Saudi Arabia Stresses Need to De-escalate Tensions in Gaza, Ensure Conflict Doesn’t Spread

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 Arabia Stresses Need to De-escalate Tensions in Gaza, Ensure Conflict Doesn’t Spread

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 reiterated on Tuesday the importance of de-escalating the tensions in Gaza and ensure that the conflict doesn’t spread to avoid its impact on regional and international peace and security.

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

The cabinet reviewed regional and international developments and was briefed on the discussions held between Saudi Arabia and several countries in recent days,

They reviewed the telephone call received by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari said the cabinet reviewed the outcome of international conferences and meetings hosted by the Kingdom that are proof of its commitment to staying abreast of developments, utilizing capabilities and resources, and lending support to development programs across various sectors.

The cabinet commended the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for its efforts in organizing the "Hajj and Umrah Services Conference and Exhibition", which aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 by fostering innovative and sustainable solutions that ensure constant development and offer superior services to visitors to the two holy mosques.

It underscored the outcome of the 3rd Future Minerals Forum, which brought together 133 countries during which 75 agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed in various related fields by a number of government agencies, companies and institutions from the Kingdom and abroad.

It also highlighted the positive indicators of the Kingdom's economy, the continued decline of inflation, which reached 1.5% in December - indicating its stability compared to G20 countries – which is a testimony to the effectiveness of the measures taken to deal with rising global prices.



Oman Terror Attack: Perpetrators Pledged Allegiance to ISIS

Muscat, Oman (AFP)
Muscat, Oman (AFP)
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Oman Terror Attack: Perpetrators Pledged Allegiance to ISIS

Muscat, Oman (AFP)
Muscat, Oman (AFP)

The identities of the “three terrorist brothers” who attacked a mosque in Muscat on Monday night have shocked Oman, a country not used to such incidents.

A video from ISIS showed the brothers pledging allegiance to the terror group’s leader before the attack.

The Royal Oman Police said the brothers, who were Omani, died after resisting security forces. Investigations revealed they were influenced by extremist ideas.

According to available information, the three brothers held prestigious positions.

One had a PhD and worked in a key government ministry, and he had hosted television programs about Oman’s development, which are available on YouTube.

The second brother worked at the central bank, and the third was employed by the municipality.

A video featuring their fourth brother, Sultan Al-Hasani, a former singer who had renounced his career, showed him condemning his brothers, denouncing their actions as bloodshed and a threat to national security.

On Tuesday, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on Imam Ali Mosque in Wadi Kabir, Muscat.

The attack targeted residents observing Ashura, killing six people, including a police officer, and injuring around 28 others. The three attackers were also killed.

A video released by ISIS’s Amaq news agency, which has not been verified by official sources, showed the three brothers who carried out the attack standing in front of the group’s black flag, pledging allegiance to “Abu Hafs,” referring to the group’s leader, Abu Hafs al-Hashimi.

Abu Hafs became the fifth leader of ISIS on August 3, 2023, following the death of his predecessor, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurashi, in battle, as announced in an audio recording by ISIS spokesman Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari.

In a video released by ISIS, a speaker believed to be Hamad Al-Hasani justified the mosque attack with sectarian rhetoric, inciting Arab youth to rebellion and criticizing religious scholars.

He also attacked the West, led by the United States, accusing it of waging “the greatest ideological, military, media, and economic war against Muslims in general, and ISIS in particular.”