Sultan of Oman Restructures Defense, National Security Councils

Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq al-Said. (Reuters)
Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq al-Said. (Reuters)
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Sultan of Oman Restructures Defense, National Security Councils

Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq al-Said. (Reuters)
Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq al-Said. (Reuters)

Sultan of Oman Haitham bin Tariq al-Said issued on Monday three royal decrees that restructures the Defense and National Security Councils.

The Sultan had recently introduced a number of amendments that included the creation of the position of crown prince.

The first decree stipulates that the Defense Council will be restructured under the chairmanship of The Sultan, the Supreme Commander, reported the Oman news agency (ONA).

The council will include the deputy prime minister for defense affairs, minister of the Royal Office, head of Office of the Supreme Commander, head of Liaison and Coordination at the Royal Office, head of the Internal Security Service, inspector-general of Police and Customs and chief of staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces.

The decree stipulates that the Defense Council will specialize in reviewing all issues related to safeguarding and defending the Sultanate’s safety and will convene when it is deemed necessary to declare the State of Public Mobilization, reported ONA.

The second decree orders the restructuring of the National Security Council under the chairmanship of the Sultan, the Supreme Commander.

It will include the Minister of the Royal Office, head of the Office of the Supreme Commander, head of the Liaison and Coordination at the Royal Office, head of the Internal Security Service, inspector-general of Police and Customs and chief of staff of the Sultan’s Armed Forces.

The Council may call for the attendance of whomever it might consider appropriate other than its members.

The third decree covered military promotions and appointments, following up on last week’s royal orders.

Monday’s decree promoted Brigadier Nasser Saleh Saud al-Ma'awali to the rank of Major General and appointed him as Secretary General of the National Security Council in the Royal Office.

Brigadier Sulaiman Khalid Sulaiman al-Zakwani was promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed Secretary General of the Military Affairs in the Royal Office.

Brigadier Salim Ali Badr al-Hosni was promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed Commander of the Royal Guard of Oman.

Brigadier Mussalam Mohammed Taman Ja'abob was promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed Commander of the Sultan's Special Force.

Major General Abdullah Ali Hamad al-Harthy was appointed Assistant Inspector General of Police and Customs for Operations.

Brigadier Khalifa Ali Nasser al-Siyabi was promoted to the rank of Major General and appointed Assistant Inspector General of Police and Customs for Administrative and Financial Affairs.



Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Meets UN Special Envoy

Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber met with United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg. (SPA)
Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber met with United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg. (SPA)
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Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Meets UN Special Envoy

Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber met with United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg. (SPA)
Saudi Ambassador to Yemen Mohammed Al-Jaber met with United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg. (SPA)

Saudi Ambassador to Yemen and General Supervisor of the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen (SDRPY), Mohammed Al-Jaber, met on Thursday with United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.

During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in the region and in Yemen, as well as joint efforts to address the issue of detainees, abductees, and prisoners.

They also highlighted the positive progress achieved in this humanitarian file.


Saudi Arabia: Operational Activities Halted at Several Energy Facilities Due to Recent Attacks

The continuation of such attacks leads to reduced supply and slows recovery, the official source at the Ministry of Energy said. (Saudi Aramco)
The continuation of such attacks leads to reduced supply and slows recovery, the official source at the Ministry of Energy said. (Saudi Aramco)
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Saudi Arabia: Operational Activities Halted at Several Energy Facilities Due to Recent Attacks

The continuation of such attacks leads to reduced supply and slows recovery, the official source at the Ministry of Energy said. (Saudi Aramco)
The continuation of such attacks leads to reduced supply and slows recovery, the official source at the Ministry of Energy said. (Saudi Aramco)

An official source at the Ministry of Energy stated that important energy facilities in the Kingdom have recently been subjected to multiple attacks, including oil and gas production, transportation, and refining facilities, as well as petrochemical facilities and the electricity sector in Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and Yanbu Industrial City.

The attacks resulted in the death of one Saudi national from the industrial security personnel of the Saudi energy company, and the injury of seven other Saudis from the company’s personnel, in addition to the disruption of a number of operational activities at key facilities within the energy sector.

The attacks included one of the pumping stations on the East-West Pipeline, leading to a loss of approximately 700,000 barrels per day in throughput. The pipeline is considered the main route for supplying global markets at this stage.

The Manifa production facility was also targeted, resulting in a reduction of approximately 300,000 barrels per day from its production capacity.

Additionally, the Khurais facility had previously been targeted, leading to a reduction of 300,000 barrels per day from its production capacity, bringing the total reduction in the Kingdom’s production capacity to approximately 600,000 barrels per day.

The attacks also extended to major refining facilities, including SATORP in Jubail, Ras Tanura refinery, SAMREF refinery in Yanbu, and Riyadh refinery, directly affecting exports of refined products to global markets.

Processing facilities in Ju’aymah were also affected by fires, impacting exports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas liquids.

The continuation of such attacks leads to reduced supply and slows recovery, affecting the security of supply for consuming countries and contributing to increased volatility in oil markets, the source said.

This has already negatively impacted the global economy, particularly with the depletion of a significant portion of operational and emergency inventories, which has affected the availability of supplies and limited the ability to respond to this supply shortfall, the source added.


Saudi Foreign Minister Discusses Regional Developments with US, Spanish Counterparts

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)
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Saudi Foreign Minister Discusses Regional Developments with US, Spanish Counterparts

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah attends a press conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Abdullah held separate phone talks on Thursday with his US and Spanish counterparts, focusing on the latest developments in the region, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

During his call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the two officials discussed the latest regional developments in light of the US-Iran ceasefire agreement, as well as recent developments in Lebanon and ongoing efforts to address them.

With his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Albares, the Saudi minister reviewed regional developments and their impact on security and stability, along with ongoing efforts to address them.