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Saudi Arabia Urges Int’l Support for Recognition of State of Palestine, Slams Israeli Violations 

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting that was held in NEOM. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting that was held in NEOM. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Urges Int’l Support for Recognition of State of Palestine, Slams Israeli Violations 

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting that was held in NEOM. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting that was held in NEOM. (SPA)

The Saudi government reiterated on Tuesday the Kingdom’s call on the international community to support a two-state solution to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

It noted that the successive announcements by countries to recognize a Palestinian state are steps towards supporting international legitimacy and reflect a growing momentum to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the conflict.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in NEOM.

The cabinet was briefed on the two messages Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and the Crown Prince received from Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, as well as on the Crown Prince's meeting with Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The cabinet reviewed the positive outcomes of the High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, which was co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.

The cabinet renewed the Kingdom's call to all UN member states to support the final document issued by the conference, which represents a comprehensive framework for implementing the two-state solution, achieving international peace and security, and helping build the future of the region and its peoples.

The cabinet followed up on Saudi Arabia's comprehensive support for the State of Palestine and its people, particularly at the humanitarian level, through the continued dispatch of shelter, medical, and food aid to Gaza Strip via the Saudi air and sea bridges.

The cabinet strongly condemned the repeated provocative practices by Israeli government officials against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, stressing the Kingdom's demand that the international community halt these practices, which violate international laws and norms.

On domestic affairs, the cabinet reviewed the Kingdom's most prominent economic indicators, including a 3.9% growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the second quarter of 2025, driven by the positive performance of all economic activities, particularly non-oil sectors.

It welcomed the recent report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) following its 2025 Article IV Consultation with the Kingdom, which underscored the strength of the local economy, its ability to address global economic challenges, the continued expansion of non-oil activities, and the containment of inflation.

The cabinet deemed the launch of new industrial projects in Eastern Region as part of the comprehensive development movement witnessed by the Kingdom, in line with its vision to develop local content, boost the competitiveness of national industry, and provide an attractive and enabling investment environment for innovators and entrepreneurs.

Moreover, the cabinet praised the achievements of the Healthy Cities Program, including the World Health Organization's recognition of Jeddah and Madinah as the two largest healthy cities in the Middle East. This brings to 16 the number of healthy cities in Saudi Arabia, embodying the ongoing commitment to promoting preventive health, quality of life, and integration among relevant stakeholders.

The cabinet also applauded the contribution of the Quality of Life Program in achieving a number of objectives supporting infrastructure development, enhancing the quality of services, and developing the cultural, entertainment, and sports sectors.

It praised the achievements in environmental protection and sustainability, including the rehabilitation of more than 500,000 hectares of degraded land and the planting of over 151 million trees as part of the Saudi Green Initiative, which aims to develop vegetation cover and combat desertification.

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Gulf

Iraq Vows No Leniency with Parties Harming Ties with Saudi Arabia

Iraqi government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi. (INA)
Iraqi government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi. (INA)
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Iraq Vows No Leniency with Parties Harming Ties with Saudi Arabia

Iraqi government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi. (INA)
Iraqi government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi. (INA)

Iraq said it was ready to cooperate fully in verifying any information about an attack on Saudi Arabia that was launched from its territory, renewing its condemnation of the incident and vowing measures to prevent any breach of Iraqi sovereignty.

The Iraqi government’s latest condemnation came a day after the Foreign Ministry denounced the attacks on the Kingdom, in what observers said signaled Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s new government was keen to protect ties with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

Saudi Arabia’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday it had intercepted and destroyed three drones after they entered the Kingdom’s airspace from Iraq.

Iraqi government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi renewed Baghdad’s condemnation on Tuesday, saying Iraq “reaffirms its firm and historic position in support of distinguished and lasting relations with brotherly and friendly countries of the region, its commitment to the security of Arab states, the importance of supporting stability, all efforts to ease tensions, and preventing attacks, whatever their source.”

“The Iraqi government condemns the recent drone attacks that targeted Saudi Arabia and affirms its continued joint efforts to strengthen regional security and safeguard the security and sovereignty of countries in the region,” he said.

Awadi repeated that the military authorities did not detect or record any activity from the country’s airspace, stressing, however, that Iraqi institutions were fully ready “to cooperate in verifying any information related to the circumstances of the attack that targeted the Kingdom.”

He stressed Iraq’s “categorical rejection of the use of its territory, airspace or territorial waters to launch any attack on neighboring countries.”

Awadi said Iraqi security forces had taken “all necessary steps and measures to thwart and uncover any attempt in this context,” adding that there would be “no leniency toward anyone who tries to violate the sovereignty of the Iraqi state or damage relations with the Kingdom, neighboring countries or brotherly states.”

Observers are now raising questions over how Zaidi will deal with pro-Iran armed factions and confront their activities at home and abroad, particularly under continued US pressure.

In recent months, after the outbreak of the US-Israeli war against Iran, factions launched hundreds of attacks on targets inside Iraq, most of them in the northern Kurdistan region.

They also carried out attacks on more than one country in Iraq’s regional neighborhood. Those attacks stopped during the ceasefire, before resuming with three drones over Saudi territory.

Many believe the factions’ latest attacks pose a serious challenge to Zaidi’s authority. The prime minister, whose government was approved by parliament last week, has received clear US, domestic and Arab backing, a development that was not welcomed by the factions, which are seeking to embarrass him at the start of his tenure in Iraq’s top executive post.

Gulf

Bahrain Suspends Entry of Foreign Travelers Arriving from Three Countries Amid Ebola Fears

A view of Bahrain's capital Manama. (Getty Images file)
A view of Bahrain's capital Manama. (Getty Images file)
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Bahrain Suspends Entry of Foreign Travelers Arriving from Three Countries Amid Ebola Fears

A view of Bahrain's capital Manama. (Getty Images file)
A view of Bahrain's capital Manama. (Getty Images file)

Bahrain said on Tuesday it was suspending the entry of foreign travelers arriving from South Sudan, ‌the Democratic ‌Republic of ‌Congo ⁠and Uganda due ⁠to the Ebola virus outbreak.

The suspension will be effective for ⁠30 days ‌starting Tuesday, ‌according to ‌the country's ‌state news agency.

The World Health Organization expressed deep ‌concern on Tuesday at the speed ⁠and ⁠scale of the Ebola outbreak, as the number of cases rises.

Gulf

UAE Says Drones Targeting Nuclear Plant Came from Iraq

The United Arab Emirates flag flutters against the backdrop of the Abu Dhabi Skyline following a reported Iranian strike, March 1, 2026. (AFP)
The United Arab Emirates flag flutters against the backdrop of the Abu Dhabi Skyline following a reported Iranian strike, March 1, 2026. (AFP)
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UAE Says Drones Targeting Nuclear Plant Came from Iraq

The United Arab Emirates flag flutters against the backdrop of the Abu Dhabi Skyline following a reported Iranian strike, March 1, 2026. (AFP)
The United Arab Emirates flag flutters against the backdrop of the Abu Dhabi Skyline following a reported Iranian strike, March 1, 2026. (AFP)

The United Arab Emirates on Tuesday said drones that targeted its nuclear plant last week came from Iraq, from where Iranian-backed groups have launched several attacks since the Middle East war began.

On Sunday, an unclaimed drone struck an electrical generator near the Arab world's only nuclear power plant in Barakah in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, triggering a fire but causing no injuries or radiation leak. Two other drones had been intercepted.

"As part of the ongoing investigation into the blatant attack on the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant on May 17, 2026, technical tracking and monitoring confirmed that the three drones... all originated from Iraqi territory," the Emirati defense ministry said.

Authorities intercepted six drones that also came from Iraq and "attempted to target civilian and vital areas" in the past 48 hours, the ministry added.

Iraqi authorities had already condemned the attack on Barakah before Abu Dhabi announced where the drones came from.

Iran has attacked the UAE and other Gulf nations since the US and Israel launched strikes on the country on February 28, targeting US assets but also energy and civilian infrastructure.

Iran-backed groups in Iraq have not claimed any strikes since the truce came into place, though Gulf countries have reported attacks from Iraq.

On Sunday, Saudi Arabia had reported intercepting drones that came from Iraq, while Baghdad said its defense systems had not detected any drones launched from its territory toward the Kingdom.