Saudi Crown Prince, Egypt's Sisi Hold Official Talks in Cairo

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sisi hold talks in Cairo. (SPA)
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sisi hold talks in Cairo. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince, Egypt's Sisi Hold Official Talks in Cairo

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sisi hold talks in Cairo. (SPA)
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Sisi hold talks in Cairo. (SPA)

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi held official talks in Cairo on Tuesday.

They discussed the strategic bilateral relations that bind their countries and ways to develop them in various fields.

They covered a number of Middle East developments and issues related to regional security and stability, as well as counter-terrorism efforts.

A statement from the Egyptian presidency said talks focused on bilateral relations and efforts to bolster economic and investment ties.

They tackled the inauguration of more joint projects given the promising investment opportunities boasted by their countries.

They also underscored the importance of the upcoming Gulf Cooperation Council summit that will be hosted by Saudi Arabia in July and attended by the leaders of Egypt, Jordan, Iraq and the United States.

A joint statement after their talks said the leaders focused on bolstering their economic and investment relations and elevating them to new levels.

They stressed support to the nationwide Yemen truce, condemning attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militias against civilians and their threat to international marine routes.

They also expressed their backing to the new Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and efforts to reach a political solution to the crisis.

They urged the need to reach a comprehensive settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by implementing the two-state solution.

They stressed support for the formation of a new Iraqi government that can achieve the nation’s stability and security and efforts to ensure the success of the transitional process in Sudan.

They called on Iran to commit to international resolutions and principles and refrain from meddling in the affairs of Arab countries.

Iran must cease all destabilizing activities in the region and support to armed militias and threats to marine navigation, they demanded, according to the statement.

Crown Prince Mohammed had arrived in Cairo on Monday, the first stop of a tour of region that will take him to Jordan and Turkey.



UN Security Council Condemns Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia

A UN Security Council meeting
A UN Security Council meeting
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UN Security Council Condemns Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia

A UN Security Council meeting
A UN Security Council meeting

The UN Security Council has warned of the consequences of the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the threats posed to international navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The Council considered that the militia's military actions in Yemen, alongside its targeting of Saudi territory and commercial shipping, threaten to expand the regional conflict, undermine maritime security and international trade, and hinder regional and international efforts aimed at achieving peace in Yemen.

In a statement issued on Friday night, Council members expressed solidarity with the Kingdom in confronting assaults targeting civilians and civilian objects, affirming Saudi Arabia's inherent right to self-defense in accordance with international law.

The members called on the Houthi militia to immediately halt its military escalation and attacks affecting civilians, stressing the importance of the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2216 of 2015 and subsequent relevant resolutions.

Reiterating support for the Yemeni government, the Council emphasized its commitment to Yemen's unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.

Also, Council members denounced missile strikes directed at the Kingdom alongside attacks and threats against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

They stressed the critical need to safeguard commercial vessels and crew members while upholding international navigational freedoms under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Council members affirmed that the Houthi strikes on Saudi territory, threats to shipping in the Red Sea and advances near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, risked “further expanding the conflict, threatening maritime security and international trade, and undermining regional and international efforts to secure peace in Yemen.”

The Council also backed Riyadh directly, affirming “the inherent right of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to self-defense in accordance with international law” and expressing solidarity with the Kingdom “in the face of attacks impacting civilians and civilian objects on its territory.”

The Council members demanded that the Houthis immediately cease their attacks affecting civilians and civilian objects, expressing their grave concern over reports regarding the killing and injuring of civilians, as well as the destruction of civilian objects and infrastructure resulting from these attacks.

Members also expressed grave concern about reports of civilians killed and injured and noted that at least 125,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since the start of September, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

They warned that further escalation would worsen the country's dire humanitarian situation.
The members called for full, safe, rapid and unhindered humanitarian access and demanded the unconditional release of detainees, including 73 UN personnel and staff of NGOs, civil society groups and diplomatic missions.

The Council reaffirmed backing for UN Special Envoy Hans Grundberg's efforts to broker a comprehensive political settlement guided by agreed references and relevant Security Council resolutions, and urged the Yemeni parties to engage constructively with UN efforts.


Gulf, UN Condemnation of Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and GCC Secretary-General Jasem AlBudaiwi meet in New York. (GCC)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and GCC Secretary-General Jasem AlBudaiwi meet in New York. (GCC)
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Gulf, UN Condemnation of Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and GCC Secretary-General Jasem AlBudaiwi meet in New York. (GCC)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and GCC Secretary-General Jasem AlBudaiwi meet in New York. (GCC)

The United Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned on Saturday the terrorist Houthi militia's attacks on Saudi Arabia, its targeting of civilian objects, and their dangerous impact on regional security and stability.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and GCC Secretary-General Jasem AlBudaiwi exchanged views on the latest regional developments during their meeting on Saturday on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

The two sides discussed several regional issues and the efforts exerted toward them. Guterres praised the development, progress, and prosperity achieved by the Gulf states, as well as their regional and international efforts to promote security and stability.

Guterres and AlBudaiwi reviewed issues of mutual interest, as well as cooperation relations between the GCC and the UN, and ways to boost and consolidate them to serve shared interests.

The UN Security Council had warned of the consequences of the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the threats posed to international navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, considering that the militia's military actions in Yemen, alongside its targeting of Saudi territory and commercial shipping, threaten to expand the regional conflict, undermine maritime security and international trade, and hinder regional and international efforts aimed at achieving peace in Yemen.

In a statement on Friday night, the Council members strongly condemned in the strongest terms the ongoing attacks launched by the Houthis on Saudi Arabia, including those that caused damage to civilians and energy infrastructure, and resulted in civilian casualties, including women and children.

The Council stressed the importance of maintaining the safety of commercial vessels and their crews, the necessity of adhering to international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, and respecting navigational rights and freedoms, at a time when military developments in Yemen raise concerns regarding the security of sea lanes and the movement of international trade.

The Council expressed its solidarity with Saudi Arabia in confronting attacks that affect civilians and civilian objects on its territory, affirming its inherent right to self-defense in accordance with international law.

The Council members demanded that the Houthis immediately cease their attacks affecting civilians and civilian objects, expressing their grave concern over reports regarding the killing and injuring of civilians, as well as the destruction of civilian objects and infrastructure resulting from these attacks


Coalition Destroys Ballistic Missile Fired by Houthis at Riyadh

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Coalition Destroys Ballistic Missile Fired by Houthis at Riyadh

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Arab Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen announced that Saudi air defenses successfully intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired by the terrorist Houthi militia towards Riyadh on Saturday morning.

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Malki said the Houthi escalation and their continued attempts to target civilians and civilian areas in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, home to over 8 million citizens and residents, underscore the militia’s intransigence and its persistence in deliberately and systematically targeting civilians and civilian objects in a hostile and terrorist manner.

Al-Malki added that the Houthis attempted to target civilians in the cities of Taif, Baysh, Yanbu and Farasan, saying the air defenses thwarted all the hostile attempts.

In a statement on Saturday, Al-Malki underlined the Coalition command’s inherent right to take whatever measures it deems appropriate, and in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules, to deter the behavior of the terrorist Houthi militia.

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia as a flagrant violation of its sovereignty, a threat to its security, stability, and territorial integrity, and a blatant breach of international law and the United Nations Charter.

It stressed Amman's absolute solidarity with Riyadh and its support for all measures it takes to protect its security, stability, assets, and the safety of its citizens and residents.

The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also strongly condemned the missile attack that targeted Riyadh, considering the assault on Saudi Arabia's security a grave violation of international law and a threat to regional security and stability.

In a statement, the ministry expressed Lebanon's full solidarity with Saudi Arabia and its support for the Kingdom in confronting any attack targeting its security and territorial integrity, reiterating its categorical rejection of any targeting of cities and civilian facilities or placing the lives of civilians in danger.