HMS Al-Diriyah Joins Saudi Naval Fleet

The HMS Al-Diriyah arrived on Thursday at the King Faisal Naval Base of the Western Fleet on from its manufacturing base in Spain. (Saudi Defense Ministry)
The HMS Al-Diriyah arrived on Thursday at the King Faisal Naval Base of the Western Fleet on from its manufacturing base in Spain. (Saudi Defense Ministry)
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HMS Al-Diriyah Joins Saudi Naval Fleet

The HMS Al-Diriyah arrived on Thursday at the King Faisal Naval Base of the Western Fleet on from its manufacturing base in Spain. (Saudi Defense Ministry)
The HMS Al-Diriyah arrived on Thursday at the King Faisal Naval Base of the Western Fleet on from its manufacturing base in Spain. (Saudi Defense Ministry)

The King's ship HMS Al-Diriyah arrived on Thursday at the King Faisal Naval Base of the Western Fleet on from its manufacturing base in Spain.

The Naval Forces held an official reception to mark the occasion.

The vessel is the to enter service as part of the "Sarawat Project", which includes the construction and commissioning of five naval vessels with advanced capabilities to deal with various combat missions with high capacity and efficiency.

Commander of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces Lieutenant General Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Ghufaili boarded the HMS Al-Diriyah, toured its various sections, and inspected its modern equipment. He also left a note in the ship's log.

He stressed that the ship will help raise the level of readiness of the Saudi naval forces, boost maritime security in the region, and protect the Kingdom's vital strategic interests.

The ships of the Sarawat project boast the latest combat systems to deal with all threats, and will be equipped with the first Saudi system for managing naval combat under the name Hazm, he added.

Hazm will help in the localization of the military industries by transferring technology and nurturing national talents through training programs, he stressed.



Qatar PM Hopes Palestinian Authority Will Return to Gaza When War Ends

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
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Qatar PM Hopes Palestinian Authority Will Return to Gaza When War Ends

Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2025. (AFP)
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2025. (AFP)

Qatar's Prime Minister said in Davos on Tuesday he hoped the Palestinian Authority would return to play a governing role in Gaza once the war with Israel comes to an end.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Switzerland, two days after the ceasefire Qatar helped broker came into effect in Gaza, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani cautioned that Gazans -- and not any other country -- should dictate the way the enclave will be governed.

"We hope to see the PA back in Gaza. We hope to see a government that will really address the issues of the people over there. And there is a long way to go with Gaza and the destruction," he said.

How Gaza will be governed after the war was not directly addressed in the deal between Israel and Hamas movement that led to an immediate ceasefire and hostage releases after nearly 15 months of talks mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US.

Israel has rejected any governing role for Hamas, which ran Gaza before the war, but it has been almost equally opposed to rule by the Palestinian Authority, the body set up under the Oslo interim peace accords three decades ago that has limited governing power in the West Bank.

The PA, dominated by the Fatah faction created by former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, faces opposition from rival faction Hamas, which drove the PA out of Gaza in 2007 after a brief war.