Saudi Arabia Launches Nusuk Card to Facilitate Movement of Pilgrims

Worshippers are seen at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Worshippers are seen at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Launches Nusuk Card to Facilitate Movement of Pilgrims

Worshippers are seen at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Worshippers are seen at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launched on Tuesday the Nusuk card that will facilitate the movement of all pilgrims at the holy sites.

It also offers a number of services and privileges that can be accessed through the Nusuk and Tawakkalna apps.

Nusuk acts as an identification card for pilgrims. It is a comprehensive platform that allows the user to register their personal and health data and other important information. The user can also benefit from a broad array of services.

The user can receive the card through Hajj offices after they obtain their Hajj permit.

Nusuk also works to deepen the Hajj experience by allowing the user to access different services, such as places of accommodation and transport. It provides information about historic, cultural and Islamic locations.

It also allows workers involved in the Hajj pilgrimage to meet the needs of and service the pilgrims.

Nusuk is part of a greater plan the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is aiming to launch with the goal of utilizing technology to ensure pilgrims have a smooth journey that begins from the moment they arrive in the Kingdom to the moment they leave.

Saudi Arabia is keen on developing procedures and regulations and dedicating technology to facilitate the holy journey and ensure the largest number possible of Muslims can travel to the Kingdom to perform the Hajj and Umrah.

Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah was in Indonesia where he handed the first Nusuk card to Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Qoumas.

He also met with senior officials, heads of companies and investors to discuss the available opportunities to elevate the services offered during the Hajj.

Along with Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi, he oversaw the signing of an air transport agreement aimed at increasing the number of flights transporting Indonesian pilgrims headed to Saudi Arabia.



Saudi Foreign Minister Receives Phone Call from Pakistani Counterpart

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
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Saudi Foreign Minister Receives Phone Call from Pakistani Counterpart

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received a phone call from Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Ishaq Dar.

During Saturday’s call, the two sides discussed the latest regional developments and related efforts.


Saudi Arabia Stresses People’s Rights in the Region to Have Peace

The Saudi flag (SPA)
The Saudi flag (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Stresses People’s Rights in the Region to Have Peace

The Saudi flag (SPA)
The Saudi flag (SPA)

Saudi Arabia has stressed that the peoples of the region deserve a future built on peace, development, and cooperation.

Saudi Arabia participated in the Oslo Forum 2026, held under the patronage of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and was represented by Minister Plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Manal bint Hassan Radwan, who took part in the main session titled “Mediation in a Turbulent Middle East.”

In her remarks, Radwan highlighted Saudi Arabia’s longstanding role in mediation and sustainable peacebuilding, stressing that the Kingdom’s approach is founded on respect for rights, human dignity, and security for all.

She noted that decades of regional power politics have imposed significant humanitarian, political, and economic costs, emphasizing that lasting stability cannot be achieved through dominance or imposed realities, but through a collective security framework based on cooperation, state sovereignty, strong national institutions, and adherence to international law.

She reaffirmed that creating an independent Palestinian state and the fulfillment of the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights remain essential to achieving lasting regional peace and integration.

In this context, she highlighted Saudi-led efforts through the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and the New York Declaration as practical frameworks for advancing peace.

Radwan also reiterated the Kingdom’s support for efforts to end the war in Gaza and implement relevant international initiatives, stressing that security and stability cannot come at the expense of sovereignty or the legitimate rights of peoples.

She underscored Saudi Arabia’s commitment to a regional security vision rooted in inclusivity, cooperation, and respect for international norms, while recognizing the contributions of China, Oman, and Iraq in supporting rapprochement with Iran and promoting regional de-escalation.

She noted that some regional actors have demonstrated a growing willingness to adapt to cooperative regional security approaches and engage in frameworks of dialogue and joint action, while Israel continues to pursue a security doctrine based on military superiority and the use of force.

She added that the continued occupation, along with annexation and settlement policies, undermines efforts to build a sustainable regional security architecture and hinders the achievement of genuine regional integration founded on equality, respect for rights, sovereignty, and international law.

Radwan emphasized that the humanitarian toll of wars, occupation, and external interference is no longer acceptable, and that the peoples of the region deserve a future built on peace, development, and cooperation.

She affirmed that Saudi Arabia will continue to work tirelessly, through its strategic partnerships and regional and international role, to advance sustainable peace and security.


Saudi-Lebanese Security Cooperation Foils Smuggling of Nearly 4 Million Amphetamine Pills

Security cooperation between the Kingdom and Lebanon contributed to tracking and seizing the narcotic substances (Saudi Ministry of Interior).
Security cooperation between the Kingdom and Lebanon contributed to tracking and seizing the narcotic substances (Saudi Ministry of Interior).
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Saudi-Lebanese Security Cooperation Foils Smuggling of Nearly 4 Million Amphetamine Pills

Security cooperation between the Kingdom and Lebanon contributed to tracking and seizing the narcotic substances (Saudi Ministry of Interior).
Security cooperation between the Kingdom and Lebanon contributed to tracking and seizing the narcotic substances (Saudi Ministry of Interior).

Information provided by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior helped Lebanese authorities foil an attempt to smuggle nearly 3.9 million amphetamine pills, the ministry said on Friday.

The seizure was made following intelligence shared by the Saudi ministry’s General Directorate of Narcotics Control as part of efforts to monitor criminal networks involved in drug trafficking, the ministry's security spokesperson Brigadier General Talal bin Shalhoub said in a statement.

Bin Shalhoub said cooperation between Saudi and Lebanese authorities in tracking and intercepting narcotics reflected the level of security coordination between the two countries in combating cross-border criminal networks.

Saudi Arabia will continue to pursue drug-trafficking activities that threaten the kingdom’s security and youth, disrupt smuggling operations and arrest those involved, he added.