Middle East

Riyadh, Mar 30: The Saudi Royal Air Defense Forces have successfully intercepted a ballistic missile launched by Iran-backed Houthi militias from inside the Yemeni territories towards the Saudi city of Jazan, Col. Turki Al-Malki, official spokesman of the Coalition Forces for Supporting the Legitimacy in Yemen said. In a statement, he said that at 21:35 on Thursday, the missile, which was coming

Jerusalem, Mar 28: Gen. Gadi Eisenkot Gadi Eizenkot , the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, has warned that his army has been given authorization to open fire ahead of mass protests on the Gaza border planned for Friday. Eisenkot said reinforcements, including special forces snipers, had been deployed to the border to counter what he said was the most serious risk of conflict

Dozens of Hamas supporters and activists have been detained in the West Bank over the past two weeks following an attack on the Palestinian Authority (PA) prime minister's convoy in Gaza on March 13. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas accused Hamas of being behind the attack on Rami Hamdallah's motorcade, calling it an "assassination attempt". Hamas denied the allegations and said it was

Dubai, Mar 28: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has stressed the importance of keeping in line with the principles of the United Nations and the rule of law. He pointed out that the problems in the Middle East are due to ideologies that clash with UN principles and violate its laws and customs by interfering in the internal affairs of other states. He made the comments in a speech

Riyadh, Mar 26: Saudi air defenses intercepted seven ballistic missiles fired by Houthi militia in Yemen toward various targets in Saudi Arabia on Sunday night, the Arab Coalition helping Yemen's legitimate government said. Three of the missiles were fired toward Riyadh, two toward Jazan, and one each toward Khamis Mushayt and Najran, Saudi state news channel Al Ekhbariya quoted a coalition

London, Mar 24: Mohammed bin Salman told The Washington Post: My relationship with Special Adviser to President Trump, Jared Kushner, is part of the official relationship between our countries. Saudi Arabia does not use Special Adviser to the President to promote Saudi interests. In his interview with the Washington Post Mohammed bin Salman added “my visit to the US is in part to attract

Washington, Mar 22: Photos of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Donald Trump meeting at the White House were published on the front pages of The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, in what commentators saw as a public relations coup for Saudi Arabia. The New York Times headlined its story: “Saudi Prince’s White House Visit Reinforces Trump’s Commitment to Heir Apparent.”

Riyahd, Mar 19: Women in Saudi Arabia need not wear the black abaya - the loose-fitting, full-length robes symbolic of Islamic piety - as long as their attire is "decent and respectful", the kingdom's reform-minded crown prince said. With the ascent to power of young Prince Mohammad bin Salman, the kingdom has seen an expansion in women's rights including a decision to allow women to attend mixed

Manama, Mar 19: A broker is asking for SR 8 million to sell a piece of cloth he claims comes from the Kiswah—the embroidered black and gold cloth covering the Kaaba. The broker did not say who was selling the piece of cloth, but added that it was old and belonged to Al Sheebi, the family looking after the Kaaba since pre-Islam times. He insisted that the rare item was authentic and that he had an

Riyadh, Mar 18: Tens of thousands of civilians fled their homes and streamed out of their towns on Saturday to escape battles in the north and south of Syria. A new wave of at least 10,000 people left the opposition enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus as Assad regime airstrikes continued to pound the besieged zone. In the northern Afrin region, more than 150,000 people have fled the main town