Saudi Arabia Underscores Commitment to Yemen Truce

Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman. (Reuters)
Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Underscores Commitment to Yemen Truce

Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman. (Reuters)
Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia stressed on Friday its commitment to the truce in Yemen, while accusing the Iranian regime of manipulating the war-torn country for its own goals.

Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman said: “Saudi Arabia positively welcomes the truce, which is what the Kingdom has always called for.”

He also demanded that it be implemented effectively on the ground.

Moreover, he tweeted that the Iranian regime’s talk of the truce and linking it to its attempts to end its own crises is a “cheap attempt to manipulate Yemen and its people.”

Tehran is exploiting the crisis to escape blame from its terrorist acts, said Prince Khalid.

“It is time for the Yemenis, all Yemenis, and us with them to stand united against the Iranian regime’s agenda of chaos, strife and destruction,” he stressed.

Furthermore, he slammed Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif for blaming the Yemeni people for the attack last month on Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities.

In a televised interview with CNN in September, Zarif said that Tehran was not behind the attack.

The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen had claimed responsibility for the attack, a claim that has been dismissed by Saudi Arabia, the United States and Europe, who have pinned blame on Tehran.

Asked by CNN if he believes that the Houthis were behind the attack, Zarif said that the militias had claimed to have carried it out.

"I cannot have any confidence that they did it because we just heard their statement," he added. "I know that we didn't do it. I know that the Houthis made a statement that they did it."



Saudi Ambassador Meets EU Ambassador to Lebanon

The two sides reviewed various aspects of current political developments - SPA
The two sides reviewed various aspects of current political developments - SPA
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Saudi Ambassador Meets EU Ambassador to Lebanon

The two sides reviewed various aspects of current political developments - SPA
The two sides reviewed various aspects of current political developments - SPA

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Fahd Al-Dosari met on Monday at his residence with European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Sandra De Waele.

During the meeting, the two sides reviewed various aspects of current political developments in Lebanon and the region, as well as several issues of mutual interest.


Kuwait Court Orders Imprisonment of Former MPs, Including Musallam Al-Barrak

The defendants were charged with "contesting the rights and authorities of the Emir of the country and spreading malicious news". (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The defendants were charged with "contesting the rights and authorities of the Emir of the country and spreading malicious news". (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Kuwait Court Orders Imprisonment of Former MPs, Including Musallam Al-Barrak

The defendants were charged with "contesting the rights and authorities of the Emir of the country and spreading malicious news". (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The defendants were charged with "contesting the rights and authorities of the Emir of the country and spreading malicious news". (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Kuwaiti Court of Cassation sentenced on Sunday a number of former MPs to prison, overturning the acquittals of 15 defendants, most of whom were former lawmakers in the dissolved National Assembly. The defendants were charged with "contesting the rights and authorities of the Emir of the country and spreading malicious news detrimental to the internal interests and stability of the nation."

The First Circuit of the Court of Cassation reversed the Court of Appeals' ruling that had suspended the sentence of former MP Muhannad Talal Al-Sayer, sentencing him again to three years in prison on charges related to contesting the rights of the Emir, interfering with his authorities, and spreading malicious news harmful to Kuwait's internal interests and stability.

The court also overturned the appellate ruling that suspended the sentence of former MP Saleh Mohammed Al-Mulla, ordering him to serve two years in prison for contesting the authorities and rights of the Emir.

It overturned the acquittal of former MPs Musallam Al-Barrak and Salem Al-Namlan, convicting them as repeat offenders and sentencing them to three years in prison for spreading malicious news detrimental to the country's interests.

It sentenced former MP Bader Al-Dahoum to one year of hard labor on charges of offending judges of the Constitutional Court.

The court also overturned the acquittals issued in favor of 15 defendants, finding them guilty while abstaining from pronouncing punishment on charges of spreading malicious news detrimental to the state's interests.

The rulings included former MPs Adel Al-Damkhi, Mohammed Mosaed Al-Dosari, Osama Al-Zaid, Shuaib Ali Shaban, Mohammed Abbas Jawhar Hayat, Madi Al-Hajri, Falah Al-Hajri, Hamad Al-Mudlej, Ali Radan Al-Otaibi, Mohammed Haif, Saoud Al-Hajri, Khaled Mounis Al-Otaibi, Nasser Mohammed Al-Mutairi, and Nami Harab Mohammed Awad Obeid.


MWL Condemns Israeli Statements on Displacement of Palestinian People

The Muslim World League (MWL) logo
The Muslim World League (MWL) logo
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MWL Condemns Israeli Statements on Displacement of Palestinian People

The Muslim World League (MWL) logo
The Muslim World League (MWL) logo

The Muslim World League (MWL) strongly condemned statements by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz concerning the displacement of the Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip, including proposed plans and mechanisms aimed at forcibly removing Palestinians from their land.

In a statement issued by the MWL General Secretariat, MWL Secretary-General and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa denounced the Israeli statements as unacceptable. He stressed that they come amid Israel's violations of international and humanitarian laws and norms in the occupied Palestinian territory and its undermining of peace efforts, the Saudi Press Agency said.

Al-Issa stressed the urgent need for the international community to fulfill its legal and moral responsibilities to bring an immediate end to all Israeli violations and attempts to impose a new demographic or geographic reality in the occupied Palestinian territory.

He also expressed strong support for the statement issued in this regard by the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Pakistan, Türkiye, Qatar, and Egypt.

He reaffirmed their unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and steadfast support for their legitimate rights, including the right to establish an independent Palestinian state in accordance with the two-state solution and relevant international resolutions, as the only path to achieving a just and lasting peace in the region.

Ben-Gvir and Katz on Thursday outlined a seven-year plan for removing Palestinians from the Gaza Strip through what Ben-Gvir described as "voluntary emigration."