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Lebanese Officials Say Houthi Attacks Against Saudi Arabia are 'Absolute Criminality'

Lebanon's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian. (NNA)
Lebanon's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian. (NNA)
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Lebanese Officials Say Houthi Attacks Against Saudi Arabia are 'Absolute Criminality'

Lebanon's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian. (NNA)
Lebanon's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian. (NNA)

Lebanese officials and politicians condemned the attack on Saudi oil facilities in Jeddah, saying it is an absolute crime.

The officials expressed their solidarity with Saudi Arabia, calling on the international community to deter Houthi attacks.

The Lebanese Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, condemned the aggression against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the targeting of oil installations in north of Jeddah.

"The attack on Saudi Arabia by the Houthis is a described crime that violates all international and humanitarian laws and norms," Derian was quoted by the National News Agency (NNA) as saying.

The Mufti added that Saudi security is part of the security and stability of the Arab region and all Arabs and Muslims in the world.

Derian called for "solidarity and standing by the country of the Two Holy Mosques to counter-terrorism against the Arab Gulf states."

The Future Movement also issued a statement condemning the Iranian-backed Houthis for attacking Saudi Arabia and targeting oil and vital facilities and civilian areas.

"This Iranian persistence in carrying out criminal acts goes beyond targeting the Kingdom, posing a threat to regional security and stability. It is a cowardly attack on all Arabs who are fed up with Iran's subversive arms. We stand by the Kingdom in confronting such acts, no matter the challenges and sacrifices," the statement read.

The statement reiterated that the Future Movement is in solidarity with Saudi Arabia, its wise leadership, and its good people, confirming that it will support it against any aggression.

The Future Movement called on "the international community to strongly support the Kingdom in confronting Iran, force it to stop playing with fire and threatening the security, stability, and peace of Arab countries, especially in Yemen, which it has turned into a ballistic platform for attacking Saudi Arabia and the UAE."

For his part, Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi tweeted that the attack on the Saudi security "is a clear and direct terrorism targeting of Arab legitimacy."

He asserted his support to the Kingdom in addressing the challenges threatening the common Arab security against any aggression undermining the sovereignty and security of the Kingdom in violation of international laws.

Former Minister Ashraf Rifi also said that Iran's targeting of Saudi Arabia is not a threat to the Kingdom but the whole region.

"Iran's policy aims to spread chaos and turn it into a bargaining chip with the international community," tweeted Rifi, cautioning that negotiating with Iranian terrorism means expecting more violence and instability, asserting solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

Also, former MP Mustafa Alloush asserted solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its people in the face of Houthi terrorism funded and directed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

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Gulf

Experts: Houthi Attacks on Islamic Holy Sites Violate International Law

Houthi militia attacks have escalated systematically, targeting Islamic holy sites and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia (SPA)
Houthi militia attacks have escalated systematically, targeting Islamic holy sites and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia (SPA)
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Experts: Houthi Attacks on Islamic Holy Sites Violate International Law

Houthi militia attacks have escalated systematically, targeting Islamic holy sites and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia (SPA)
Houthi militia attacks have escalated systematically, targeting Islamic holy sites and civilian facilities in Saudi Arabia (SPA)

The Houthis have continued to target Islamic holy sites, most recently with a drone attack on Makkah, while the Coalition stressed that “the security of the Two Holy Mosques is a red line.” Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat that attacks on places of worship constitute a violation of international law.

Tuesday’s targeting of Makkah was not the first such attack. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said it followed an earlier ballistic missile attack in July 2017.

The Coalition stressed that “the security of the Two Holy Mosques and the Umrah performers is a red line” and that its Joint Forces Command “will not hesitate to take the necessary and deterrent measures against the terrorist Houthi militia and its hostile and terrorist behavior.”

The drone targeting Makkah, intercepted and destroyed by the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces south of the city, marked another attack on Islamic holy sites and places of worship. It followed Saturday’s targeting of a mosque in Al-Tuwal governorate in Jazan, as well as an attack launched from Iraqi territory against Madinah.

The Coalition statement said the incident “can only be described as a disgraceful act — an attempt to target the cradle of revelation, the land of the divine message and a destination cherished by millions of Muslims from around the world.”

It said the attack also sought to terrorize pilgrims visiting the Grand Mosque and harm citizens and residents.

“This hostile attempt will remain a black mark on the record of violations committed by the extremist terrorist Houthi militia, as it was a deliberate act intended to provoke the feelings of millions of Muslims,” the statement said.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, while several Arab and Islamic countries and other states in the region and around the world expressed solidarity. They also praised the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces for intercepting the hostile drone before it entered restricted airspace over Makkah.

Violation of International Law

Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to religion, including mosques and places of worship, constitutes a war crime in international and non-international armed conflicts, provided they are not military objectives.

Places of worship of cultural or spiritual importance receive additional protection under Article 53 of Additional Protocol I and Article 16 of Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions. Rule 38 of customary international humanitarian law also requires particular care to avoid damage to buildings dedicated to religious purposes.

Deliberate attacks on mosques and places of worship during armed conflict therefore violate international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes when the sites are not military objectives.

Targeting Regional Security

Dr. Khaled Al-Habbas, former Arab League assistant secretary-general for political affairs, told Asharq Al-Awsat that attacks on the Kingdom by Iran-aligned militias underscored what he described as their functional role as proxies directed by the Revolutionary Guard Corps to destabilize regional security and stability.

Given Saudi Arabia’s regional and international standing and influence, its spiritual and economic importance, its position as a strategic depth for Gulf states and at the heart of the Arab and Islamic worlds, Al-Habbas argued that Iran had sought to target the Kingdom through its regional proxies.

Such attacks, he maintained, amounted to targeting the security and stability of the entire region and, beyond that, regional and international security.

‘Aggression Against the Islamic World’

Al-Habbas stressed that the escalation came amid a decline in Iran’s regional role, including its ability to control the Strait of Hormuz. He described the conduct and aggression of its proxies against the Kingdom as evidence of disregard for good-neighborly relations, international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.

Attacks on holy sites, he added, constituted a serious violation of their sanctity and “blatant aggression against all Islamic countries” that required condemnation and action.

“Despite the Kingdom’s consistent approach of de-escalation and support for a political settlement, it certainly has the right to defend its security and stability,” Al-Habbas said, calling on Arab and Islamic countries to confront what he described as the arrogance and aggression of Iran and its proxies.

He also urged the international community to take a firm stance against the militias, arguing that regional security was inseparable from international security because of the region’s geostrategic and economic importance.

Political analyst Abdul Latif Al-Mulhim described such attacks as a continuation of what he called the Houthis’ systematic hostile approach and attacks targeting residential areas and vital facilities, in flagrant defiance of international and humanitarian laws and conventions.

He argued that the attacks reflected the group’s extremist criminal conduct, its rejection of all peace efforts and a threat to regional and international security and stability.

International Responsibility

Al-Habbas and Al-Mulhim agreed that the attacks, coinciding with the militia’s control of the Bab Al-Mandab Strait and its imposition of restrictions on maritime navigation, offered the world and the international community a clear indication of the conduct to be expected from the group if it continued such practices.

They warned of an imminent threat to the region’s security and economic future if the international community delayed fulfilling its responsibilities in combating the group’s actions.

Gulf

Arab and Islamic Condemnations Follow Houthi Targeting of Makkah

An aerial view of the Grand Mosque and parts of Makkah (SPA)
An aerial view of the Grand Mosque and parts of Makkah (SPA)
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Arab and Islamic Condemnations Follow Houthi Targeting of Makkah

An aerial view of the Grand Mosque and parts of Makkah (SPA)
An aerial view of the Grand Mosque and parts of Makkah (SPA)

The Houthi targeting of Makkah has drawn widespread condemnation across the Arab and Islamic world, with governments and religious institutions denouncing the attack and expressing solidarity with Saudi Arabia.

Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Türkiye, Algeria, Libya, Lebanon and Egypt joined the condemnation, with Al-Azhar and the Arab Parliament also denouncing the targeting of the holy city and stressing the need to respect its sanctity.

The statements described the targeting of Makkah as a grave escalation and a violation of the city’s religious sanctity, while reaffirming support for efforts to protect the holy sites and prevent further threats to regional security.

The statements also condemned the attack, calling for a firm international response to attempts to threaten the security of Makkah and the safety of worshippers, and underscoring the need to preserve the sanctity of the holy sites.

Gulf

Saudi Crown Prince Receives Phone Call from French President, Message from Jordan King

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince Receives Phone Call from French President, Message from Jordan King

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, received a phone call from French President Emmanuel Macron, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

During the call, the two leaders reviewed regional developments and discussed efforts to strengthen security and stability, including measures to safeguard maritime security and freedom of navigation. They also discussed several issues of mutual interest.

The Crown Prince also received a written message from Jordanian King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein addressing bilateral relations between the two countries. 

The message was received by Deputy Foreign Minister for International Multilateral Affairs and General Supervisor of the Economic and Development Affairs Deputyship Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Rassi during his meeting with Jordanian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Haitham Abu Al-Foul at the ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh on Wednesday. 

During the meeting, they reviewed relations between the two countries and discussed issues of mutual interest.