Saudi Arabia Sends Condolences to Iraq over Hospital Fire

Aftermath of a fire at Ibn Khatib Hospital, south of Baghdad, Iraq, 25 April 2021. EPA/MURTAJA LATEEF
Aftermath of a fire at Ibn Khatib Hospital, south of Baghdad, Iraq, 25 April 2021. EPA/MURTAJA LATEEF
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Saudi Arabia Sends Condolences to Iraq over Hospital Fire

Aftermath of a fire at Ibn Khatib Hospital, south of Baghdad, Iraq, 25 April 2021. EPA/MURTAJA LATEEF
Aftermath of a fire at Ibn Khatib Hospital, south of Baghdad, Iraq, 25 April 2021. EPA/MURTAJA LATEEF

Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it was deeply saddened over a fire that broke out at a hospital in the Iraqi capital, leaving more than 80 people dead.

“The Kingdom expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, and to Iraq, the leadership, government and people,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The Kingdom also wished the injured a speedy recovery.

A fire caused by an oxygen tank explosion at the COVID-19 hospital in Baghdad on Saturday took at least 82 lives.

Some 110 people were also injured at the Ibn Khatib hospital.



GCC Secretary-General Condemns Iranian Attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA
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GCC Secretary-General Condemns Iranian Attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA
Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi. SPA

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi expressed his strongest condemnation of the repeated hostile Iranian attacks targeting the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

Albudaiwi stated that Iran's continued targeting of civilian facilities and vital infrastructure undermines international and regional efforts aimed at promoting security and peace and resolving ongoing crises, SPA reported.

He also reaffirmed the GCC’s full support for all measures taken by Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan to strengthen their security and protect their territorial integrity.


Saudi Arabia Condemns Iranian Attacks, Calls for Diplomatic Engagement

Firefighters work to extinguish fire in the aftermath of Iranian drone attacks, according to Bahrain's Interior Ministry, at a location given as Bahrain, in this handout image released on June 11, 2026. Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Bahrain/Handout via REUTERS
Firefighters work to extinguish fire in the aftermath of Iranian drone attacks, according to Bahrain's Interior Ministry, at a location given as Bahrain, in this handout image released on June 11, 2026. Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Bahrain/Handout via REUTERS
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Saudi Arabia Condemns Iranian Attacks, Calls for Diplomatic Engagement

Firefighters work to extinguish fire in the aftermath of Iranian drone attacks, according to Bahrain's Interior Ministry, at a location given as Bahrain, in this handout image released on June 11, 2026. Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Bahrain/Handout via REUTERS
Firefighters work to extinguish fire in the aftermath of Iranian drone attacks, according to Bahrain's Interior Ministry, at a location given as Bahrain, in this handout image released on June 11, 2026. Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Bahrain/Handout via REUTERS

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned on Thursday the repeated Iranian attacks on Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait, and the continued violations of their sovereignty which “escalate tensions in the region.”

A Foreign Ministry statement called for “de-escalation, the avoidance of any further escalation, and the exercise of wisdom by returning to diplomatic engagement and continuing the constructive negotiations” sponsored by Pakistan, along with the efforts exerted by Qatar.

Such a move “spares the region and its people the consequences of the return of war and contributes to the restoration of security and stability in the region and the world,” the statement added.


Saudi Arabia Stresses Centrality of Palestinian Cause for Arab World

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia Stresses Centrality of Palestinian Cause for Arab World

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations Dr. Abdulaziz Alwasil affirmed the centrality of the Palestinian cause for the Arab world, saying achieving a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the Middle East requires ending the Israeli occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.

In a statement delivered on behalf of the Arab Group during a high-level Security Council meeting on the Middle East, Alwasil also referred to recent Iranian attacks targeting several Gulf states and Jordan, describing them as violations of the principles of good neighborliness, international law, and the United Nations Charter.

He stressed the need to respect state sovereignty and avoid actions that threaten regional security and stability.

He further condemned the continued Israeli aggression against Lebanon, reaffirming rejection of any violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty or targeting of its army, and stressing the importance of complying with international resolutions and respecting states’ sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Alwasil also denounced repeated Israeli incursions and attacks on Syrian territory, stressing the Arab Group’s rejection of such violations, which undermine Syria’s sovereignty and threaten regional security and stability.

He emphasized the importance of political solutions, dialogue, and mediation as the most effective means of addressing regional crises and resolving conflicts peacefully, thereby contributing to security, stability, and development for the peoples of the Middle East.