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Prince Khalid bin Salman Appointed Deputy Defense Minister, Princess Reema Ambassador to US

Prince Khaled bin Salman and Princess Reema bint Bandar
Prince Khaled bin Salman and Princess Reema bint Bandar
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Prince Khalid bin Salman Appointed Deputy Defense Minister, Princess Reema Ambassador to US

Prince Khaled bin Salman and Princess Reema bint Bandar
Prince Khaled bin Salman and Princess Reema bint Bandar

Deputy King Prince Mohammed bin Salman issued two royal decrees on Saturday appointing Prince Khaled bin Salman as the Kingdom’s deputy defense minister and Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the United States.

A separate royal decree ordered a one-month salary bonus for frontline military officials on the kingdom's southern border.

Earlier in the day, Saudi King Salman issued a royal order deputizing Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman “to steer the state’s affairs” throughout the period of the King’s absence during his visit to Egypt to take part in the first joint Arab League-European Union summit.

Becoming the first woman ambassador in the Kingdom's history, Princess Reema replaced Prince Khalid bin Salman, the younger brother of the powerful crown prince.

Prince Khalid was appointed as Saudi ambassador to the United States of America on April 22, 2017. He presented his credentials to US President Donald Trump and took office on July 21, 2017.

He graduated from the King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).

He received his initial training at Randolph Air Base in San Antonio, Texas, and received advanced training at the Columbus Air Base in Columbus, Mississippi. He also studied advanced electronic warfare in France.

Prior to his appointment as the Kingdom's ambassador to Washington, he served as an advisor at the Office of the Minister of Defense and then as an advisor to the Kingdom's embassy in Washington.

During his tenure as advisor at the Office of the Minister of Defense, he was appointed by HRH the Crown Prince with various portfolios and responsibilities.

Prince Khalid has been close to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince for a long time, and has been able during this period to accommodate the vision of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to develop the Ministry of Defense to be in the ranks of developed countries militarily.

Before a back injury ended his flying career, Prince Khaled flew more than 50 combat missions as part of the international coalition campaign against Daesh in Syria and as part of Operations Decisive Storm and Renewal of Hope in Yemen.

As for the new envoy, she is the daughter of a former long-time ambassador to the United States.

Princess Reema had a career in the private sector before joining the kingdom’s General Sports Authority where she championed women’s participation in sports and focused on increasing women’s empowerment.

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Mount Vernon College at George Washington University in the United States in 1999 and became the first woman to hold a multi-sport federation in the Kingdom through her position as President of the Saudi Federation for Community Sports.

Among her achievements is working alongside the Ministry of Education to establish sports education for girls in schools and the participation of women in many sports competitions.

She also played a great role in promoting awareness on breast cancer. She launched the 10ksa initiative, which was able to access the Guinness World Records after making the world's largest pink ribbon, which symbolizes the fight against breast cancer.

She has served as CEO of Alpha International / Harvey Nichols, as she entered the Fast Company of America magazine for the most creative people in 2014.

Princess Rima was chosen as 16th in the Forbes Middle East magazine for the 200 most powerful Arab women.

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Gulf

Saudi Arabia, the UK to Support Vulnerable Groups in Yemen with $10 Million

Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of KSrelief Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah signs the agreement. SPA
Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of KSrelief Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah signs the agreement. SPA
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Saudi Arabia, the UK to Support Vulnerable Groups in Yemen with $10 Million

Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of KSrelief Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah signs the agreement. SPA
Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of KSrelief Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah signs the agreement. SPA

Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah and Acting Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) Carl Skau have signed a cooperation agreement to support vulnerable groups in several Yemeni governorates.

The agreement forms part of Saudi Arabia's humanitarian and relief projects and programs delivered through its humanitarian arm, KSrelief, to assist people in need and those affected by crises around the world.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday via video conference in the presence of UK Deputy Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dr. Alice Burt.

Under the agreement, KSrelief and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office will each contribute half of a $10 million financial package to the WFP to support the project in Yemen's Al-Mahrah, Hadhramout, Aden, Al-Dhale, and Lahij governorates.

The agreement aims to address the food needs of the most vulnerable groups by providing asset-creation support activities for beneficiaries and improving their access to food through conditional cash transfers, enabling them to become less dependent on humanitarian assistance.

The project also includes rehabilitating productive infrastructure, helping targeted households transition from Phase 4 acute food insecurity to greater stability and self-reliance, implementing vocational training programs, developing beneficiaries' skills to enhance productivity, strengthening the capacities of local authorities, and activating governance systems to manage and sustain community assets.

Gulf

Kuwait, Bahrain Say Intercepted Iran Attacks

Smoke rises after a drone was intercepted during early morning hours in Manama, Bahrain, July 14, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Smoke rises after a drone was intercepted during early morning hours in Manama, Bahrain, July 14, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
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Kuwait, Bahrain Say Intercepted Iran Attacks

Smoke rises after a drone was intercepted during early morning hours in Manama, Bahrain, July 14, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer
Smoke rises after a drone was intercepted during early morning hours in Manama, Bahrain, July 14, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

Kuwait and Bahrain on Wednesday confirmed they had intercepted fresh aerial salvos from Iran as Tehran and Washington exchanged fire over control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Kuwait's military said it was intercepting attack drones, and blamed "nefarious Iranian aggression,” with Bahrain's army later saying it "succeeded in intercepting and destroying a number of the treacherous Iranian aerial attacks.”

In the early hours of the morning, Bahrain's interior ministry said it had sounded warning sirens and urged citizens and residents to remain calm and head to the nearest safe place.

Iranian state media reported Wednesday that Iran carried out separate attacks on US targets in Kuwait and Bahrain after US forces struck Iran.

Gulf

Arab, Islamic Countries Slam Terrorist Houthi Attack against Saudi Arabia

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
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Arab, Islamic Countries Slam Terrorist Houthi Attack against Saudi Arabia

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

The Iran-backed Houthi militias’ terrorist attack against Saudi Arabia on Monday sparked Arab and international outcry and condemnation of what was seen as a violation of international law and a direct threat to the security of the region.

The United States declared its solidarity with Saudi Arabia in confronting the latest Houthi attacks, saying the strategic relationship between Washington and Riyadh was stronger.

The State Department said the Houthi group remains designated as a foreign terrorist organization. It added that efforts to protect marine navigation in the Red Sea and combat terrorist groups in Yemen continue.

The Saudi Defense Ministry had said on Monday that its air defenses shot down ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis against the Kingdom.

Condemnations poured in from Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon.

The statements warned that the attack was a dangerous escalation that undermines regional security and stability.

They expressed solidarity with the Kingdom and support for the measures it takes in defending its sovereignty and security.

Bahrain hailed the vigilance of the Saudi defenses in intercepting the attack and saving lives and its efforts in leading the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen.

Kuwait slammed the attack as a violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and of international law.

Oman called on all Yemeni parties to show restraint, commit to the truce and return to the negotiations table under the UN-sponsored process.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said the attacks against Saudi Arabia and Jordan were “systematic attempts to undermine the stability of the Arab Gulf and keep the region in a cycle of tensions in service of plots that harbor no goodwill towards the Arab people.”

He expressed Lebanon’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and Jordan, saying their security and stability were an “integral part of national Arab security.”

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam echoed Aoun’s remarks, adding that Beirut stands by Saudi Arabia and its legitimate right to take the suitable measures to defend its territories and people.

He warned that the “continuation of these attacks reveals a dangerous insistence on undermining efforts to achieve security and stability in the Arab Gulf region.”

The Muslim World League condemned the terrorist attack against Saudi Arabia that “violates religious values and international laws and norms.”

“The cowardly attack violates all humanitarian values,” added MWL Secretary-General Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa.

Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Albudaiwi stressed that the “cowardly attack is a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law.”

He called for a “firm and deterrent international stance to put an end to its hostile practices and ensure those responsible are held accountable.”