Under Royal Directives, Saudi Arabia to Regularize Residency Status of Yemeni Nationals

The Ministry of Interior said that holding a valid Yemeni passport is an essential prerequisite for regularizing legal status. (Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen)
The Ministry of Interior said that holding a valid Yemeni passport is an essential prerequisite for regularizing legal status. (Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen)
TT

Under Royal Directives, Saudi Arabia to Regularize Residency Status of Yemeni Nationals

The Ministry of Interior said that holding a valid Yemeni passport is an essential prerequisite for regularizing legal status. (Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen)
The Ministry of Interior said that holding a valid Yemeni passport is an essential prerequisite for regularizing legal status. (Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen)

Under the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and in response to a request submitted by Chairman of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad Mohammed Al-Alimi, the Saudi Ministry of Interior announced on Monday that the status of all Yemeni nationals residing irregularly in the Kingdom will be officially regularized.

The ministry is carrying out the initiative with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, and Saudi Data and AI Authority, as part of the Kingdom's continued fraternal and humanitarian support for the Yemeni people.

The Ministry of Interior said that holding a valid Yemeni passport is an essential prerequisite for regularizing legal status.

The start date and applicable regulations will be announced through the official accounts of the General Directorate of Passports and other relevant authorities.



Trump Administration Backs Saudi Arabia’s Right to Defend Itself against Houthis

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding a plane en route to Iceland at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on October 5, 2026. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding a plane en route to Iceland at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on October 5, 2026. (AFP)
TT

Trump Administration Backs Saudi Arabia’s Right to Defend Itself against Houthis

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding a plane en route to Iceland at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on October 5, 2026. (AFP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before boarding a plane en route to Iceland at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on October 5, 2026. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed on Monday that Washington understands the steps taken by the Saudi-led Arab coalition against the terrorist Houthi militia in Yemen.

The Trump administration is determined to meet its bilateral security commitments with the Kingdom in confronting threats from the Iran-backed group.

“The United States has a defense and security agreement with Saudi Arabia and we intend to live by it. I won’t discuss details further than that,” Rubio told a press conference before departing on a European trip that includes Iceland, Greece and Portugal.

“As far as our view of it, well, I think it’s – the Saudis and Yemeni forces clearly are not in favor of the Houthis controlling that territory close to the – to the [Bab al-Mandeb] strait there,” he added.

“It is territory that was gained as a result of a Houthi offensive, and this is the counter to it. We expected that would happen and that’s what’s happening,” he remarked.

“So obviously the Saudis have come under Houthi attack and see the threat that that poses, and they have a right to defend themselves. And obviously the Yemeni forces are going to try to retake territory that they were ousted from,” Rubio added.


Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Houthis' Continued Targeting of Civilian Facilities

Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Houthis' Continued Targeting of Civilian Facilities
TT

Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Houthis' Continued Targeting of Civilian Facilities

Saudi Arabia Strongly Condemns Houthis' Continued Targeting of Civilian Facilities

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned on Monday the terrorist Houthi militia’s continued targeting of civilians and civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement said Saudi Arabia also condemned “the Houthis’ blatant and repeated attacks against the holiest sites on earth - Makkah and Madinah - the capital Riyadh, and the cities of Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan, Najran, Taif, and Yanbu, as well as its targeting of Saudi vessels in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.”

The Kingdom stressed that, since the terrorist Houthi militia’s coup against Yemen’s legitimate government in 2014, Saudi Arabia “has made sustained and tireless efforts to support a comprehensive and lasting political solution in Yemen.”

“However, consistent with its rejection of peace, the terrorist Houthi militia has instead chosen continued military escalation, dragging Yemen and the brotherly Yemeni people into further humanitarian and economic suffering that serves - and is in pursuit of - external agendas,” it added.

“The Kingdom reaffirms its inherent right to defend its territory, resources, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens and residents, and to take all necessary measures to protect its security in accordance with international law,” it continued.

“It also renews its full political and military support for the Presidential Leadership Council, the Yemeni government, and the brotherly Yemeni people to end the coup and restore the state and its institutions from the control of the terrorist Houthi militia,” it went on to say.

“The Kingdom reiterates its call on the international community, particularly the permanent members of the UN Security Council, to fulfill its responsibilities, implement the relevant Security Council resolutions, and provide full support to Yemen’s legitimate government in confronting the terrorist Houthi militia and ending the threat it poses to Yemen, the region, and the world,” it urged.


‘Makkah Alliance’ Activates Collective Deterrence Following Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Türkiye meet on Monday an emergency meeting of the Strategic-Political and Defense Committee of the Makkah Alliance for Defense in Riyadh. (SPA)
Officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Türkiye meet on Monday an emergency meeting of the Strategic-Political and Defense Committee of the Makkah Alliance for Defense in Riyadh. (SPA)
TT

‘Makkah Alliance’ Activates Collective Deterrence Following Attacks on Saudi Arabia

Officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Türkiye meet on Monday an emergency meeting of the Strategic-Political and Defense Committee of the Makkah Alliance for Defense in Riyadh. (SPA)
Officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Türkiye meet on Monday an emergency meeting of the Strategic-Political and Defense Committee of the Makkah Alliance for Defense in Riyadh. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Türkiye convened on Monday an emergency meeting of the Strategic-Political and Defense Committee of the Makkah Alliance for Defense in Riyadh to address the security developments and threats facing the Kingdom.

The committee decided to move immediately to the practical implementation of the collective defense commitments and to take the necessary measures to provide the agreed military forces and capabilities and ensure their rapid deployment in the Kingdom, in line with the approved arrangements and the national legislation of the parties, thereby boosting readiness, military integration, and the collective capacity to confront and counter threats.

The parties underlined that the security of each party is an integral part of the collective security of the three countries.

Translating the Makkah Agreement for Joint Defense into practical measures demonstrates the credibility of the commitment to collective defense, strengthens the effectiveness of deterrence, and reaffirms the unity and determination of the three countries to defend their security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, in accordance with the provisions of the agreement, they added.

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said that the committee meeting underscores the solidarity of the involved nations against threats to Saudi Arabia and the holy sites.

The parties strongly condemned the attempted targeting of Makkah and Madinah, as well as the continuing attacks targeting cities and civilian and economic facilities in the Kingdom, reaffirming their unequivocal rejection of any attack or threat against the Kingdom’s security and territorial integrity.

Pakistan and Türkiye commended the vigilance and readiness of the Saudi Armed Forces, as well as the professionalism and high level of competence they have demonstrated in countering the threats and attacks facing the Kingdom and in safeguarding its security and territorial integrity.

The committee reviewed the outcomes of the political and military consultations preceding the meeting and approved the recommendations submitted to it, stressing that the Makkah Alliance for Defense embodies a firm commitment to collective defense and a unified position in confronting threats.

As part of the institutional development of the Makkah Alliance for Defense, the committee decided to appoint Lieutenant General Nauman Mahmood of Pakistan as the first Secretary-General for a three-year term.