Saudi Govt Slams Houthi Attack on Abha Airport as War Crime

King Salman chairs a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. (SPA)
King Salman chairs a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. (SPA)
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Saudi Govt Slams Houthi Attack on Abha Airport as War Crime

King Salman chairs a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. (SPA)
King Salman chairs a cabinet meeting on Tuesday. (SPA)

The Saudi government slammed as a war crime on Tuesday the Iran-backed Houthi militias’ repeated attempts to target Abha International Airport.

The two attempts were deliberate and an extension of the militias’ hostile acts that have targeted travelers and workers at the facility, it added.

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

The cabinet stressed the need to take the necessary measures that ensure the security of civilians and civilian locations in line with international humanitarian law.

The ministers also reviewed the latest talks held between Saudi Arabia and several countries in recent days that were aimed at strengthening cooperation in various fields and coordination over regional and international issues.

King Salman briefed the ministers on the telephone talks he held with Tunisian President Kais Saied. King Salman underscored the Kingdom’s keenness on the security and stability of Tunisia, saying it stands by it as it grapples with the pandemic.

The government reviewed various regional and international developments. It reiterated the Kingdom’s firm longstanding stance of supporting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

It stressed the need to speed up efforts to reach a comprehensive solution to its crisis, calling on the international community to support emergency relief aid efforts.

Locally, the ministers followed up on the resumption of the new academic year and efforts to ensure that students, faculty and staff are protected against the coronavirus.



Qatar PM Says Gaza Ceasefire Talks Make Some Progress

FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
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Qatar PM Says Gaza Ceasefire Talks Make Some Progress

FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The minaret of the Great Omari Mosque, which was hit in previous Israeli strike during the war, stands damaged in Gaza City, March 17, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas/File Photo

Qatar's prime minister said on Sunday that efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza have made some progress but an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war remains elusive.

"We have seen on Thursday a bit of progress compared to other meetings yet we need to find an answer for the ultimate question: how to end this war. That's the key point of the entire negotiations," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as foreign minister, Reuters reported.

Mossad Director David Barnea traveled to Doha on Thursday to meet Sheikh Mohammed amid efforts to reach a new ceasefire in Gaza, Axios reported last week.

Sheikh Mohammed didn't say which elements of the ceasefire talks had progressed in recent days, but said Hamas and Israel remained at odds over the ultimate goal of negotiations.

He said the militant group is willing to return all remaining Israeli hostages if Israel ends the war in Gaza. But Israel wants Hamas to release the remaining hostages without offering a clear vision on ending the war, he said.

"When you don't have a common objective, a common goal between the parties, I believe the opportunities (to end the war) become very thin," Sheikh Mohammed said at a press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Fidan said talks Turkish officials have held with Hamas had shown the group would be more open to an agreement that goes beyond a ceasefire in Gaza and aims for a lasting solution to the crisis with Israel, including a two-state solution.

Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a January ceasefire collapsed, saying it would keep up pressure on Hamas until it frees the remaining hostages still held in the enclave. Up to 24 of them are believed to still be alive.

The Gaza war started after Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack. Since then, Israel's offensive on the enclave killed more than 51,400, according to local health officials.