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OIC Chief to Asharq Al-Awsat: Two Mln Pilgrims from 57 Islamic Countries

Prayers being performed around the Holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque of Mecca, Saudi Arabia (AFP)
Prayers being performed around the Holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque of Mecca, Saudi Arabia (AFP)
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OIC Chief to Asharq Al-Awsat: Two Mln Pilgrims from 57 Islamic Countries

Prayers being performed around the Holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque of Mecca, Saudi Arabia (AFP)
Prayers being performed around the Holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque of Mecca, Saudi Arabia (AFP)

Hissein Brahim Taha, the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), stated that officials in Islamic countries have confirmed the restoration of their share of this year’s Hajj season as it was before the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Taha revealed that the upcoming Hajj season will witness the participation of an impressive number of foreign pilgrims, totaling two million pilgrims hailing from 57 diverse Islamic nations.

Taha emphasized that Saudi Arabia is exerting tremendous efforts in preparation for accommodating this year’s pilgrims.

The OIC chief pointed out that the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is working to strike the necessary balance between the number of pilgrims and the capacity of the holy sites.

This is being achieved through significant development projects that are underway as part of a comprehensive strategic plan aimed at constructing an infrastructure capable of hosting a larger number of pilgrims.

Regarding the Makkah Route initiative, Taha described it as a pioneering program within the framework of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

The initiative is making significant efforts to benefit the approximately six countries involved by streamlining the necessary procedures for Hajj completion. This includes issuing e-visas and expediting passport procedures at the departure lounge of the pilgrims’ home country airport.

Taha stated that Hajj is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, with approximately 2.5 million pilgrims performing Hajj in 2019.

The preparations and efforts required to receive and facilitate their stay are extensive, noted the OIC chief.

Taha mentioned that Saudi Arabia, following the improvement in the pandemic situation, has lifted most of the restrictions associated with the pandemic.

The Kingdom announced that it will allow the performance of the Hajj pilgrimage this year without any limitations on the number of pilgrims or their ages.

After three years of significantly reducing the number of pilgrims due to the spread of the coronavirus, the pilgrim numbers will return to their pre-pandemic levels.

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Yemeni Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Have Lost Nearly 30% of their Military Capabilities

This handout photo released by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows a US F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet taking off from the US Navy's Nimitz-class USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier at sea on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Hunter DAY / DVIDS / AFP)
This handout photo released by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows a US F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet taking off from the US Navy's Nimitz-class USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier at sea on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Hunter DAY / DVIDS / AFP)
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Yemeni Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Houthis Have Lost Nearly 30% of their Military Capabilities

This handout photo released by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows a US F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet taking off from the US Navy's Nimitz-class USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier at sea on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Hunter DAY / DVIDS / AFP)
This handout photo released by the US Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) shows a US F/A-18 Super Hornet attack fighter jet taking off from the US Navy's Nimitz-class USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier at sea on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Hunter DAY / DVIDS / AFP)

The Iran-backed Houthis are in disarray over escalating American strikes targeting military and security sites, as well as weapons depots belonging to them, Yemeni Minister of Information Moammar Al-Eryani said, revealing that the group has lost nearly 30% of its military capabilities.

Al-Eryani told Asharq Al-Awsat that the recent strikes have directly hit "the military capabilities of the Houthi group, targeting mainly infrastructure related to ballistic missiles and drones, which were used to threaten international maritime navigation in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden."

US President Donald Trump had ordered the start of the military campaign against the Houthis on March 15, pledging to destroy their capabilities.

In the past four weeks, the Houthis have been hit by 365 air and naval strikes, field reports said. The campaign has been primarily targeting fortified bunkers and military warehouses, especially in the group's strongholds in the governorates of Saada, Sanaa, Amran, and Hodeidah.

"Our assessment, based on our field sources, is that the militia has lost 30% of its capabilities, and this number is rising as military operations continue,” Al-Eryani said.

The minister also spoke of "surprises” that will please Yemenis in the coming weeks.

Trump said Monday that the US campaign against the Houthis has been “very successful militarily.”

“We’ve really damaged them,” he said, adding that “we’ve gotten many of their leaders and their experts.”

The Yemeni Minister of Information considered the powerful strikes “as not enough to end the Houthi threat, especially since the militia is still receiving logistical support from Iran through multiple smuggling routes."

Last week, Britain’s The Telegraph quoted a senior Iranian official as saying that Iran had ordered military personnel to leave Yemen to avoid direct confrontation with the US.

Al-Eryani called for “keeping military, political, and economic pressure” on the Houthis and increasing control on the sources that provide arms to the Houthis. He also called for “supporting the legitimate forces to enable them to take control of all Yemeni territory."
Al-Eryani confirmed that the Houthis have recently suffered significant human losses at various leadership levels, yet the militias have avoided announcing such losses for fear of undermining the morale of their fighters.

Last month, Yemeni Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Mohsen Mohammed al-Daeri told Asharq Al-Awsat that the country’s armed forces and all military formations were at a high state of readiness to respond firmly to any Houthi attacks or provocations.

Al-Daeri said the Houthis bear full responsibility for the recent escalation, the imposition of international sanctions, and the militarization of regional waters, which have worsened the humanitarian and economic situation for Yemenis.