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Saudi Arabia Approves Hosting of 1,000 Umrah Performers from 16 Nations under Guests Program

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Approves Hosting of 1,000 Umrah Performers from 16 Nations under Guests Program

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud approved on Tuesday the hosting of 1,000 male and female Umrah performers from around the world at his personal expense under the Guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Program for Hajj, Umrah, and Visit.

The initiative will be implemented by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance.

The first group under the program, which will be carried out in four phases, includes 250 Umrah performers hailing from 16 Asian countries: Indonesia, East Timor, the Philippines, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Singapore, China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mongolia.

Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance and General Supervisor of the program Sheikh Dr. Abdullatif Al Alsheikh expressed his gratitude to King Salman and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their continued care and commitment to serving Islam and Muslims.

He expressed his gratitude for their ongoing efforts to enable Muslims from across the world to perform the Umrah and visit the holy sites with ease and peace of mind.

The initiative reflects the leadership's dedication to strengthening bonds of brotherhood among Muslim peoples, he added.

It also underscores the Kingdom's humanitarian and religious mission to build bridges of communication with scholars, clerics, and influential figures across Muslim communities worldwide, he stressed.

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Gulf

Arab, Islamic Countries Slam Terrorist Houthi Attack against Saudi Arabia

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Arab, Islamic Countries Slam Terrorist Houthi Attack against Saudi Arabia

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias’ terrorist attack against Saudi Arabia on Monday sparked Arab and international outcry and condemnation of what was seen as a violation of international law and a direct threat to the security of the region.

The United States declared its solidarity with Saudi Arabia in confronting the latest Houthi attacks, saying the strategic relationship between Washington and Riyadh was stronger.

The State Department said the Houthi group remains designated as a foreign terrorist organization. It added that efforts to protect marine navigation in the Red Sea and combat terrorist groups in Yemen continue.

The Saudi Defense Ministry had said on Monday that its air defenses shot down ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis against the Kingdom.

Condemnations poured in from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon.

The statements warned that the attack was a dangerous escalation that undermines regional security and stability.

They expressed solidarity with the Kingdom and support for the measures it takes in defending its sovereignty and security.

Bahrain hailed the vigilance of the Saudi defenses in intercepting the attack and saving lives and its efforts in leading the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen.

Kuwait slammed the attack as a violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and of international law.

Oman called on all Yemeni parties to show restraint, commit to the truce and return to the negotiations table under the UN-sponsored process.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the attacks against Saudi Arabia and Jordan were “systematic attempts to undermine the stability of the Arab Gulf and keep the region in a cycle of tensions in service of plots that harbor no goodwill towards the Arab people.”

He expressed Lebanon’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and Jordan, saying their security and stability were an “integral part of national Arab security.”

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam echoed Aoun’s remarks, adding that Beirut stands by Saudi Arabia and its legitimate right to take the suitable measures to defend its territories and people.

He warned that the “continuation of these attacks reveals a dangerous insistence on undermining efforts to achieve security and stability in the Arab Gulf region.”

The Muslim World League condemned the terrorist attack against Saudi Arabia that “violates religious values and international laws and norms.”

“The cowardly attack violates all humanitarian values,” added MWL Secretary-General Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa.

Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi stressed that the “cowardly attack is a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”

He called for a “firm and deterrent international stance to put an end to its hostile practices and ensure those responsible are held accountable.”

Gulf

Kuwait’s Military Says Air Defenses Are Responding to an Attack

A view of Kuwait City on June 2, 2026. (AFP)
A view of Kuwait City on June 2, 2026. (AFP)
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Kuwait’s Military Says Air Defenses Are Responding to an Attack

A view of Kuwait City on June 2, 2026. (AFP)
A view of Kuwait City on June 2, 2026. (AFP)

Kuwait’s military said on Tuesday its air defenses are responding to an attack.

The General Staff of the Kuwait Armed Forces said that explosions heard were a result of air defenses intercepting hostile attacks.

Iran has launched repeated attacks on Kuwait and other Gulf countries in recent days in response to US strikes.

The latest exchanges of fire have been triggered by Iran attacking commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

There were no immediate details or reports of casualties or damage from Tuesday’s attack on Kuwait.

Gulf

Arab Interior Ministers Council Condemns Houthi Terrorist Attack on Saudi Arabia's Southern Region

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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Arab Interior Ministers Council Condemns Houthi Terrorist Attack on Saudi Arabia's Southern Region

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

The General Secretariat of the Arab Interior Ministers Council strongly condemned the terrorist attack carried out by the Houthi militia, which launched ballistic missiles toward the southern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia yesterday evening.

In a statement, the secretariat condemned the deliberate criminal act, saying the Houthi militia sought to target civilians and civilian facilities, SPA reported.

The secretariat reiterated its call for firm action against such acts and for those responsible to be held accountable.

It also reaffirmed its full support for all measures taken by the Kingdom to confront these threats and safeguard its security, stability, and territorial integrity.