Saudi Arabia Expresses Concern over Military Escalation in Yemen after Israeli Airstrikes

The flag of Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The flag of Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Expresses Concern over Military Escalation in Yemen after Israeli Airstrikes

The flag of Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The flag of Saudi Arabia (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia expressed its deep concern on Sunday over the latest military escalation in Yemen after the Israeli attacks in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
The statement stressed that these developments "exacerbate the current tension in the region”.
In a statement on X platform, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “The Ministry is following with great concern the military escalation in Yemen following the Israeli attacks that targeted Hodeidah province on Saturday, July 20, 2024,” emphasizing that “these developments aggravate the current tension in the region and undermine ongoing efforts to end the war in Gaza”.
The ministry also called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to distance the region and its people from the dangers of war. It also called on the international community and active influential parties to fulfill their responsibilities to end conflicts in the region.
Moreover, the ministry affirmed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's continued efforts to end the war on Gaza and affirmed its continuous support for peace efforts in Yemen to spare its people more suffering and achieve security and peace in the region.
On Sunday, Brigadier General Turki Al-Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi Ministry of Defense, affirmed that Saudi Arabia has no relation to or participation in the targeting of the Yemeni city of Hodeidah. 
He emphasized in a statement posted on the ministry's X platform account that Saudi Arabia will not allow its airspace to be violated from any direction.
 



Kuwait Jails 13 Citizens, Fines them $87 Mn for Hezbollah Funding

A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
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Kuwait Jails 13 Citizens, Fines them $87 Mn for Hezbollah Funding

A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)

Kuwait’s Court of Cassation on Monday sentenced 13 citizens to three years in prison for raising funds through a charity to support Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The court also fined them 27 million Kuwaiti dinars ($87 million), overturning a previous acquittal by a lower court.

The court that issued the sentencing was presided over by Judge Abdullah Jassim Al-Abdullah.

Initially, the Criminal Court had acquitted the defendants, citing the absence of legislation explicitly criminalizing unlicensed fundraising for public purposes since the establishment of Kuwait's Social Affairs Department on December 14, 1954.

The court said this legal gap limited its authority under Article 132 of the Code of Criminal Procedures and Trials. However, the decision was reversed by the higher court.

The defendants had been interrogated in November 2021 over alleged financial support to organizations linked to Hezbollah.

At the time, the Public Prosecution ordered their detention, and security authorities conducted extensive investigations into financial transfers suspected of funding such groups in Lebanon.

The case dates back to November 2021. The charges included significant financial transfers made over several years to foreign entities, including in Lebanon, prompting authorities to scrutinize transaction records.

The defendants denied the charges, claiming they had worked with a charity committee for 30 years, primarily sponsoring orphans in Lebanon and other countries.

In March 2024, the Court of Cassation classified Hezbollah as a banned terrorist group, describing it as an armed organization working to undermine Kuwait’s system and spread Iran’s revolutionary ideology.

The ruling officially confirmed Hezbollah’s designation as a terrorist entity under Kuwaiti law.