US Speaker Arrives in Saudi Arabia

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks during a press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks during a press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
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US Speaker Arrives in Saudi Arabia

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks during a press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) speaks during a press briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

US House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday during which he is scheduled to meet with a number of senior officials and Chairman of the Shura Council.

Ryan's visit to Saudi Arabia is of great importance as US-Saudi relations are continuously developing. US President Donald Trump had already visited Saudi Arabia during his first overseas trip as president.

The US official will discuss diplomatic relations between the two countries, in addition to a range of topics, including cooperation between the Committee of Friendship and the House of Representatives of the United States.

In May 2017, a delegation from the Saudi Shura Council visited the US House of Representatives Speaker in his office at the US Congress, stressing the importance of Saudi-US relations as well as strengthening and developing them to serve the common interests of both countries and peoples.

During the visit, the Shura delegation explained Vision 2030 and its objectives, stressing that it is not only a shift in the economic field, but a transformation at the social level that can help Saudi Arabia develop and prosper. 

Ryan praised the progress achieved by Saudi Arabia and its efforts in countering terrorism, lauding the Kingdom in forming the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition.

Ryan had landed at King Salman Air Base Airport, and was received by the Chairman of the Shura Council, Sheikh Abdullah Al Sheikh, the Council’s Deputy Speaker, Mohammad al-Jafri, and a number of officials.

The US official is accompanied by a number of heads of committees, deputies and advisers at the House of Representatives.



Riyadh, Washington Discuss Maritime Cooperation and Boosting Security of Navigation

Chief of Staff of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Gharibi and commander of US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet Vice Admiral Curt Renshaw. (Saudi Ministry of Defense)
Chief of Staff of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Gharibi and commander of US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet Vice Admiral Curt Renshaw. (Saudi Ministry of Defense)
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Riyadh, Washington Discuss Maritime Cooperation and Boosting Security of Navigation

Chief of Staff of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Gharibi and commander of US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet Vice Admiral Curt Renshaw. (Saudi Ministry of Defense)
Chief of Staff of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Gharibi and commander of US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet Vice Admiral Curt Renshaw. (Saudi Ministry of Defense)

Riyadh and Washington discussed ways to boost maritime security and freedom of navigation in the region, according to a statement by the Saudi Ministry of Defense on the X platform on Wednesday.

This came during a meeting between Chief of Staff of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces Lieutenant General Mohammed Al-Gharibi and commander of US Naval Forces Central Command/US 5th Fleet Vice Admiral Curt Renshaw.

The ministry said in its post that the two sides discussed maritime cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States in a manner that serves the common interests of both countries.


Coalition: Ballistic Missile Launch Platform Used in Attack on Riyadh Was Destroyed

Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Coalition: Ballistic Missile Launch Platform Used in Attack on Riyadh Was Destroyed

Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Official Spokesperson of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki announced that a ballistic missile launch platform, which was used in an attack on Riyadh, has been destroyed.

The platform was located in Yemen’s Sanaa and was being prepared for an imminent attack against Saudi Arabia, he added.

Earlier, Al-Malki said a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia was intercepted and destroyed north of Riyadh.

He confirmed that the Coalition is tracking the launch platform over Sanaa using its intelligence systems and will destroy it.

Another ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward Khamis Mushait was intercepted and destroyed.

Al-Malki explained that Houthi-held Sanaa and the governorates of Saada and Amran are the sources of Houthi missile threats, stressing that the coalition continues to neutralize ballistic and surface-to-surface missile threats and destroy their sources.


Saudi Arabia: 3 Killed, 36 Injured in Attacks on Abha, Riyadh Airports

The Abha International Airport. (SPA file)
The Abha International Airport. (SPA file)
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Saudi Arabia: 3 Killed, 36 Injured in Attacks on Abha, Riyadh Airports

The Abha International Airport. (SPA file)
The Abha International Airport. (SPA file)

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced that three people were killed and 36 injured in two separate attacks on its Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on Tuesday and Wednesday.

At the Abha airport, the blatant attack resulted in two fatalities, Moroccan and Algerian female residents, as well as 28 injuries ranging from minor to serious among Saudi citizens, a Bangladeshi resident, and a Filipino resident.

At King Khalid International Airport, the attack resulted in one fatality, a resident of Sudanese nationality, as well as eight injuries ranging from minor to critical among five Saudi citizens, two Egyptian residents, and a Pakistani resident.

All injured individuals were transported to hospital for appropriate medical care. The two attacks also caused some property damage.

GACA is working in coordination with the relevant authorities to assess the damage, verify the safety of the facilities, and take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and maintain the security and safety of operations within the Kingdom's civil aviation system.