Riyadh
Latest stories
Asiri Seeking Information on Assassination Bid Report

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri stressed on Monday that he will demand Lebanese authorities to clarify a report on an assassination bid targeting him.

He pointed out that he had obtained no information or warnings on such an attempt, but refused to deny the report.

W140 Full Story
Salam not Likely to Visit Riyadh Soon

Government officials ruled out a visit by Prime Minister Tammam Salam to Saudi Arabia anytime soon after King Salman announced a major shake-up in the line of succession and cabinet.

The officials told al-Liwaa daily published on Thursday that Salam would not be able to visit Riyadh as expected because Saudi officials are busy with announcing their allegiance to their new leaders.

W140 Full Story
U.S. Sends Carrier to Yemen Waters with Eye on Iran Convoy

A U.S. aircraft carrier was headed to the Arabian Sea Tuesday as Washington said it was monitoring Iranian vessels suspected of carrying weapons to Huthi rebels in Yemen in violation of a U.N. embargo.

In Geneva meanwhile the U.N. health agency said more than 900 people had been killed in Yemen since late March, when a Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes against Iran-backed rebels clashing with pro-government forces.

W140 Full Story
Rouhani Accuses Riyadh of Providing Arms to 'Terrorists' in Lebanon

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused Saudi Arabia on Saturday of providing weapons and funding to terrorist groups in the Middle East, including Lebanon.

"What does providing financial assistance and weapons to terrorists in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq mean?" Rouhani asked.

W140 Full Story
Pro-Hizbullah Journalists Banned from Entering Gulf as Saudi Mulls Deporting 400 Lebanese

After the UAE expelled more than 70 Lebanese citizens in March, Saudi Arabia is contemplating the deportation of hundreds of Lebanese expats amid a heated row with Hizbullah over the Riyadh-led military operation in Yemen.

According to information obtained by Naharnet, Saudi authorities are assessing the situations of around 400 Lebanese nationals who might be deported soon from the kingdom.

W140 Full Story
Red Cross, U.N. Fly Aid into Yemen as Raids Batter South

The Red Cross and U.N. flew medical aid into Yemen's capital Friday after southern city Aden was battered by the heaviest night yet of Saudi-led air strikes targeting Shiite rebels.

The United Nations also called for a daily "humanitarian pause" of a few hours, saying aid was desperately needed in the conflict-ravaged country.

W140 Full Story
Riyadh Tells Hizbullah to Mind its Own Business over Yemen Row

The Saudi Ambassador to Beirut, Ali Awadh Asiri, has urged Hizbullah without naming it to deal with its own issues rather than meddle in Riyadh's affairs.

The parties that “shove” themselves into the Saudi-led coalition's move against Huthi rebels in Yemen and which “have the audacity” to criticize Saudi Arabia “should deal with their own affairs,” Asiri said in remarks published on Thursday.

W140 Full Story
Two Policemen Shot Dead in Saudi Capital

Two Saudi policemen were killed when their patrol came under fire in Riyadh early on Wednesday, police said, in the second drive-by shooting targeting police in less than two weeks.

The pre-dawn attack came in an eastern district of the capital, a police spokesman said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

W140 Full Story
U.S. Steps Up Arms Shipments to Back Saudi-led Coalition

The United States has stepped up weapons deliveries in support of a Saudi-led coalition resisting the advance of Shiite rebels in Yemen, a senior U.S. official said Tuesday.

"Saudi Arabia is sending a strong message to the Huthis and their allies that they cannot overrun Yemen by force," Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in the Saudi capital.

W140 Full Story
Saudi PR Offensive Backs Yemen Military Ops

The lights fade and rapid-fire images flash across a large screen to the sounds of war: marching men, the flaming afterburner of a fighter jet, radio traffic and adrenaline-pumping music.

Cue multilingual Brigadier General Ahmed Assiri and his nightly media briefing on Operation Decisive Storm, the Saudi-led coalition which began air strikes against Shiite militia in neighbouring Yemen on March 26.

W140 Full Story