Oman Extends Land Border Closure by a Week Due to Pandemic

General view of old Muscat, Oman, January 12, 2020. REUTERS/Christopher Pike/Files
General view of old Muscat, Oman, January 12, 2020. REUTERS/Christopher Pike/Files
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Oman Extends Land Border Closure by a Week Due to Pandemic

General view of old Muscat, Oman, January 12, 2020. REUTERS/Christopher Pike/Files
General view of old Muscat, Oman, January 12, 2020. REUTERS/Christopher Pike/Files

Oman will extend the closure of its land borders for another week, until Feb. 8, to curb the spread of the coronavirus, state TV said on Sunday, citing a decision by the Gulf state’s coronavirus emergency committee.

The borders were closed on Jan. 19 because of concerns about a new coronavirus variant, a measure that was extended last week.

Meanwhile, Oman received on Sunday 100,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, according to the country’s official Oman VS COVID19 Twitter account dedicated to the efforts of countering the coronavirus.

The doses were “provided by the Republic of India, produced by the Serum Institute of India,” according to the statement.

Over 27,000 people have received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 7,992 received the second dose, the Times of Oman reported, citing Oman’s Ministry of Health.

Oman’s Supreme Committee last week advised the country’s citizens and residents to avoid traveling abroad, except in cases of emergency.



Yemen’s Houthis Say Response to US Attack on Iran 'Only a Matter of Time'

Houthi supporters gather near paintings depicting late military and political figures of Iran-backed groups of Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq on display on a fence during a protest against the Israeli airstrikes on Iran, in Sanaa, Yemen, 20 June 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi supporters gather near paintings depicting late military and political figures of Iran-backed groups of Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq on display on a fence during a protest against the Israeli airstrikes on Iran, in Sanaa, Yemen, 20 June 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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Yemen’s Houthis Say Response to US Attack on Iran 'Only a Matter of Time'

Houthi supporters gather near paintings depicting late military and political figures of Iran-backed groups of Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq on display on a fence during a protest against the Israeli airstrikes on Iran, in Sanaa, Yemen, 20 June 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi supporters gather near paintings depicting late military and political figures of Iran-backed groups of Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq on display on a fence during a protest against the Israeli airstrikes on Iran, in Sanaa, Yemen, 20 June 2025. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

The Houthi militias in Yemen vowed on Sunday to support Iran in its fight against “the Zionist and American aggression.”

Their statement called for the Muslim nations to join the holy war and act as “one front against the Zionist-American arrogance.”

The US military struck three sites in Iran early Sunday, inserting itself into Israel’s effort to decapitating Iran's nuclear program.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political bureau, also said that its ceasefire deal with Washington was before the "war" on Iran.

The group has been launching attacks on shipping lanes and Israel in what it says is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza during the Israeli war. It agreed on a ceasefire deal with the United States in May to stop attacking US ships in exchange for an end to Washington's bombings of the group.

Al-Bukhaiti added that the Iran-aligned group's response to the US attack on Iran was "only a matter of time.”

Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel since Israel launched a surprise attack on its military and nuclear facilities last week. Israel’s sophisticated air defenses are able to shoot down most but not all of the missiles and drones.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations called on Sunday for an emergency Security Council meeting for what he described as America's “heinous attacks and illegal use of force” against Iran.