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Saudi Govt Discusses Means to Bolster Kingdom’s Relations with Several Countries

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Saudi Govt Discusses Means to Bolster Kingdom’s Relations with Several Countries

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs the cabinet meeting in Riyadh. (SPA)

The Saudi government discussed on Tuesday the latest developments related to joint committees between the Kingdom and several countries.

The ministers reviewed the signing of memoranda of understanding between Riyadh and these countries with the aim of developing cooperation in all fields to achieve joint interests and boost relations.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Riyadh.

The ministers were briefed on the telephone call Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received from India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Following the cabinet meeting, Media Minister Salman Al-Dosari said the ministers praised the progress achieved by the Saudi-Japanese Manar initiative on cooperation in the field of clean energy.

The initiative could serve as a model for countries around the world in their pursuit of developing strategies and plans to achieve the ambition of reaching carbon neutrality.

The cabinet said the inauguration of the fourth year of the eighth session of the Shura Council reflected a year full of accomplishments during which the Kingdom strived to fulfill the goals of securing a decent life for its citizens, continued its comprehensive development journey, and solidified its global leading standing and competitiveness in various fields.

Moreover, the cabinet deemed the extension of the Citizen Account Program, along with the provision of additional support to its beneficiaries until the end of 2024, as a testament to the leadership's care for the well-being of the citizens, and commitment to easing their financial burdens and improving their livelihoods, particularly in times of economic instability.

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Gulf

Coalition to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthi Claims about Targeting Riyadh Are Misleading

Coalition official spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen)
Coalition official spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen)
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Coalition to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthi Claims about Targeting Riyadh Are Misleading

Coalition official spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen)
Coalition official spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen)

The Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen dismissed on Saturday as “misleading” Houthi claims that they targeted the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Coalition official spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki told Asharq Al-Awsat that “what the Houthis are facing in Taiz, and the human losses suffered by the group's members at the hands of the heroes of the Yemeni Armed Forces and the Popular Resistance on all fronts drives them to seek illusory victories.”

The Houthis are “attempting to divert attention from the scale of the losses and the growing public anger against them,” he added, while stressing that their “ties to external agendas that have brought chaos and devastation to Yemen.”

The Iran-backed group claimed it had targeted Riyadh at a time when unified Yemeni forces are fighting battles to repel the group's attempts to secure positions it attacked on the West Coast.

Recent Yemeni reports said the group has lost around 5,000 fighters within a week, while the Yemeni Armed Forces are carrying out a series of aerial and ground military operations across various fronts targeted by the Houthis.

Spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces Colonel Majid Al-Nuzaili announced in a statement the execution of 257 precision targeting operations against Houthi military positions, movements, and capabilities, utilizing fighter jets, drones, artillery, missiles, and rocket launchers.

The operations covered Sanaa, Midi (northwest), and Baqim (Saada), the fronts of Al-Jawf, Marib, Al-Bayda, and Lahij, with operational efforts concentrated on the Taiz fronts, targeting command and control centers, troop gatherings and mobilizations, combat reserves, weapons and ammunition depots, as well as military supply lines and means, he added.

According to preliminary field estimates, the operations resulted in the neutralization of at least 700 militants and destruction of 170 combat vehicles, stated Al-Nuzaili.

This had a direct impact on the militias' combat capacity and limited their ability to continue their assaults against civilians in their homes and villages, he went on to say.

Gulf

Pakistan Says Makkah Alliance to Discuss Houthi Attacks at Emergency Riyadh Meeting

The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the Makkah Agreement in Istanbul (Saudi Ministry of Defense). 
The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the Makkah Agreement in Istanbul (Saudi Ministry of Defense). 
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Pakistan Says Makkah Alliance to Discuss Houthi Attacks at Emergency Riyadh Meeting

The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the Makkah Agreement in Istanbul (Saudi Ministry of Defense). 
The first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defense Committee established under the Makkah Agreement in Istanbul (Saudi Ministry of Defense). 

Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar announced that the Strategic Political and Defense Committee of the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye will hold an emergency meeting in Riyadh next week to discuss Houthi attacks on the Kingdom.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Dar said the committee would determine the next steps at the meeting, adding that more than six countries had expressed interest in joining the Makkah alliance, according to Reuters.

In a statement carried by Reuters on Friday, the Pakistani military said its senior commanders had strongly condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, expressed solidarity with the Kingdom and reaffirmed their commitment to the security of Islam’s holy sites.

The Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, signed on Aug. 7 by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stipulates that an armed attack against any one of its signatories shall be considered an attack against all three.

Any joint military response is subject to an assessment by the member states, particularly the country under attack, taking into account the need for such action, the nature and severity of the attack, the level of threat and the contributions required from each party to achieve the intended integration of their efforts.

Istanbul hosted the first meeting of the agreement’s Strategic Political and Defense Committee on Aug. 31, bringing together the foreign and defense ministers and military chiefs of staff of Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan.

During the meeting, the three countries reaffirmed their determination to work together under the Makkah agreement to achieve sustainable peace and stability in their region and continue supporting efforts to promote de-escalation and restraint. They encouraged peaceful solutions to crises in line with their commitment to fulfilling their regional responsibilities.

The three countries’ foreign ministers subsequently met in New York on Sept. 24 to review progress toward establishing the agreement’s general secretariat, committees and working groups, as well as preparations for the launch of their activities.

The ministers also condemned attacks targeting Makkah and civilian and economic facilities in Saudi Arabia, stressing the Kingdom’s right to take whatever measures it deemed appropriate to defend its security under Article 51 of the UN Charter.

On Sept. 25, the three countries’ military chiefs of staff met in Riyadh to review the security situation and attacks against Saudi Arabia. They condemned the strikes targeting Makkah and the Kingdom’s civilian and economic infrastructure.

Participants also discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation among their armed forces, develop intelligence cooperation, enhance military coordination and integrate their capabilities to bolster deterrence and collective defense.

 

 

Gulf

UAE: Flydubai Co-Pilot Attempted Terrorist Attack

FILE PHOTO: A plane, carrying passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, arrives at the Ben Gurion International Airport, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A plane, carrying passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, arrives at the Ben Gurion International Airport, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
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UAE: Flydubai Co-Pilot Attempted Terrorist Attack

FILE PHOTO: A plane, carrying passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, arrives at the Ben Gurion International Airport, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A plane, carrying passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, arrives at the Ben Gurion International Airport, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo

The United Arab Emirates Attorney-General said investigations into the incident aboard flydubai flight FZ1073 revealed that the co-pilot attempted to carry out a terrorist act, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Saturday.

The co-pilot began executing his plan during the flight, attacking the captain inside the cockpit using a crash axe and attempting to take control of the aircraft, the Attorney-General added.

He assured that investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances, motives, and any links related to the incident, as well as to complete technical examinations and analysis of physical and digital evidence.

The final results will be announced upon the conclusion of all necessary procedures, he assured.

The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv came close to disaster on Wednesday morning when the attacker stabbed the captain.

Passengers told interviewers that the captain, who was seriously wounded, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing a group of passengers and crew members to overpower the attacker. Two reserve pilots who were also on board then managed to regain control of the aircraft, stabilize it, and land safely.