Saudi Arabia Reiterates Support for Washington’s Terror Designation of Houthis

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Reiterates Support for Washington’s Terror Designation of Houthis

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. (SPA)

The Saudi cabinet reiterated on Tuesday the Kingdom’s support for the United States’ move to designate the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen as terrorist.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the cabinet meeting that was held virtually due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The ministers hoped the designation would help rein in the terrorist militias and their backers and curtail their danger against the Yemeni people, international peace and security and the global economy.

They also hoped that the designation would help support ongoing political efforts aimed at resolving the Yemeni crisis and reaching a solution based on the three references.

King Salman briefed the cabinet on the telephone call he received from Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah. The two leaders tackled the outcomes of last week’s 41st Gulf Cooperation Council summit that was held in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. The leaders at the meeting agreed to resolve the Gulf rift, with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt ending their diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar.

The ministers also thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, for their support to the health sector and their constant concern since the beginning of the pandemic with ensuring the health of citizens and residents.

They hailed their move to take the necessary health precautions to protect lives and procure vaccines, which will be available for free.

Moreover, they praised King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed for taking the vaccine, which is in line with their keenness on prevention and bolstering public health.

The cabinet reviewed the latest local and international developments related to the pandemic and the Kingdom’s efforts to open more vaccination stations throughout Saudi territories.

The ministers also lauded Crown Prince Mohammed’s launch of “The Line” zero-carbon city at NEOM and highlighted the Kingdom’s announcement that the travel ban in place over the pandemic would be lifted in March.



UAE Says It Rescued 22 People after Cargo Ship Caught Fire in Sea of Oman

The Chinese-flagged container shipping vessel Hui Fa transits the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the emirate of Sharjah in the east of the UAE on October 13, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
The Chinese-flagged container shipping vessel Hui Fa transits the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the emirate of Sharjah in the east of the UAE on October 13, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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UAE Says It Rescued 22 People after Cargo Ship Caught Fire in Sea of Oman

The Chinese-flagged container shipping vessel Hui Fa transits the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the emirate of Sharjah in the east of the UAE on October 13, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
The Chinese-flagged container shipping vessel Hui Fa transits the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the emirate of Sharjah in the east of the UAE on October 13, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

The United Arab Emirates National Guard said ‌on ‌Sunday that ‌it ⁠has rescued 22 ⁠people, all of ⁠whom are of ‌Arab ‌nationals, after ‌a ‌fire broke out ‌on a cargo ship ⁠in the ⁠Sea of Oman.

It added in a statement posted on its X account that the rescue operation followed a distress call from the vessel’s crew reporting a fire on board. Coast Guard teams immediately launched a response, located and reached the tanker, and rescued all 22 crew members.

They provided first aid before handing them over to the relevant authorities. All crew members were in stable condition, it said.


Coalition Destroys Missiles Fired at Riyadh, Eastern Region, Southern Region

Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Coalition Destroys Missiles Fired at Riyadh, Eastern Region, Southern Region

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

Official spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Major General Turki Al-Malki said Sunday that air defenses intercepted and destroyed two cruise missiles launched by the terrorist Houthi militia toward Saudi Arabia's Riyadh and Southern regions. 

The spokesperson said earlier that a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis toward the Eastern Province was also intercepted and destroyed. 

Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense stated early Sunday that the threat had passed in Dammam, Dhahran, Buqayq and Al-Hofuf, after an emergency alert was issued through the National Early Warning Platform. 

On Saturday, Al-Malki said that air defense systems had intercepted and destroyed a cruise missile launched by the Houthis group toward the Riyadh region. 


Saudi FM Holds Separate Calls with His Qatari, Egyptian Counterparts

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi FM Holds Separate Calls with His Qatari, Egyptian Counterparts

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held a phone call with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

They discussed the latest regional developments and efforts to de-escalate tensions and strengthen security and stability.

According to SPA, he also received a phone call from Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptian Expatriates Dr. Badr Abdelatty, with whom he discussed regional and international developments and efforts to support security and stability.