Middle East

Dubai, Apr 6: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian have issued a joint statement at the end of their meeting in Beijing on Thursday. This was the first formal meeting of the countries’ most senior diplomats in more than seven years. The joint statement mentioned, among other things, the resumption of flights between

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received a phone call from his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian on Sunday. During the phone call, the ministers discussed issues of common interest and “the next steps in light of the recent tripartite agreement.” Last month, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies

Riyadh, May 28: At least 20 Umrah pilgrims were killed and 29 injured after a bus crashed southwest of Saudi Arabia on Monday, Dubai-based Gulf News reported. The bus hit a bridge, tipped over, and caught fire. The accident, which occurred due to a brake failure, took place on the road joining Asir province and the city of Abha, Gulf News reported. The victims were on their way to Makkah to perfom

Jerusalem, Mar 27: Muslim worshipers have been forced out of the sacred al-Aqsa mosque as Israeli forces and extremists stormed the vicinity of the mosque on the fourth day of the Holy month of Ramadan. Video footage circulating online showed that Israeli soldiers and extremist illegal settlers forced Muslims from the holy place late on Sunday. The large groups of Israeli radicals – whose

Damascus, Mar 24: The US military has carried out multiple airstrikes in eastern Syria in another flagrant breach of Syria’s sovereignty, killing a number of Syrian military forces. The US military earlier alleged that Iran-aligned groups carried out a drone attack on a US-occupied base in northeastern Syria. A US contractor was killed, another was injured, and five US troops were wounded in the

Damascus, Mar 22: An Israeli airstrike early Wednesday targeted the international airport of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, causing material damage in the second attack on the facility this month, state media report. State news agency SANA, quoting an unnamed military official, did not mention if the strike caused any deaths or injuries. It said warplanes fired the missiles toward Aleppo

Jeddah, Mar 22: Pilgrims who wish to perform the Muslim Umrah ritual are now required to reserve an appointment via the Nusuk or Tawakkalna apps, the Saudi interior ministry announced on Tuesday. “The Umrah security plan for (this) year included managing and organizing crowds and traffic, providing humanitarian services, supporting and empowering the entities participating in implementing the plan

New York: The Yemeni government and the Houthis have agreed to release 887 detainees, following 10 days of negotiations in Geneva, the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross said. They added that both sides have also agreed to visit each other’s detention facilities, grant the delegations full access to all detainees during those visits, and to meet again in May to discuss further

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has favourably received an invitation from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to visit the kingdom following the reconciliation deal between the two countries, an Iranian official has said. “In a letter to President Raisi … the King of Saudi Arabia welcomed the deal between the two brotherly countries [and] invited him to Riyadh,” tweeted Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian

Riyadh, Mar 16: Saudi Arabia is open to “quickly” investing in Iran following the restoration of diplomatic relations, according to the Kingdom’s Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan. Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed last Friday to reassert their diplomatic ties and will reopen their respective embassies within two months. Speaking at the Financial Sector Conference in Riyadh, Al-Jadaan was asked when