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Syrian Opposition Coalition Arrives in Riyadh

Syria's High Negotiations Committee attends a meeting with the UN Syria envoy during Syria peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, February 27, 2017. (Reuters)
Syria's High Negotiations Committee attends a meeting with the UN Syria envoy during Syria peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, February 27, 2017. (Reuters)
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Syrian Opposition Coalition Arrives in Riyadh

Syria's High Negotiations Committee attends a meeting with the UN Syria envoy during Syria peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, February 27, 2017. (Reuters)
Syria's High Negotiations Committee attends a meeting with the UN Syria envoy during Syria peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, February 27, 2017. (Reuters)

The Syrian National Coalition for Opposition (SNC), chaired by Riad Seif, arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for talks with Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on various issues related to the Syrian crisis.

A few days earlier, Saudi Arabia reiterated its position on the Syrian war and its commitment to the Geneva 1 outcomes as a basis for a solution that ensures regime head Bashar al-Assad does not remain in power.

Member of the political committee of the SNC Hadi al-Bahra said that the meeting with Jubeir was scheduled a while ago, hinting that it had nothing to do with the minister’s recent statements, which were later denied by the Saudi Foreign Ministry.

Bahra told Asharq Al-Awsat that the agenda of the meeting will cover recent political developments in Syria, including the issue of the de-escalation zones.

He added that the meeting with Jubeir is not linked to the expanded meeting scheduled in mid-August between Syria’s High Negotiations Committee (HNC), Moscow and Cairo and hosted by Riyadh.

So far, it has not been confirmed whether representatives of the Syrian opposition who participated in Cairo and Moscow conferences will attend the Riyadh talks.

Bahra said that HNC sent separate invitations to Cairo and Moscow, but he did not confirm if they received official responses.

The HNC hopes that the anticipated Riyadh meeting will unite positions on Assad leaving power.

Bahra admitted that Syrian opposition has a lot to achieve, especially regarding the Geneva talks, adding that there are serious attempts to come out with united positions.

“The foundation of the cause is to have united positions on all issues that ensure the success of the Geneva conference,” he added.

Bahra reiterated that the HNC intends to continue with the political negotiations dealing with the core of the Syrian crisis, which is the political transition. He stressed that it does not want to repeat the mistakes committed in Yemen and other areas.

“Everyone knows the foundations of a successful political transition and how to proceed. So, we must deal with all international changes, while making sure no more time is wasted,” he explained.

Bahra stressed that Assad’s departure is one of the main conditions of the political transition.

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Business

Egypt High-Speed Trains to Connect Red Sea, Mediterranean

Ships move through the Suez Canal, in Ismalia, Egypt, July 31, 2025. (Reuters)
Ships move through the Suez Canal, in Ismalia, Egypt, July 31, 2025. (Reuters)
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Egypt High-Speed Trains to Connect Red Sea, Mediterranean

Ships move through the Suez Canal, in Ismalia, Egypt, July 31, 2025. (Reuters)
Ships move through the Suez Canal, in Ismalia, Egypt, July 31, 2025. (Reuters)

Workers have started laying tracks in the desert east of Cairo for Egypt's first high-speed train, which will link the Red Sea and the Mediterranean in the latest attempt to modernize transport in the vast country.

Described by transport minister Kamel al-Wazir as a "new Suez Canal on rails", the project is slated to be completed in 2028, and will carry passengers and cargo the 660-kilometer (410-mile) distance in as little as three hours.

The Green Line, as it is known, is the latest of a long list of megaprojects undertaken by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government in the past decade -- the crowning jewel of which is the New Administrative Capital east of Cairo.

In 2021, Egypt signed a $4.5 billion contract with a consortium that includes German company Siemens to establish the Green Line, which will form the first of three high-speed tracks across the country.

Authorities hope the nearly 2,000 kilometer-network will carry 1.5 million passengers per day.

Egypt's existing train network -- used by a million people every day -- is plagued by infrastructure and maintenance problems that caused nearly 200 accidents last year, according to official figures.

The Green Line will run across the country's north, from Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean, crossing two Cairo satellite cities -- the New Administrative Capital to the east, and to the west 6th of October City, home to Egypt's only dry port.

- Urban planning bet -

According to Tarek Goueili, head of the National Authority for Tunnels, Egypt's revamped rail network will carry 15 million tons of cargo per year -- 3 percent of last year's Suez Canal transit volume.

For those behind it, the Green Line is also an urban planning bet.

"The high-speed line will ease pressure on Greater Cairo and encourage the emergence of new growth hubs," said Faical Chaabane of French company Systra, which is building the track.

In one desert station Systra showed reporters, workers on scaffolding have raised an imposing geometric ceiling over six open-air tracks.

Much of the New Administrative Capital that surrounds it is also still a construction site, home to government ministries where workers commute by bus every day.

With desert accounting for most of the country's million square kilometers, the vast majority of Egypt's 108 million people -- the Arab world's largest population -- are stacked vertically along the Nile River and its delta.

After its inauguration, the Green Line will be followed by the Blue Line, which will track the Nile linking Cairo to Aswan, and the Red Line, which will connect the Red Sea cities of Hurghada and Safaga inland to Luxor.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia Welcomes Yemen Prisoner Exchange Agreement

Officials are seen at the announcement of the prisoner exchange in Muscat. (Saudi Ambassador to Yemen on X)
Officials are seen at the announcement of the prisoner exchange in Muscat. (Saudi Ambassador to Yemen on X)
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Saudi Arabia Welcomes Yemen Prisoner Exchange Agreement

Officials are seen at the announcement of the prisoner exchange in Muscat. (Saudi Ambassador to Yemen on X)
Officials are seen at the announcement of the prisoner exchange in Muscat. (Saudi Ambassador to Yemen on X)

Saudi Arabia welcomed on Tuesday the agreement signed in Muscat earlier to exchange prisoners and detainees in Yemen.

It deemed the development “an important humanitarian step that contributes to alleviating human suffering and boosting confidence-building opportunities.”

The Kingdom praised “the sincere efforts and generous initiatives exerted by Oman in hosting and sponsoring the talks, as well as its support for the negotiating efforts conducted from December 9 to 23.”

The Kingdom also hailed the efforts by the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and all parties who participated in the negotiations.

It reiterated its support for all efforts to achieve peace, security, and stability in a manner that fulfills the aspirations of the Yemeni people.

Yemen’s legitimate government and the Iran-backed Houthi militants reached an agreement to free 2,900 detainees held during the 11-year war.

Saudi Ambassador Mohamed Al-Haber said in a statement on X that the agreement was signed under the supervision of the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Yemen and the ICRC, “which will enable all detainees to return to their families.”

“I commend the efforts of the negotiation teams from both sides who succeeded in reaching an understanding and concluding this agreement, which addresses a humanitarian issue and strengthens efforts to bring calm and build confidence in Yemen,” he added.

The UN special envoy, Hans Grundberg, said the agreement was a “positive and meaningful step that will hopefully ease the suffering of detainees and their families across Yemen.”

“We are ready and determined to carry out the release, transfer and repatriation of detainees so that people separated from their families can be reunited in a safe and dignified manner,” said Christine Cipolla, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Yemen.

World

Ex-Aide Says Netanyahu Tasked Him with Making a Plan to Evade Responsibility for Oct. 7 Attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not pictured) after a trilateral meeting at the Citadel of David Hotel, in Jerusalem, December 22, 2025. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not pictured) after a trilateral meeting at the Citadel of David Hotel, in Jerusalem, December 22, 2025. (Reuters)
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Ex-Aide Says Netanyahu Tasked Him with Making a Plan to Evade Responsibility for Oct. 7 Attack

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not pictured) after a trilateral meeting at the Citadel of David Hotel, in Jerusalem, December 22, 2025. (Reuters)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (not pictured) after a trilateral meeting at the Citadel of David Hotel, in Jerusalem, December 22, 2025. (Reuters)

A former close aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that immediately following the October 2023 Hamas attack that triggered Israel’s two-year war in Gaza, the Israeli leader instructed him to figure out how the premier could evade responsibility for the security breach.

Former Netanyahu spokesperson Eli Feldstein, who faces trial for allegedly leaking classified information to the press, made the explosive accusation during an extensive interview with Israel’s Kan news channel Monday night.

Critics have repeatedly accused Netanyahu of refusing to accept blame for the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. But little is known about Netanyahu’s behavior in the days immediately following the attack, while the premier has consistently resisted an independent state inquiry.

Speaking to Kan, Feldstein said “the first task” he received from Netanyahu after Oct. 7, 2023, was to stifle calls for accountability.

“He asked me, ‘What are they talking about in the news? Are they still talking about responsibility?’” Feldstein said. “He wanted me to think of something that could be said that would offset the media storm surrounding the question of whether the prime minister had taken responsibility or not.”

He added that Netanyahu looked “panicked” when he made the request. Feldstein said he was later told by people in Netanyahu's close circle to omit the word “responsibility” from all statements.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led fighters killed some 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 hostages back to Gaza. Israel then launched a devastating war in Gaza that has killed nearly 71,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants but says around half the deaths were women and children.

Netanyahu’s office called the interview a “long series of mendacious and recycled allegations made by a man with clear personal interests who is trying to deflect responsibility from himself,” Hebrew media reported.

Feldstein’s statements come after his indictment in a case where he is accused of leaking classified military information to a German tabloid to improve public perception of the prime minister following the killing of six hostages in Gaza in August of last year.