Saudi king opens key projects in Alkhobar

November 29, 2016

Riyadh, Nov 29: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman on Monday inaugurated a number of key development projects in Alkhobar in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province.

salman

They include hospital developments with hundreds of new beds for patients as well as environment, water and agriculture projects.

Speaking on the occasion, the king said: “I am very pleased to be among you today to celebrate these projects that will serve our country and citizens.”

The king said that the Kingdom is blessed with security, tranquility and prosperity and that “our citizens come together as one.”

Health Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah highlighted health projects, which include a children and maternity hospital in Dammam with a capacity of 500 beds, Saud bin Jalawi Hospital in Al-Ahsa with a capacity of 300 beds, King Faisal General Hospital in Al-Ahsa with a capacity of 200 beds and Al-Omran General Hospital with a capacity of 100 beds.

King Salman and attendees later watched a visual presentation about the ministry’s programs. The king then inaugurated the health projects as well as environment, water and agriculture projects.

The Saudi Cabinet, chaired by King Salman at Al-Aziziyah Palace in Alkhobar Monday, condemned the recent deadly terrorist attacks in Turkey and Egypt.

The Cabinet also underlined the need to ensure more legitimacy and accountability in using social media networks, which will go a long way in curbing extremism and terrorism.

The Cabinet expressed sorrow over the explosion that killed and wounded several innocent people outside the governor’s office in the southern Turkish city of Adana.

In another incident, a bomb blast in the southeastern Turkish province of Sirnak killed at least two children and wounded several. Another target of terror was the Sinai in Egypt, where more than 12 soldiers were killed, reportedly by Daesh.

The Cabinet reaffirmed the Kingdom’s stand and solidarity with Egypt and Turkey in the fight against terrorism, expressing its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims and wishing a speedy recovery for the wounded.

At the outset of the Cabinet session, King Salman thanked Allah for “the development, growth and prosperity” of the Kingdom, especially the Eastern Province, stressing that “the nation is proceeding on right track to achieve prosperity for citizens and for the nation.”

King Salman briefed the Cabinet on the results of his meeting with the king of Sweden, the telephone call received from King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain, and the invitation received from Bahrain to participate in the GCC summit.

Adel Al-Toraifi, minister of culture and information, said in a statement that the Cabinet commended various scientific and economic conferences hosted by the Kingdom during the past weeks. He also appreciated the first conference organized on the social media that called for legitimate control and use of the social networks “to fight extremism and terrorism.”

The Cabinet also underlined the Kingdom’s hosting of 14th International Arab Conference for Mineral Resources, and the accompanying exhibition under the theme “Arab Mineral Resources, Strategic Resources and Promising Investment Opportunities.”

The Cabinet lauded the signing of the pact for implementing a nutrition program to counter malnutrition in Hodeidah region of Yemen at a cost of $10 million.

The agreement was signed by KSRelief in Rome with the World Food Program that would address the risk of acute malnutrition for children under five. The Cabinet noted that emergency food aid is being provided for more than 464,000 beneficiaries in Hodeidah for the last six months.

The Cabinet commended the efforts that led to the arrest of a man who shot at soldiers in Tabuk, and seven other suspects in connection to the case. One soldier was killed in the shootout. The Cabinet also expressed its appreciation for “the high skills and the capabilities of security agencies that led to the foiling of several terror plots and plans.”

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Agencies
July 5,2020

Iraq’s deputy parliament speaker Hassan Karim al-Kaabi on Saturday described the move as provocative and in violation of international law.

Kaabi also called on the Iraqi government to take swift measures to halt such actions.

The Embassy’s move to fire in a residential area in the heart of Baghdad is an unacceptable act and another challenge for the Arab country, adding to the mass of its provocations and illegal actions in Iraq, he noted.

According to Iraqi media, the US tested a patriot missile system inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone.

Anti-US sentiments have been running high in Iraq since Washington assassinated top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and the second-in-command of the Iraqi popular mobilization units, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in January.

Following the attack, Iraqi lawmakers unanimously approved a bill on January 5, demanding the withdrawal of all foreign troops.

Baghdad and Washington are currently in talks over the withdrawal of American troops. Iraqi resistance groups have vowed to take up arms against US forces if Washington fails to comply with the parliamentary order.

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News Network
January 6,2020

Riyadh, Jan 6: Saudi Arabia was not consulted by its ally Washington over a US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general, an official said Sunday, as the kingdom sought to defuse soaring regional tensions.

Saudi Arabia is vulnerable to possible Iranian reprisals after Tehran vowed "revenge" following the strike on Friday that killed powerful commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.

"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia was not consulted regarding the US strike," a Saudi official told AFP, requesting anonymity.

"In light of the rapid developments, the kingdom stresses the importance of exercising restraint to guard against all acts that may lead to escalation, with severe consequences," the official added.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry made a similar call for restraint at the weekend and King Salman emphasised the need for measures to defuse tensions in a phone call on Saturday with Iraqi President Barham Saleh.

In a separate phone call with Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stressed "the need to make efforts to calm the situation and de-escalate tensions", the official Saudi Press Agency reported.

The crown prince has instructed Prince Khalid bin Salman, his younger brother and deputy defence minister, to travel to Washington and London in the next few days to urge restraint, the pan-Arab Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported.

Prince Khalid will meet White House and US defence officials, the paper said, citing unnamed sources.

The killing of Soleimani, seen as the second most powerful man in Iran, is the most dramatic escalation yet in spiralling tensions between Washington and Tehran and has prompted fears of a major conflagration in the Middle East.

US President Donald Trump, who ordered the drone strike, has warned that Washington will hit Iran "very fast and very hard" if the Islamic republic attacks American personnel or assets.

The American embassy in Riyadh on Sunday warned its citizens living close to military bases and oil and gas installations in the kingdom of a "heightened risk of missile and drone attacks".

A string of attacks blamed on Iran has caused anxiety in recent months, as Riyadh and Washington deliberated over how to react.

In particular, devastating strikes against Saudi oil installations last September led Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to adopt a more conciliatory approach aimed at avoiding confrontation with Tehran.

Analysts warn that pro-Iran groups have the capacity to carry out attacks on US bases in Gulf states as well as against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz -- the strategic waterway that Tehran could close at will.

"Expect Iranian reprisals (directly or through partner groups in Iraq, Lebanon or elsewhere) to target US partners in the region including Saudi Arabia," said Thomas Juneau, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa.

"Given the climate in the US, where support for Saudi in the media and Congress is at an all time low, it will be difficult for Trump to commit significant resources to come to its aid."

Yemen's pro-Iran Huthi rebels, locked in a five-year conflict with a Saudi-led military coalition, have also called for swift reprisals for Soleimani's killing.

"The aggression... will not go without a response," said Huthi political council member Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti.

"How the response is going to be, when and where will be determined by Iraq and Iran, and we will stand with them as a hub for the resistance."

It was unclear if the Huthi warning was directed in part at Saudi Arabia, which has stepped up efforts to end Yemen's conflict amid a lull in Huthi attacks on the kingdom.

Saudi Arabian military commanders recently met with counterparts from "friendly countries" to formulate a new strategy to tackle the Yemeni rebels, particularly those "opposing" a political solution, according to Asharq al-Awsat.

Riyadh has said it will host a separate meeting of foreign ministers of Arab and African coastal states on Monday.

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News Network
April 10,2020

Dubai, Apr 10: Saudi Arabia reported 364 new coronavirus cases and three new virus-related deaths, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday.

The total number of confirmed cases in the Kingdom is 3,651, out of which 2,919 are currently active, the ministry added.

Out of the new cases, 90 were recorded in Mecca, 78 in Medina, 69 in Riyadh, and 54 in Jeddah, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the number of fatalities rose to 47, while th number of recoveries reached 685.

The daily number of confirmed cases in Saudi Arabia has not peaked yet, and has been rapidly accelerating.

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health had said earlier this week that four different studies showed that the number of coronavirus cases in the Kingdom could reach between 10,000 to 200,000 within weeks.

The ministry spokesman emphasized the urgent need for citizens and residents to remain at home and maintain social distancing practices to ensure that the virus does not spread further.

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