 2026: the most important developments in security
In September 2026 Gulf security news was dominated by a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv that diverted to Saudi Arabia on September 30 after a struggle in the cockpit. Israeli officials said one pilot stabbed the other and tried to bring the plane down, and that passengers overcame him. Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel believed the man intended to crash the aircraft, that Saudi Arabia was questioning the suspect, and that Israel would join the investigation. The flight had been in the air about 80 minutes. A passenger said he choked the attacker, and Indian embassy officials said the pilot, an Indian, was in stable condition. The UAE's civil aviation authority opened an investigation, and a second Flydubai flight to Israel reportedly turned around.
The conflict between Iran and the United States affected Gulf states throughout the month. On September 1 Kuwait said it had intercepted drone attacks, Bahrain reported an Iranian drone attack on a US base, and the UAE said it had intercepted an Iranian drone over its waters. The United States struck Iran again, and oil prices surged. On September 9 the US said it destroyed five Iranian oil tankers, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it attacked ten ships in the Strait of Hormuz, multiple merchant vessels were disabled by fire in the northern Gulf and Gulf of Oman, and a seafarer was killed off Dubai. The Guard said it had captured a US unmanned submersible, and on September 28 the Guard and US Central Command disputed control of the strait as shipping stalled. Bahrain was set to join a Central Command task force on attack drones.
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia formed the third strand. In early September the Houthis struck airports, an air base and Aramco sites, with at least 73 people wounded, according to Saudi officials. Around September 12 they captured a Red Sea island, nearly 50,000 civilians fled, and Saudi Arabia shut a pipeline. On September 26 Saudi Arabia intercepted missiles and drones aimed at Riyadh and Khamis Mushait. Iraq seized a rocket platform used to target Saudi Arabia and dismissed security leaders.
Other items included the arrest in Dubai of wind farm fraud suspect Hendrik Holt on September 23 and Dubai police action against a begging gang.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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