Saudi FM Takes Part in GCC Ministerial Meetings with Türkiye, Yemen

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah takes part in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-Yemen ministerial meeting in Doha on Sunday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah takes part in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-Yemen ministerial meeting in Doha on Sunday. (SPA)
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Saudi FM Takes Part in GCC Ministerial Meetings with Türkiye, Yemen

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah takes part in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-Yemen ministerial meeting in Doha on Sunday. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah takes part in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-Yemen ministerial meeting in Doha on Sunday. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah participated in Doha on Sunday in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-Yemen ministerial meeting, chaired by Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

The meeting tackled the latest developments in Yemen and the impact of the Iran-backed Houthi militias’ attacks in the Red Sea on the regional and global economy.

The gatherers also reviewed international and UN efforts to resolve the Yemeni conflict.

The GCC reiterated its support for all initiatives aimed at achieving a comprehensive political solution to the Yemeni crisis, based on three key references: the GCC Initiative and its implementing mechanism, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference, and UN Security Council Resolution 2216.

These frameworks are seen as essential for restoring security and stability in Yemen, it stressed.

Prince Faisal also took part in the sixth ministerial meeting of the GCC-Türkiye Strategic Dialogue, chaired by the Qatari PM.

Discussions covered a range of issues, most notably the joint action plan and ways to boost cooperation in all fields between the GCC and Türkiye.

Prince Faisal also participated in the 160th GCC Ministerial Council meeting, which was chaired by Sheikh Mohammed.

Officials reviewed progress achieved in joint Gulf action.

They also addressed the latest regional and international developments, notably the conflict in Gaza and Rafah city.

They underscored the need for an immediate ceasefire and ensuring the security of relief corridors to deliver humanitarian aid.



Fire at Kuwait Airport After Drones Hit Fuel Tank

Vehicles drive along the highway leading to and from Kuwait City on March 2, 2026. (AFP)
Vehicles drive along the highway leading to and from Kuwait City on March 2, 2026. (AFP)
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Fire at Kuwait Airport After Drones Hit Fuel Tank

Vehicles drive along the highway leading to and from Kuwait City on March 2, 2026. (AFP)
Vehicles drive along the highway leading to and from Kuwait City on March 2, 2026. (AFP)

Drones hit a fuel tank and sparked a fire at Kuwait International Airport, the Gulf state's civil aviation authority said on Wednesday, as Iran presses on with its attacks in the nearly four-week regional war.

Citing preliminary information, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement posted online that the attack had caused only "limited" damage and no casualties.

Firefighters were working to bring the blaze under control, said agency spokesman Abdullah Al-Rajhi.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by state broadcaster IRIB that they had launched missiles and drones at military bases hosting US forces in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain as well as targets in Israel.

The Kuwait National Guard said in a statement that its forces intercepted six drones early Wednesday, and the army said air defenses were "responding to hostile missile and drone attacks".

In Bahrain, the interior ministry said air raid sirens were activated, while Jordan's public security directorate reported shrapnel fell near the capital Amman, resulting in no casualties or damage.

In Israel, the military said air defenses responded to Iranian missiles that triggered warning sirens across much of the country's central region.

The Kuwait airport is largely closed to commercial flights and has come under attack several times since the regional war began on February 28, when Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran.

On March 14, the civil aviation authority said an attack with "several drones" targeted the airport and "struck its radar system". No casualties were reported.

Major airlines have suspended flights to the Gulf, or cut back due to fuel shortages linked to the war.


Shrapnel from Downed Ballistic Missile Causes Limited Damage in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region

Shrapnel from Downed Ballistic Missile Causes Limited Damage in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region
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Shrapnel from Downed Ballistic Missile Causes Limited Damage in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region

Shrapnel from Downed Ballistic Missile Causes Limited Damage in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region

Spokesman for Saudi Arabia’s civil defense said on Wednesday that shrapnel from a downed ballistic missile has caused damage in the Eastern Region.

The shrapnel damaged two houses, one of which was still under-construction and uninhabited.

No one was injured in the incident.

Earlier, Saudi defenses downed a ballistic missile and 28 drones in the Eastern Region, said Defense Ministry spokesman Turki al-Malki.


Arab League Meeting to Discuss Iran Attacks, Regional Escalation on Sunday

Arab foreign ministers are seen at a previous Arab League meeting. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Arab foreign ministers are seen at a previous Arab League meeting. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Arab League Meeting to Discuss Iran Attacks, Regional Escalation on Sunday

Arab foreign ministers are seen at a previous Arab League meeting. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Arab foreign ministers are seen at a previous Arab League meeting. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Bahrain will chair on Sunday the 165th regular session of the Arab League on the level of foreign ministers amid the US-Israeli war on Iran.

An Arab diplomatic source told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting, held video-conference, will only focus on the Iranian attacks on Arab countries.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the source said the officials will discuss taking a unified Arab stance against the attacks.

Foreign ministers of Gulf, Arab and regional countries met in Riyadh last week to condemn Iran’s flagrant violation of principles of good neighborliness and of the sovereignty of nations, saying it will have grave repercussions against it and the security of the Middle East.

“Iran's attacks will cost it highly and impact relations with the countries and peoples of the region that will not stand idly by as they are threatened,” they warned.

“The attacks cannot be justified under any excuse,” they stressed, saying they were a violation of sovereignty of nations and international law.

They held Iran “fully responsible for the losses”, saying the countries reserve the right to defend themselves.

The Arab diplomat said Sunday’s meeting was already scheduled before the eruption of the conflict and was supposed to include on its agenda articles related to joint Arab work, but discussions over them will be postponed to solely focus on the Iranian attacks.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty held a series of telephone calls from his counterparts from Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq to prepare for the summit.

A Foreign Ministry statement underlined “the importance of issuing a unified Arab stance against the common security and political challenges and the dangerous escalation in the region.”

Political analyst Dr. Abdel Moneim Saeed told Asharq Al-Awsat the ministerial meeting aims to reach a unified Arab stance on how to handle the current situation.

The situation is rapidly changing amid the erratic American stances, he remarked. “It is important to hold Arab consultations to come up with a united stand towards the situation.”