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Six-Party Ministerial Meeting Convenes in Riyadh to Discuss Israeli War in Gaza Strip

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs chairs the six-party Consultative Ministerial meeting with the United States in Riyadh - SPA
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs chairs the six-party Consultative Ministerial meeting with the United States in Riyadh - SPA
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Six-Party Ministerial Meeting Convenes in Riyadh to Discuss Israeli War in Gaza Strip

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs chairs the six-party Consultative Ministerial meeting with the United States in Riyadh - SPA
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs chairs the six-party Consultative Ministerial meeting with the United States in Riyadh - SPA

The Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, chaired the six-party Consultative Ministerial meeting with the United States in Riyadh on Monday.

The meeting focused on discussing the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip and the latest developments. The attendees emphasized the urgency of achieving an immediate and complete ceasefire to end the war while ensuring the protection of civilians in accordance with international humanitarian law.

They also deliberated on strategies to eliminate all impediments restricting the entry of humanitarian aid into all areas of the Strip to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.

Furthermore, the meeting addressed the efforts undertaken by the Arab Six-Party countries to support the international recognition of the Palestinian state, aiming to fulfill the aspirations of the Palestinian people for an independent and sovereign state based on the borders of June 4, 1967. The participants underscored the importance of taking irreversible measures to implement the two-state solution, in alignment with relevant international resolutions.

Among the attendees were Saudi Ambassador to the United States Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs Dr. Saud Al-Sati, Advisor to the Ministry Dr. Manal Radwan, and Director of the Arab Levant Department Mohammed Al-Harbi.

Also, other attendees included Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan Ayman Safadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt Sameh Shoukri, Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Minister of Civil Affairs Hussein Al-Sheikh; and Secretary of State of the United States Antony Blinken.

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Gulf

Arab League Meeting to Discuss Iran Attacks, Regional Escalation on Sunday

Arab foreign ministers are seen at a previous Arab League meeting. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Arab foreign ministers are seen at a previous Arab League meeting. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Arab League Meeting to Discuss Iran Attacks, Regional Escalation on Sunday

Arab foreign ministers are seen at a previous Arab League meeting. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Arab foreign ministers are seen at a previous Arab League meeting. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Bahrain will chair on Sunday the 165th regular session of the Arab League on the level of foreign ministers amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.

An Arab diplomatic source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting, held video-conference, will only focus on the Iranian attacks on Arab countries.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said the officials will discuss taking a unified Arab stance against the attacks.

Foreign ministers of Gulf, Arab and regional countries met in Riyadh last week to condemn Iran’s flagrant violation of principles of good neighborliness and of the sovereignty of nations, saying it will have grave repercussions against it and the security of the Middle East.

“Iran's attacks will cost it highly and impact relations with the countries and peoples of the region that will not stand idly by as they are threatened,” they warned.

“The attacks cannot be justified under any excuse,” they stressed, saying they were a violation of sovereignty of nations and international law.

They held Iran “fully responsible for the losses”, saying the countries reserve the right to defend themselves.

The Arab diplomat said Sunday’s meeting was already scheduled before the eruption of the conflict and was supposed to include on its agenda articles related to joint Arab work, but discussions over them will be postponed to solely focus on the Iranian attacks.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held a series of telephone calls from his counterparts from Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq to prepare for the summit.

A Foreign Ministry statement underlined “the importance of issuing a unified Arab stance against the common security and political challenges and the dangerous escalation in the region.”

Political analyst Dr. Abdel Moneim Saeed told Asharq Al-Awsat the ministerial meeting aims to reach a unified Arab stance on how to handle the current situation.

The situation is rapidly changing amid the erratic American stances, he remarked. “It is important to hold Arab consultations to come up with a united stand towards the situation.”

Gulf

UK, Pakistan Condemn Iranian Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meet in Riyadh in December 2024. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meet in Riyadh in December 2024. (SPA)
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UK, Pakistan Condemn Iranian Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meet in Riyadh in December 2024. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meet in Riyadh in December 2024. (SPA)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received on Tuesday separate telephone calls from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Pakistani PM Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, who underlined their condemnation of Iran’s continued attacks against the Kingdom.

They warned that the attacks are a threat to security and stability.

The leaders reviewed regional security developments amid the current military escalation, discussing its impact on regional and global peace and its risks to international maritime security and the global economy.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia Denies it Favors Prolonging the War

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 15, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 15, 2024. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Denies it Favors Prolonging the War

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 15, 2024. (Reuters)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on November 15, 2024. (Reuters)

A senior official at the Saudi Foreign Ministry stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Kingdom had previously denied claims that its leadership favors the prolongation of the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The official said that Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah had declared during a press conference following the meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers in Riyadh last week that Iran must cease its attacks.

He added that the Kingdom’s patience “has limits” and that it reserves the right to repel the aggression through political and other means.

Iran continued to target Gulf countries with rockets and drones in the fourth week of the war as the United Nations Rights Council prepares to meet on Wednesday to discuss the attacks.

Saudi defenses intercepted and downed a ballistic missile and 28 drones fired at the Eastern Region, announced Defense Ministry spokesman Turki al-Malki. 

On Tuesday, Saudi defenses downed 44 drones in the Eastern Region, Bahrain downed six ballistic missiles and 19 drones, and the UAE destroyed five missiles and 17 drones. Kuwait also repelled several attacks.

The UAE defense ministry said that a Moroccan contractor with the Emirati military was killed in Bahrain in an Iranian attack, with Manama saying the man had been assisting the local armed forces.