Saudi Assistant Minister of Defense Visits Türkiye, Meets Top Officials 

Saudi Assistant Minister of Defense Eng. Talal bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi meets with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. (Saudi Defense Ministry)
Saudi Assistant Minister of Defense Eng. Talal bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi meets with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. (Saudi Defense Ministry)
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Saudi Assistant Minister of Defense Visits Türkiye, Meets Top Officials 

Saudi Assistant Minister of Defense Eng. Talal bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi meets with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. (Saudi Defense Ministry)
Saudi Assistant Minister of Defense Eng. Talal bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi meets with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. (Saudi Defense Ministry)

Saudi Assistant Minister of Defense Eng. Talal bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi paid an official visit to Türkiye at the head of a high-level delegation, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Saturday. 

He kicked off the visit by meeting with Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. Their talks focused on the importance of defense cooperation between their countries in all fields, activating the agreements signed between them, and strengthening and developing them to serve common interests and support the security and stability of the region. 

Al-Otaibi also met with Turkish Deputy Minister of National Defense Yunus Emre Karaosmanoglu. 

Their meeting focused on the situation in the region and ways to boost joint defense cooperation. 

The Saudi official also met with Deputy Minister of National Defense Mohsen Dara. They discussed strengthening cooperation in the field of defense industries, in addition to areas of cooperation between the Saudi and Turkish defense ministries. 

Al-Otaibi met with Chief of Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces Lieutenant General Yaşar Güler. 

He visited the Presidency of Turkish Defense Industries and met with its President Prof. Ismail Demir. 

They discussed ways to bolster cooperation in the field of military industries and develop scientific research. A briefing was also given to Eng. Al-Otaibi on Turkish military industries. 

He concluded his visit to Türkiye by visiting a number of companies affiliated with the Turkish National Defense Ministry. He was briefed on their products and departments and toured a number of their factories. 



Kuwait Jails 13 Citizens, Fines them $87 Mn for Hezbollah Funding

A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
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Kuwait Jails 13 Citizens, Fines them $87 Mn for Hezbollah Funding

A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)
A general view of the Kuwait Palace of Justice in Kuwait City, June 16, 2013. (Reuters)

Kuwait’s Court of Cassation on Monday sentenced 13 citizens to three years in prison for raising funds through a charity to support Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

The court also fined them 27 million Kuwaiti dinars ($87 million), overturning a previous acquittal by a lower court.

The court that issued the sentencing was presided over by Judge Abdullah Jassim Al-Abdullah.

Initially, the Criminal Court had acquitted the defendants, citing the absence of legislation explicitly criminalizing unlicensed fundraising for public purposes since the establishment of Kuwait's Social Affairs Department on December 14, 1954.

The court said this legal gap limited its authority under Article 132 of the Code of Criminal Procedures and Trials. However, the decision was reversed by the higher court.

The defendants had been interrogated in November 2021 over alleged financial support to organizations linked to Hezbollah.

At the time, the Public Prosecution ordered their detention, and security authorities conducted extensive investigations into financial transfers suspected of funding such groups in Lebanon.

The case dates back to November 2021. The charges included significant financial transfers made over several years to foreign entities, including in Lebanon, prompting authorities to scrutinize transaction records.

The defendants denied the charges, claiming they had worked with a charity committee for 30 years, primarily sponsoring orphans in Lebanon and other countries.

In March 2024, the Court of Cassation classified Hezbollah as a banned terrorist group, describing it as an armed organization working to undermine Kuwait’s system and spread Iran’s revolutionary ideology.

The ruling officially confirmed Hezbollah’s designation as a terrorist entity under Kuwaiti law.