Saudi Arabia Condemns Vienna Attack: Such Acts Contradict All Human, Religious Values

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs a cabinet meeting in Neom. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs a cabinet meeting in Neom. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Condemns Vienna Attack: Such Acts Contradict All Human, Religious Values

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs a cabinet meeting in Neom. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chairs a cabinet meeting in Neom. (SPA)

The Saudi government strongly condemned on Tuesday the recent terrorist attacks that have taken place in the Afghan capital Kabul, the French city of Nice and the Austrian capital Vienna.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the cabinet meeting that was held virtually from Neom due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“Saudi Arabia vehemently rejects such acts that target innocent lives and destabilize security. Such attacks contradict all religious beliefs and human values,” added the government.

It underscored the need to shun practices that stoke hatred, violence and extremism in all their forms.

On Yemen, the cabinet reiterated its condemnation of the Iran-backed Houthi militias for continuing to fire armed drones towards the Kingdom. It said the Saudi-led Arab coalition had destroyed all the aircraft, slamming such terrorist acts as violations of international humanitarian law.

Locally, the ministers underlined the importance of combating all forms of corruption and on levels. They stressed the need to protect national gains and public funds to boost the comprehensive development that is taking place in the Kingdom.

They hailed all efforts aimed at fighting corruption and anyone abusing their position for personal gain and profit, urging that the severest of punishments be laid down against violators.

King Salman also briefed the cabinet on the message he received from Kuwait Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah.

The ministers also highlighted King Salman’s speech before the Think20 (T20) engagement group. He had underscored that the world’s top priority at the moment must focus on saving lives and developing a vaccine for the coronavirus. He also stressed the need to remain abreast changes in education and business and prepare society to learn new skills in line with the demands of the job market.

The government also highlighted the G20 Business 20 (B20) Summit and its recommendations that tackled reviving the global economy and consolidating new firmer economic foundations in order to confront future challenges.



Saudi Arabia Expands Digital Health System for Hajj Pilgrims

Muslims perform Tawaf in the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, June 3, 2025. (SPA)
Muslims perform Tawaf in the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, June 3, 2025. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Expands Digital Health System for Hajj Pilgrims

Muslims perform Tawaf in the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, June 3, 2025. (SPA)
Muslims perform Tawaf in the Grand Mosque during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia, June 3, 2025. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry said it has stepped up efforts this year to expand digital health services as part of a broader strategy to harness advanced technology and ensure safe and efficient medical care for pilgrims during the Hajj.

The ministry said preparations included strengthening digital infrastructure and deploying smart solutions to improve timely access to healthcare, aiming to deliver a safe and healthy pilgrimage for all.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Assistant Deputy Minister for Planning at the Ministry of Health, Eng. Yazeed Alotaibi highlighted a range of advanced digital solutions the ministry has developed, including the implementation of the “Electronic Health Record” system across all medical facilities in the holy sites.

The system allows for seamless, real-time connectivity between healthcare centers, speeding up diagnosis and patient transfers while enhancing medical response readiness in coordination with the command and control center.

Alotaibi added that services on the “Sehhaty” app have been upgraded to offer around-the-clock virtual medical consultations, alongside the 937 unified call center.

He said virtual clinics have also been activated in partnership with the virtual health hospital, enabling patients to receive specialized care remotely without the need to travel, easing pressure on field facilities and improving pilgrims’ access to medical services at any time.

AI integration

On the use of emerging technologies, Alotaibi said the Health Ministry has “extensively integrated artificial intelligence tools into its digital systems.”

These tools are being used to analyze medical conversations and convert them into digital records, while also suggesting accurate diagnoses, boosting the speed and quality of clinical decision-making.

AI is also employed to interpret medical images and identify critical cases that require urgent intervention.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry has rolled out a series of cutting-edge technologies to strengthen medical services for pilgrims during this year’s Hajj, including the use of drones, artificial intelligence, and cloud infrastructure.

Alotaibi said the ministry is deploying drone technology to deliver medicines and medical supplies swiftly to high-traffic areas, calling it “a fast and efficient solution” to meet urgent healthcare demands.

Cloud infrastructure has also been activated in health data centers to boost system efficiency and accelerate data sharing among relevant authorities, he added.

Digital health passport

Among other innovations, Alotaibi said the ministry has launched a “Digital Health Passport” in collaboration with Malaysia, Oman, and Indonesia. The initiative allows early access to pilgrims’ health status, allowing personalized care and streamlining medical procedures when needed.

On Monday, Health Minister Fahad Al-Jalajel inaugurated two key initiatives to support medical supply delivery using helicopters and drones.

These systems are designed to cut delivery times for medicines in high-density zones across the holy sites from 90 to just 6 minutes, enhancing emergency response capabilities.

Fahad Al-Buthi, CEO of supply chain and operations at NUPCO, a Saudi healthcare logistics company, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the drone program was launched in coordination with national authorities.

He said pilot tests showed the drone system could slash delivery time from 90 minutes to just six, a move expected to significantly improve access to critical supplies during peak Hajj periods.