Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Inaugurates GCC Unified Military Command HQ in Riyadh

Senior officials at the inauguration. (SPA)
Senior officials at the inauguration. (SPA)
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Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Inaugurates GCC Unified Military Command HQ in Riyadh

Senior officials at the inauguration. (SPA)
Senior officials at the inauguration. (SPA)

Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman inaugurated on Monday the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) Unified Military Command headquarters in Riyadh.

Held under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, the event was attended by the defense ministers of GCC states.

Prince Khalid was welcomed at the headquarters by GCC Secretary-General Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf, commander of the Unified Military Command Lt.-General Eid bin Awad Al Shalawi and several senior military officials.

In a speech, Al Shalawi expressed his gratitude to the defense ministers of the GCC for inaugurating the new headquarters, saying it will carry on the success of joint Gulf defense work.

A presentation of the duties and missions of the Unified Military Command was shown to the attendees.

The Unified Military Command was established out of the GCC member states' realization of the importance of joint defense work to achieve the security and stability of the region.



Saudi Arabia Condemns Israel’s Decision to Expand Settlement of Golan Heights

 An Israeli military vehicle rides by the ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, December 15, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle rides by the ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, December 15, 2024. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Condemns Israel’s Decision to Expand Settlement of Golan Heights

 An Israeli military vehicle rides by the ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, December 15, 2024. (Reuters)
An Israeli military vehicle rides by the ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, as seen from Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, December 15, 2024. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia condemned on Sunday the Israeli government’s decision to expand settlements in the occupied Golan Heights “as it continues to sabotage attempts for Syria to restore its security and stability.”

A Foreign Ministry statement called on the international community to condemn these Israeli violations, stressing the need to respect Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Golan Heights are Syrian Arab lands, it added.

Israel agreed on Sunday to double its population on the Golan Heights.

"Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time. We will continue to hold onto it, cause it to blossom, and settle in it," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

Israel captured most of the strategic plateau from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War, annexing it in 1981.