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Eight cases were discovered among imported cattle in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A senior UAE official, Jassem Hamad Bin Darweesh, told the BBC that the infected cattle had been destroyed.
The cattle had been imported from neighbouring countries, the official said, without naming them.
The official confirmed that the UAE had banned cattle imports from Europe, but he said imports from Australia were safe.
The authorities in Saudi Arabia said two foot-and-mouth cases were found during routine checks on calves in the north-western province of Yanbu. The origin of the two calves was not given.
Special committee
Saudi Arabia has set up a national committee headed by the Interior Minister, Prince Nayif Bin-Abd-al-Aziz, to supervise measures to stop the disease spreading, the Saudi news agency SPA reported.
 Saudi Arabia and the UAE have banned imports of EU beef
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Saudi Arabia - the largest market among the Gulf Arab states - has also banned imports of beef and mutton from Lebanon and Turkey, as part of the preventive measures.
Foot and mouth disease is endemic in parts of the Middle East, including the UAE.
The UAE Agriculture Minister, Said Mohammad Raqabani, said vets and other experts were on "maximum alert". But he described such cases as "normal" in the UAE, which "imports lots of animals".
Beef ban
Both countries banned imports of European beef in January because of fears of mad cow disease (BSE).
Saudi Arabia imports about two-thirds of its beef requirement, estimated at 100,000 tonnes in 1999.
Foot-and-mouth disease was confirmed for the first time in France on Tuesday, prompting the US and Canada to temporarily ban meat and livestock imports from the EU.
The disease is ravaging farming in the UK, where large swathes of countryside have been turned into no-go areas.
The disease strikes cloven-hoofed animals such as sheep, pigs and cows, either killing the animals or reducing production of milk and meat.
It can be transmitted by the wind, people or vehicles, or spread by contaminated hay, water and manure. The disease is not harmful to humans.
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