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Saudi Support Puts Yemen’s Socotra Back on Global Tourism Map

Direct Jeddah-Socotra flights aim to revive Yemen archipelago economy (X)
Direct Jeddah-Socotra flights aim to revive Yemen archipelago economy (X)
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Saudi Support Puts Yemen’s Socotra Back on Global Tourism Map

Direct Jeddah-Socotra flights aim to revive Yemen archipelago economy (X)
Direct Jeddah-Socotra flights aim to revive Yemen archipelago economy (X)

Saudi Arabia has taken a new step to restore Yemen’s Socotra Archipelago to international air traffic by launching a direct flight linking the island with Jeddah, following the resumption of operations at the governorate’s public hospital and government university under a Saudi-backed development program.

The move was described as a qualitative shift that restores the archipelago to the global tourism map.

Yemen’s national carrier, Yemenia Airways, operated its first direct flight between King Abdulaziz International Airport and Socotra International Airport, marking the return of Socotra to international air traffic after years of absence, during which tourism flights were limited to a small number of regional routes.

The direct air link is expected to help revive tourism and open broader prospects for the flow of foreign tourists who visit the island each year, drawn by its pristine nature and rare environmental diversity.

Officials from the local authority in the Socotra Archipelago governorate and the Ministry of Transport said the launch of the route represents a qualitative addition to strengthening air connectivity, supporting tourism and service activities, and easing residents' movement.

They added that the move also carries economic and development dimensions that enhance the archipelago’s stability and sustainable development.

Socotra International Airport hosted an official reception ceremony for the first group of tourists arriving on the new route, attended by Mohammed Al-Yahya, representative of the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen, along with several Yemeni officials.

The event included artistic and heritage performances reflecting the island’s unique cultural legacy, in a message underscoring Socotra’s readiness to receive global tourism.

Yemeni officials said relevant authorities are working to operate direct flights from several Arab countries in the coming phase, which would help double visitor numbers and stimulate accommodation, services, and eco-tourism sectors.

They said the launch of the new air route would open promising economic horizons, ease travel for citizens, and enhance the archipelago’s integration into its regional and international surroundings.

This development coincides with the Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen announcing the resumption of operations at Socotra General Hospital, with full coverage of its operating costs, as part of a package of vital development projects provided by the Kingdom to Yemen.

The program said restarting the hospital would enhance its capacity to meet the growing health needs of residents and help reduce medical referrals outside the governorate, easing the burden on citizens.

Deputy Governor of the Socotra Archipelago governorate, Raed Al-Juraibi, praised the step, saying it represents an essential addition to reviving tourism and strengthening the archipelago’s presence as a global tourist destination, given its natural assets and unique environmental diversity.

The deputy director of Socotra International Airport also commended the Saudi role in facilitating procedures for operating the route and linking Socotra with the Kingdom, confirming the airport’s readiness to receive flights and provide the necessary facilities for passengers.

This followed the reopening of the University of Socotra Archipelago, which resumed operations after a several-week suspension due to a funding halt, following the withdrawal of Emirati forces from the governorate at the request of the Yemeni government.

The university’s return marked a pivotal step in supporting higher education and maintaining stability in the archipelago's educational process.

The Saudi-led coalition supporting legitimacy continues efforts to normalize life in the temporary capital Aden, improve services, oversee the restructuring of security agencies, and remove military camps from the city.

In this context, work has begun on rehabilitating and upgrading the main runway at Aden International Airport, less than a week after the foundation stone for the third phase of the rehabilitation project was laid.

The phase includes supplying modern navigation equipment and communications systems, raising the readiness of infrastructure and logistics services, and improving passenger experience and service quality.

Acting Minister of Transport Nasser Sharif said rehabilitating the airport would improve its operational efficiency and strengthen its position as the country's main air gateway.

Amid improving security and services in Aden, Minister of State and Aden Governor Abdul Rahman Sheikh renewed his call on the UN to relocate the headquarters and operations of international organizations from Houthi-controlled areas to Aden, saying this would improve the effectiveness of humanitarian work and ensure aid reaches those who need it.

During a meeting with the UN senior adviser for security and safety, Jorge Alturas, the governor discussed ways to enhance joint coordination with international organizations, affirming the local authority’s readiness to provide necessary facilities to help ease citizens’ suffering and promote stability.

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Arab World

Aoun from Nabatieh: No New Negotiations with Israel at Present

Smoke rises in Mansouri following Israeli strikes as seen from Naqoura, Lebanon, September 11, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked
Smoke rises in Mansouri following Israeli strikes as seen from Naqoura, Lebanon, September 11, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked
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Aoun from Nabatieh: No New Negotiations with Israel at Present

Smoke rises in Mansouri following Israeli strikes as seen from Naqoura, Lebanon, September 11, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked
Smoke rises in Mansouri following Israeli strikes as seen from Naqoura, Lebanon, September 11, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun visited the country's south on Saturday, in a surprise trip to Nabatieh, a city close to the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge captured from Hezbollah and blown up by Israel.

Official Lebanese media said he arrived in Nabatieh unannounced and accompanied by security officials.

The National News Agency (NNA) quoted Aoun as saying that there would be no new negotiations with Israel at present, stressing that the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the return of prisoners and displaced people, and reconstruction remain national principles that Lebanon is committed to upholding.

Aoun expressed solidarity with locals who greeted him, according to footage broadcast by Lebanese media.

He praised staff at Nabatieh Governmental Hospital, saying they were risking their lives to provide medical services in the area, which most people have fled.

He spoke a day after a senior US diplomatic official said a new round of US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon, initially scheduled for next week, had been pushed back to October.

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah had eased off between late June and last week, thanks to a US-sponsored framework agreement between the two countries as well as a memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran in the wider Middle East war.

But the Israeli army has in recent days stepped up attacks again, particularly in the Nabatieh region.

On Thursday it blew up underground fortifications on Ali al-Taher ridge after seizing the site, which lies a few kilometers from Nabatieh city.

The explosion was large enough to trigger a tremor detected by seismic monitoring agencies.

Israeli strikes in the area have killed at least 29 people in the last few days, including 12 members of the same family.

The Lebanese army, which has deployed in Nabatieh city, warned on Wednesday that Israel's actions threatened the implementation of the framework agreement.

The agreement involves the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon's south and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the region, starting in test areas known as "pilot zones.”

Arab World

Lebanon Moves to Protect Land Ownership in Occupied South

Smoke rises after Israeli demolition operations targeted the occupied southern Lebanese town of Khiam (AFP)
Smoke rises after Israeli demolition operations targeted the occupied southern Lebanese town of Khiam (AFP)
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Lebanon Moves to Protect Land Ownership in Occupied South

Smoke rises after Israeli demolition operations targeted the occupied southern Lebanese town of Khiam (AFP)
Smoke rises after Israeli demolition operations targeted the occupied southern Lebanese town of Khiam (AFP)

Lebanon’s government has approved a draft law banning property sales in Israeli-occupied parts of the south, seeking to prevent wartime displacement and destruction from being exploited to transfer land through intermediaries, front companies, or fictitious buyers.

The cabinet approved on Thursday, at the Finance Ministry’s request, “a ban on real estate sales in areas occupied by the Israeli army.”

Lebanese Finance Minister Yassine Jaber told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government’s decision to ban land sales in occupied southern areas was intended to protect property rights and prevent any attempt to transfer ownership to parties linked to the occupation.

He said the preventive measure would protect the land from sales conducted through indirect or deceptive means.

“The government was keen to take a clear measure in light of the concerns raised about this issue, preventing any sales that could effectively lead to land ownership being transferred indirectly to undisclosed parties,” Jaber said.

The aim, he added, was to prevent sales “to fictitious individuals or companies,” referring to the potential use of names or corporate entities as fronts for indirect purchases.

Jaber linked the decision to efforts to preserve and protect land ownership in the south, saying it was part of “strengthening the resilience of southern communities, preserving and protecting the land in every respect, and safeguarding coexistence.”

The draft law comes as southern areas face widespread destruction, while residents remain displaced and some are unable to return to their towns. The situation has raised concerns extending beyond physical damage to the future of property ownership and residents’ ability to return.

Lebanese MP Abdel Rahman al-Bizri said the protection of property ownership was part of an effort to prevent the destruction and displacement from becoming permanent.

“It is clear that the Israeli occupier is pursuing a scorched-earth policy and working to eliminate every possibility for people and communities to return to the occupied territories in southern Lebanon,” al-Bizri told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“The systematic destruction it is carrying out — whether of homes, infrastructure, crops, schools, clinics, shelters or hospitals — targets every element people need to live and build a functioning community.”

“This indicates a deliberate plan to ensure that these lands remain unfit for the residents’ return, even if the Israeli occupier withdraws from them,” he added, pointing to “repeated visits and tours of Lebanese territory by extremist groups from within Israeli society.”

“This recalls similar scenes in the Syrian Golan Heights and the West Bank,” al-Bizri said. “Despite the Israeli government’s denials, it raises concerns about possible parallel activity by the Israeli authorities and extremist movements.”

Al-Bizri said the Lebanese government had prohibited land sales as a pre-emptive and preventive measure, barring the sale of property in occupied areas to Lebanese and non-Lebanese buyers alike.

The measure was intended to prevent such transactions from becoming “an entry point for a broader process that could later be exploited,” he said, recalling “what happened historically in Palestine before the Nakba.”

“Sovereignty does not mean only the deployment of the Lebanese army and security forces. It also means the return of the state, with all its services, to those areas — from municipalities and schools to healthcare and social protection,” al-Bizri said, adding that a substantial part of the responsibility rested with the government itself.

“Preventing land sales is part of the confrontation and part of our insistence that this land is Lebanese and that we want to keep it Lebanese,” he said. “This must go hand in hand with the state’s return and presence across all Lebanese regions.”

Ayoub Hmayed, an MP from the Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the government’s decision was a “precautionary measure” aimed at protecting the land and closing any loophole that Israel could exploit.

The measure “reinforces Lebanese sovereignty over Lebanese territory,” he said.

Hmayed said the decision’s importance stemmed, “as a matter of principle,” from the need to prevent sales or transfers of ownership that could be exploited under occupation.

On the demographic implications, Hmayed said the problem extended beyond land sales to the conditions created by the war and occupation, including residents’ displacement and the inability of some to return to their towns. If the situation persisted, he warned, it would “certainly produce a different reality” on the ground.

He said the ban provided additional protection to landowners even when their homes had been destroyed and they were unable to return.

“Preventing land sales protects these people, just as it reinforces Lebanese sovereignty over Lebanese territory,” Hmayed said.

Arab World

Iraqi Army Commander Sacked After Drone Attacks Targeted Saudi Arabia

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi (Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi (Reuters)
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Iraqi Army Commander Sacked After Drone Attacks Targeted Saudi Arabia

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi (Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi (Reuters)

The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced on Saturday the dismissal of the commander in charge of the southern Maysan province after Saudi Arabia said drones launched from Iraq hit the East-West pipeline and led to its closure.

The commander was fired following the "confirmation that the attacks targeting our brethren in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia originated from a location within the governorate,” said al-Zaidi’s office.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned "the targeting of the East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Madinah regions by several drones coming from Iraq, which caused human injuries and damage.”

"The pipeline was stopped as a precaution, and the attacks resulted in some injuries," an Energy Ministry official told the SPA news agency earlier.

"At the request of the Iraqi Prime Minister... (Riyadh) has chosen not to respond at this stage and to support the efforts of the Iraqi government ... to prevent attacks launched from Iraq against the Kingdom and neighboring countries," the Foreign Ministry said.