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Gulf

Al-Shehana Bint Saleh Appointed Deputy Secretary General of Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Asharq Al-Awsat
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Al-Shehana Bint Saleh Appointed Deputy Secretary General of Saudi Arabia’s Council of Ministers

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Asharq Al-Awsat
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Asharq Al-Awsat

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud issued on Sunday a number of royal orders that included the appointment of Al-Shehana bint Saleh bin Abdullah Al-Azzaz as Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, at the excellent rank.

King Salman ordered relieving the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, Prince Abdulrahman bin Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Ayyaf Al Muqrin, of his post, and appointed him as advisor at the Royal Court, at the rank of Minister.

The royal orders also included appointing Dr. Bandar bin Obaid bin Hamoud Al-Rasheed as Secretary to the Crown Prince, at the rank of Minister, in addition to his other duties.

The King appointed Ayman bin Mohammed bin Saud Al-Siyari as Deputy Governor of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) for Investment and Research, at the rank of Minister.

He also appointed Mohammed bin Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Amil as Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Ministers for Council Affairs, at the excellent rank, in addition to appointing Mansour bin Abdullah bin Ali bin Salamah as Deputy Secretary to the Crown Prince, at the excellent rank.

Abdulaziz bin Ismail bin Rashad Trabzoni was appointed as an advisor at the Royal Court, at the excellent rank, while Princess Haifa bint Mohammed bin Saud bin Khalid Al Abdulrahman Al Saud became deputy Minister of Tourism, at the excellent rank.

Dr. Rumaih bin Mohammed Al-Rumaih was appointed Deputy Minister of Transport and Logistic Services, at the excellent rank, and Acting President of the Transport General Authority.

Ehab bin Ghazi bin Fahmy Al-Hashani became Deputy Minister of Municipal Rural Affairs and Housing, at the excellent rank.

The King also appointed Eng. Abdulaziz bin Hamad bin Saleh Al-Rumaih as Deputy Minister of Health for Planning and Development, at the excellent rank, and Ahmed bin Sufyan bin Abdulrazzaq Al-Hassan, as Assistant Minister of Transport and Logistics Services, at the excellent rank.

Furthermore, Dr. Khalid bin Waleed bin Fadl Al-Thaher was appointed Deputy Governor of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) for Control and Technology, at the excellent rank.

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Gulf

Saudi Crown Prince, Russian President Discuss Regional Escalation

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince, Russian President Discuss Regional Escalation

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

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister, received on Monday a telephone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss regional developments “in light of the extremely dangerous military escalation and its repercussions on regional and international security.”

The leaders addressed the Iranian attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and other brotherly countries, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

Gulf

Qatar Air Force Shoots Down Two Aircraft from Iran

A car passes near QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar March 2, 2026. (Reuters)
A car passes near QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar March 2, 2026. (Reuters)
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Qatar Air Force Shoots Down Two Aircraft from Iran

A car passes near QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar March 2, 2026. (Reuters)
A car passes near QatarEnergy's liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facilities, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar March 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Qatar's air force shot down two aircraft inbound from Iran on Monday, Doha's defense ministry said in a statement after Tehra earlier targeted gas facilities in the Gulf state.

"Qatar Emiri Air Force successfully shot down two (SU24) aircraft coming from Iran. They also successfully intercepted seven ballistic missiles through air defenses, and intercepted five drones by Qatar Emiri Air Force and Qatar Emiri Navy Forces, which targeted several areas in the state today," the defense ministry said.

It did not elaborate on the fate of the Sukhoi SU24 bombers' pilots.

Earlier, Qatar's defense ministry said one Iranian drone "targeted an energy facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City, belonging to QatarEnergy", referring to the firm's onshore gas processing base 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Doha.

Another "targeted a water tank belonging to a power plant in Mesaieed", the statement said, referring to an area 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the Qatari capital, which is also a key site for Qatar's natural gas production.

There were no reports of casualties, the defense ministry added.

Gulf

Gulf Countries at UN Slam Iran’s Retaliatory Strikes

The skylines are seen in Doha, Qatar, 02 March 2026. (EPA)
The skylines are seen in Doha, Qatar, 02 March 2026. (EPA)
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Gulf Countries at UN Slam Iran’s Retaliatory Strikes

The skylines are seen in Doha, Qatar, 02 March 2026. (EPA)
The skylines are seen in Doha, Qatar, 02 March 2026. (EPA)

Gulf countries on Monday slammed Iran's wave of retaliatory strikes across the Middle East, decrying at the United Nations that Tehran had upended their attempts to avoid a regional escalation.

After the United States and Israel began striking Iran on Saturday, Tehran launched a wave of reprisal attacks at targets across the Middle East.

The Group of Arab States told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva that Iran's attacks were an "extremely grave" violation of international law that threatened regional stability.

"The Arab countries were seeking to bolster dialogue and openness. The is an unjustifiable escalation that destabilizes all peace and stability efforts," Saudi ambassador Abdulmohsen Binkhothaila said, speaking for the group.

The six Gulf Cooperation Council countries – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates -- plus Jordan -- all hit by Tehran's retaliation -- also jointly condemned the "Iranian aggressions", which came "despite our efforts to avoid escalation in the region".

On Thursday, Oman had mediated talks in Geneva between US and Iranian negotiators. Washington and Israel launched their attack two days later.

"We call for the immediate cessation of military actions... and return to dialogue because it's the only way to solve disagreements," said the sultanate's deputy permanent representative Mohamed Al-Balushi.

Kuwait's ambassador Naser Abdullah H. M. Alhayen added: "Terrorizing the civilians in countries seeking peace is an abhorrent crime.

"Iran should resort to self-restraint and... wisdom and refrain from further military escalation," he said.

- 'Raw power' -

Iran's ambassador Ali Bahreini said his country was "under indiscriminate and invasive military attacks by the United States and the regime of Israel".

He said Iran's schools had been bombed, hospitals indiscriminately attacked, its leaders assassinated and "more than 160 innocent schoolgirls were massacred in Minab".

"The deliberate killing of civilians" openly violates the UN Charter, he said, and the "ongoing, unlawful military aggression against Iran exemplifies the dominance of raw power over the principles of human rights".

The European Union urged maximum restraint, while the African group said the situation was eroding trust among nations.

Iran's neighbor Türkiye warned: "There is no ambiguity about the gravity of the moment. We stand at a precipice.

"The danger of further escalation is real and immediate," said ambassador Burak Akcapar, urging countries to prevent a "widening spiral of instability that could extend well beyond Iran and our region".

Some countries voiced support for Iran at the UN's top rights body.

China said the US-Israeli attack "brutally violates Iranian people's human rights" and the killing of supreme leader Ali Khamenei "seriously violates Iran's sovereignty".

Cuba said Washington was proclaiming the "exceptional right to conquer and to use force as a legitimate form of behavior".

Venezuela -- citing the US capture of President Nicolas Maduro -- said immunity for heads of state must be respected, otherwise others could be targeted with "unlawful bombing, abduction or assassination".