Saudi Arabia

Turkey's Erdogan Warns against 'Devastating' Israel-Iran War

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned against a "devastating war" between Israel and Iran that could trigger a refugee crisis in a telephone conversation with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The two leaders were speaking as Israel and Iran exchanged deadly barrages of missiles and drones and amid fears the ...

Iran Strikes Back: Tehran Vows Severe Punishment After Israeli Assault

In the early morning hours of Friday, June 13, Israel launched a wide-scale surprise attack on Iranian territory under the codename Operation Rising Lion.  The Israeli military campaign struck nuclear sites, key military facilities and the homes of senior officials, killing several high-ranking commanders and nuclear scientists. In swift ...

Syria: The New Battleground for Influence and Investment

The international community appears determined to reintegrate Syria both economically and politically after decades of isolation. This momentum stands in stark contrast to neighboring Lebanon, which fears that Syria’s reconstruction will monopolize international attention, pushing its own geopolitical and economic challenges into the ...

Arab, Iranian Foreign Ministers to Meet this Week in Norway

The foreign ministers of Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Oman will meet in Norway this week at an annual peace forum, the Norwegian government announced on Tuesday. The ministers, including Iran's foreign minister and chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi, will take part on Wednesday and Thursday in the Oslo Forum, an annual gathering ...

Muslim Pilgrims Ascend Mount Arafat for Hajj's Pivotal Day

Muslim pilgrims prayed atop Mount Arafat on Thursday during the high point of the annual hajj pilgrimage, as Saudi officials called on participants to refrain from being outside during the hottest hours of the day. Thousands of pilgrims began to gather before dawn around the hill and the surrounding plain where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to ...

Football: Lebanon Prepares for Clash Against Yemen, Darwich Ruled Out

Barely arrived in Kuwait, Karim Darwich was forced to throw in the towel. The Duhok striker, a regular starter this season in the Iraqi league and the Gulf Champions League, picked up an injury during the Lebanese national team’s first training session in Salmiya.   He suffered a muscle lesion in his right thigh, diagnosed via MRI as ...

Million-Plus Pilgrims Begin Hajj Under Blazing Sun

More than a million pilgrims joined Islam's most important rite under a beating sun on Wednesday, as the hajj kicked off with the Saudi hosts scrambling to avoid last year's 1,000-plus deaths in sweltering heat. With temperatures expected to top 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), robed pilgrims slowly circled the Kaaba -- the black cube ...

Saudi Readies for 'Worst Case Scenario' in Sweltering Hajj

Near a sprawling tent city outside Mecca, Saudi hospital staff are preparing for a flood of heat-related cases as Muslim pilgrims begin hajj this week in sweltering summer temperatures. The Mina Emergency Hospital is one of 15 such facilities operating just a few weeks a year around the annual pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites, which in 2024 ...

As Iran Retreats, Islamist Turkey and Qatar Surge in Lebanon

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, a Sunni, entered the stadium of Beirut’s Sports City to watch the classic football game between the two rival teams Nijmeh and Ansar. When the Shia supporters of Nijmeh saw Salam, they started shouting slogans in support of Hezbollah and its late chief Hassan Nasrallah. The Sunni fans of Ansar fired back, ...

Saudi FM Says Blocking of West Bank Delegation Shows Israeli Rejection of Peace Process

Israel's blocking of a visit by Arab diplomats to the occupied West Bank showed its "rejection of... a diplomatic path to peace," Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Sunday. Ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, along with the Arab League chief, had planned a trip to the Palestinian territory, but Israel said ...

Saudi Top Diplomat Says 'at Vanguard' of Efforts to Rebuild Syria

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan travelled to Damascus on Saturday, where he said his country would be at the forefront of efforts to rebuild Syria after nearly 14 years of civil war. Prince Faisal had landed in the Syrian capital earlier, alongside an economic delegation on a visit to discuss ways to support Syria's ...