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Qatari Hajj Pilgrims Arrive in Saudi Arabia Hours after Opening Border

King Salman ordered the opening of the Salwa border crossing with Qatar to allow Hajj pilgrims to enter Saudi Arabia. (AFP)
King Salman ordered the opening of the Salwa border crossing with Qatar to allow Hajj pilgrims to enter Saudi Arabia. (AFP)
    Al-Dammam, Mecca – Mirza al-Khuwaildi and Tareq al-Thaqfi
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Qatari Hajj Pilgrims Arrive in Saudi Arabia Hours after Opening Border

King Salman ordered the opening of the Salwa border crossing with Qatar to allow Hajj pilgrims to enter Saudi Arabia. (AFP)
King Salman ordered the opening of the Salwa border crossing with Qatar to allow Hajj pilgrims to enter Saudi Arabia. (AFP)

Saudi Arabian authorities announced on Thursday that Qatari Hajj pilgrims started to enter the Kingdom through the Salwa crossing only hours after Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz issued the order to open the border passage for the pilgrims.

These pilgrims will be hosted at the expense of the Kingdom and jets have been flown from Saudi Arabia to Doha to transport them to western Saudi Arabia. They have also been exempted from obtaining mandatory electronic visas.

Up until noon on Thursday, some 120 Qatari pilgrims had crossed the Salwa border in buses or in their own personal vehicles, the Saudi Passport General Department told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar welcomed on Thursday Riyadh’s order to open the passage.

King Salman’s decision to open the border crossing and cover the expenses of the Qatari pilgrims came after Vice Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Prince Mohammed bin Salman held talks with Qatari mediator Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali bin Abdullah bin Jassem Al Thani. Discussions focused on allowing Qatari pilgrims to enter the Kingdom without electronic visas.

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said that King Salman’s order was unprecedented in that no other Islamic country has received the same facilitations as Qatar in regards to the Hajj.

United Arab Emirates State Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Gargash tweeted that “Qatar’s politicization of the Hajj must end after King Salman’s generous initiative.”

He added that his gesture proves that there are issues that are greater than politics.

Head of the Salwa border crossing Fahd al-Ataibi told Asharq Al-Awsat that all officials and government sectors are fully prepared to welcome the Qatari pilgrims, who began arriving in the Kingdom on Thursday.

“All possible services have been put at their disposal for their entry through the Salwa crossing and all obstacles have been removed from their path in accordance to King Salman’s order to host the Qatari pilgrims at his expense,” he added.

The pilgrims themselves said that their arrival in the Kingdom was “very easy,” saying that the border procedures took about 20 minutes.

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Gulf

Saudi Defense Minister: Time for STC to Withdraw from Yemen's Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Defense Minister: Time for STC to Withdraw from Yemen's Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said on Saturday it “was time for the Southern Transitional Council in Yemen to listen to reason and prioritize public interest and unity of ranks and respond to the Saudi-Emirati mediation to end the escalation.”

In a post on the X platform, he called on the STC to withdraw its forces from the eastern Hadhramaut and al-Mahra provinces and restore control to the National Shield and local authorities.

Prince Khalid said Saudi Arabia formed the Arab coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen to help the country reclaim control over all of its territories.

The liberation of southern provinces was a pivotal development towards that goal, he stressed.

Saudi Arabia “views the southern issue as fundamental” to Yemen and it will not “exploit it in conflicts that do not serve” the nation, he added.

The Kingdom had brought together all Yemeni components to the Riyadh conference to come up with a clear path for a comprehensive political solution, including the southern issue, he went on to say.

The conference paved the way for a “just solution to their cause through dialogue and without the use of forces.”

“Saudi Arabia approved the decision to move the base of power so that the southerners could have a greater role in state institutions. It consolidated partnership instead of elimination or imposing a status quo through forces. Saudi Arabia also presented Yemen with economic support, as well as development and humanitarian initiatives that helped ease the suffering of the people,” Prince Khalid added.

“Saudi Arabia and its partners in the coalition offered sacrifices with their Yemeni brothers in liberating Aden and other provinces,” he noted. “The Kingdom has always sought that these sacrifices be made in the name of reclaiming territories and restoring the state, not as a path towards new conflicts.”

It had hoped that these sacrifices would have been “invested in the security of all Yemeni people, not exploited for petty gains, whereby the unfortunate developments in Hadhramaut and al-Mahra since the beginning of December 2025 have led to the division in ranks that should be united against the enemy.”

“The developments have laid waste to the sacrifices of our sons and Yemeni people and have harmed the just southern issue,” stressed Prince Khalid.

He noted that several southern leaderships and figures have exhibited “awareness and wisdom in supporting efforts to end the escalation in Hadhramaut and al-Mahra and prevent the secure southern provinces from being dragged into futile conflicts.”

“They are aware of the major challenges facing Yemen and will not allow saboteurs to achieve their goals in the country and the region,” he remarked.

He declared that the “southern issue will remain part of any comprehensive political solution. The cause will not be neglected or marginalized. It should be resolved through consensus, adhering to commitments and building trust between all Yemeni segments, not through adventures that only serve everyone's enemy.”

Gulf

Arab Coalition: We Will Deal with Military Moves that Violate De-escalation Efforts

Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki. (SPA)
Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki. (SPA)
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Arab Coalition: We Will Deal with Military Moves that Violate De-escalation Efforts

Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki. (SPA)
Coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki. (SPA)

Spokesman of the Arab coalition to support legitimacy in Yemen Brigadier General Turki al-Malki said on Saturday that “any military moves that violate de-escalation efforts will be dealt with directly to protect lives and ensure the success of Saudi and Emirati efforts.”

The statement is in response to a request by Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Dr. Rashad al-Alimi, who called for immediate steps to protect civilians in the eastern Hadhramaut and al-Mahra provinces in wake of the “grave and horrific” violations by members of the Southern Transitional Council (STC).

It is also in continuation of the strenuous joint efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to de-escalate the situation and ensure the withdrawal of STC forces, who have been demanded to cede control to the National Shield forces and allow the local authorities to carry out their duties.

Malki underlined the Arab coalition’s continued firm support for the legitimate Yemeni government.

He also urged all sides to assume their national responsibility, exercise restraint and comply with efforts to reach peaceful solutions that preserve security and stability.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia Carries out Warning Strike on Yemen’s Hadhramaut, STC Says ‘Open to Coordination’

Southern forces patrol during a rally calling for South Yemen's independence, in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen, 25 December 2025. (EPA)
Southern forces patrol during a rally calling for South Yemen's independence, in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen, 25 December 2025. (EPA)
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Saudi Arabia Carries out Warning Strike on Yemen’s Hadhramaut, STC Says ‘Open to Coordination’

Southern forces patrol during a rally calling for South Yemen's independence, in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen, 25 December 2025. (EPA)
Southern forces patrol during a rally calling for South Yemen's independence, in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen, 25 December 2025. (EPA)

Saudi Arabia called for calm in eastern Yemen, urging an end to unilateral military moves and for the Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces to return to their former positions outside of the Hadhramaut and al-Mahra provinces.

Riyadh, meanwhile, demonstrated its stance on the ground by carrying out a warning air strike, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The strike sought to deliver a message that it will not allow a new status quo to be imposed on the ground by force and that it will not allow the violation of institutional frameworks that handle security in the eastern provinces.

It warned that any further escalation will be met with firmer measures.

Meanwhile, the STC, in an attempt to justify its military moves, said they were in “response to calls from residents of the south” and an attempt to confront terrorist threats and block Houthi smuggling routes.

The STC added that it was “open to any coordination or arrangements with Saudi Arabia”, questioning the airstrike, which it said “does not serve understandings.”

Observers told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saudi Arabia will welcome the coordination and arrangements if they helped end the escalation, led to the withdrawal of the STC and allowed the National Shield forces and the local authority to take over Hadhramaut and al-Mahra without needing to resort to force.

They stressed that the strike will lead to delivering the clear message that Riyadh may impose red lines by force to prevent any escalation.

Sourced told Asharq Al-Awsat that any future settlement over restoring the unity of Yemeni ranks will condition a return to the former status quo.