Arab World Denounces Houthi Attack against Saudi’s Abha Airport

A Saudi serviceman walks by a sign outside Abha airport. (AFP)
A Saudi serviceman walks by a sign outside Abha airport. (AFP)
TT

Arab World Denounces Houthi Attack against Saudi’s Abha Airport

A Saudi serviceman walks by a sign outside Abha airport. (AFP)
A Saudi serviceman walks by a sign outside Abha airport. (AFP)

Countries across the Arab world slammed on Monday the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen for launching a terrorist attack against Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport a day earlier.

The United Arab Emirates’ strongly denounced the attack, saying it violates all international laws and conventions.

"The UAE strongly condemns this terrorist act and labels it as new evidence of the Iranian-backed Houthi militias' hostile and terrorist tendencies to undermine security and stability in the region,” said a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

"The UAE reiterates its solidarity with Saudi Arabia against any threat to its security and stability and supports all measures taken by the Saudi government to maintain the security of its citizens and residents," said the statement carried by the UAE news agency (WAM).

"The security of the UAE and of the Kingdom is indivisible," it noted, adding, "any threat or danger to Saudi Arabia's security is considered a threat to UAE's security and stability."

A Syrian resident was killed and 21 civilians injured in Sunday’s attack. The victims included women and children from different nationalities, said the Saudi-led Arab coalition.

Flights resumed at the airport, where operations were now running normally.

Kuwait said that the targeting of a civilian airport is a flagrant violation of international laws and a dangerous escalation that threatens security and stability in the region and undermines all chances for peace.

A source at the Foreign Ministry stressed Kuwait’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its full support to the measures it takes to ensure its security and stability, reported the Kuwait news agency (KUNA).

Bahrain strongly condemned the Abha attack and reiterated its solidarity with the Kingdom against attempts to undermine its security and stability, said its Foreign Ministry according to Bahrain’s news agency (BNA).

It stressed its support for Saudi Arabia's measures to combat violence, extremism and terrorism, calling on the international community to shoulder its responsibility to counter the practices of Iran and its affiliated terrorist organizations in the region.

Egypt echoed Manama’s stance, saying it stands by Riyadh as it takes the necessary measures to preserve its security and stability against “desperate” attempts to undermine them.

A Jordanian Foreign Ministry spokesman said that the targeting of Saudi Arabia was tantamount to the targeting of Jordan and the entire region.

Yemen’s Foreign Ministry slammed the attack, saying that the persistence of such Houthi terrorist operations, which deliberately target civilians, are blatant violations of all international laws and norms, especially International Humanitarian Law.

The attack demonstrates the extent of Iran’s influences on the Houthi militias and proves their lack of commitment to achieving peace, it added according to the Yemen news agency (SABA).

It called on the international community and United Nations Security Council to condemn the attack and assume their responsibilities in ensuring that the Houthis implement international resolutions that will help end the coup in Yemen and restore the authority of the state.

Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani described the attack as a “cowardly terrorist crime that violates international laws and treaties.”

He urged the international community to continue on condemning the Houthis for launching rockets and drones at Saudi Arabia, offering his condolences to the relatives of the victim.



UN: At Least 15 Children Killed in Sudan Drone Strike

The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)
The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)
TT

UN: At Least 15 Children Killed in Sudan Drone Strike

The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)
The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)

A drone strike on a displacement camp in Sudan killed at least 15 children earlier this week, the United Nations reported late on Wednesday.

"On Monday 16 February, at least 15 children were reportedly killed and 10 wounded after a drone strike on a displacement camp in Al Sunut, West Kordofan," the UN children's agency said in a statement.

Across the Kordofan region, currently the Sudan war's fiercest battlefield, "we are seeing the same disturbing patterns from Darfur -- children killed, injured, displaced and cut off from the services they need to survive," UNICEF's Executive Director Catherine Russell said.


MSF Will Keep Operating in Gaza 'as Long as We Can'

(FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
(FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
TT

MSF Will Keep Operating in Gaza 'as Long as We Can'

(FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)
(FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

The head of Doctors Without Borders in the Palestinian territories told AFP the charity would continue working in Gaza for as long as possible, following an Israeli decision to end its activities there.

In early February, Israel announced it was terminating all the activities in Gaza by the medical charity, known by its French acronym MSF, after it failed to provide a list of its Palestinian staff.

MSF has slammed the move, which takes effect on March 1, as a "pretext" to obstruct aid.

"For the time being, we are still working in Gaza, and we plan to keep running our operations as long as we can," Filipe Ribeiro told AFP in Amman, but said operations were already facing challenges.

"Since the beginning of January, we are not anymore in the capacity to get international staff inside Gaza. The Israeli authorities actually denied any entry to Gaza, but also to the West Bank," he said.

Ribeiro added that MSF's ability to bring medical supplies into Gaza had also been impacted.

"They're not allowed for now, but we have some stocks in our pharmacies that will allow us to keep running operations for the time being," he said.

"We do have teams in Gaza that are still working, both national and international, and we have stocks."

In December, Israel announced it would prevent 37 aid organizations, including MSF, from working in Gaza from March 1 for failing to submit detailed information about their Palestinian employees, drawing widespread condemnation from NGOs and the United Nations.

It had alleged that two MSF employees had links with Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which the medical charity has repeatedly and vehemently denied.

MSF says it did not provide the names of its Palestinian staff because Israeli authorities offered no assurances regarding their safety.

Ribeiro warned of the massive impact the termination of MSF's operations would have for healthcare in war-shattered Gaza.

"MSF is one of the biggest actors when it comes to the health provision in Gaza and the West Bank, and if we are obliged to leave, then we will create a huge void in Gaza," he said.

The charity says it currently provides at least 20 percent of hospital beds in the territory and operates around 20 health centers.

In 2025 alone, it carried out more than 800,000 medical consultations, treated more than 100,000 trauma cases and assisted more than 10,000 infant deliveries.


Egyptian-Turkish Military Talks Focus on Strengthening Partnership

The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)
The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)
TT

Egyptian-Turkish Military Talks Focus on Strengthening Partnership

The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)
The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)

Senior Egyptian and Turkish air force commanders met in Cairo on Wednesday for talks focused on strengthening military partnership and expanding bilateral cooperation, in the latest sign of warming defense ties between the two countries.

The meeting brought together the Commander of the Egyptian Air Force, Lt. Gen. Amr Saqr, and his Turkish counterpart, Gen. Ziya Cemal Kadioglu, to review a range of issues of mutual interest amid growing cooperation between the two air forces.

Egypt’s military spokesperson said the talks reflect the Armed Forces’ commitment to deepening military collaboration with friendly and partner nations.

Earlier this month, Egypt and Türkiye signed a military cooperation agreement during talks in Cairo between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Sisi highlighted similar viewpoints on regional and international issues, while Erdogan noted that enhanced cooperation and forthcoming joint steps would help support regional peace.

Cairo and Ankara also signed an agreement last August on the joint production of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones. Production of unmanned ground vehicles has also begun under a partnership between the Turkish firm HAVELSAN and Egypt’s Kader Factory.

During the talks, Saqr underscored the importance of coordinating efforts to advance shared interests and expressed hope for closer ties that would benefit both air forces.

Kadioglu, for his part, stressed the depth of bilateral partnership and the strong foundations of cooperation between the two countries’ air forces.

According to the military spokesperson, Kadioglu also toured several Egyptian Air Force units to review the latest training and armament systems introduced in recent years.

Military cooperation between Egypt and Türkiye has gained momentum since 2023, following the restoration of full diplomatic relations and reciprocal presidential visits that reflected positively on the defense sector.

In September last year, the joint naval exercise “Sea of Friendship 2025” was held in Turkish territorial waters, aimed at enhancing joint capabilities and exchanging expertise against a range of threats.