Category: Saudi Arabia

8 Wounded in Houthi Drone Strikes on Saudi Abha Airport

ABHA, Saudi Arabia—At least eight people were wounded on Monday in Houthi drone strikes on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport that also damaged a civilian airplane, Saudi officials said. Earlier, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi group in Yemen said it intercepted a Houthi drone that was targeting Abha International Airport. Shrapnel was scattered in the…


One of the World’s Strictest COVID-19 Vaccine Passport Mandates Announced in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia announced possibly the strictest COVID-19-related restrictions in the world and will ban unvaccinated individuals from nearly all public spaces. The Saudi Kingdom’s Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs announced this week that starting Aug. 1, unvaccinated people cannot enter malls, shopping areas, markets, and retail stores. Individuals will also have to show proof of vaccination…


Jordan Ex-royal Court Chief Pleads Not Guilty to Destabilizing Monarchy

AMMAN—A former Jordanian royal court chief and a low-ranking member of the royal family pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of agitating to destabilize the monarchy, one of their lawyers said. Prosecutors had referred to a military court the case of Bassem Awadallah, an ex-royal court chief and finance minister who played a big…


Canadian Military Goods Exports Dropped Last Year as Sales to Saudi Arabia Fell

OTTAWA—The federal government reports the value of Canadian military-goods exports fell last year as its sales to Saudi Arabia dropped. Canada’s annual report on exports of military equipment says in 2020 it sent approximately $1.966 billion in controlled military goods compared to $3.757 billion in 2019. The report says this decrease in export value was…


Australia and Saudi Arabia Resume Livestock Trade After 10 Year Hiatus

A ten-year hiatus on livestock trade between Australia and Saudi Arabia has been broken with the Middle East kingdom now welcoming Australian exports again. Agriculture Minister David Littleproud said on April 7 that Australia has been working with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) on the arrangements. “My department has been working closely with their counterparts…


Oil Giant Saudi Aramco Sees 2020 Profits Nearly Halved to $49 Billion

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Saudi Arabia’s state-backed oil giant Aramco announced Sunday that its profits nearly halved in 2020 to $49 billion, a big drop that came as the coronavirus pandemic roiled global energy markets. Saudi Arabian Oil Co. released its annual financial results a year after the pandemic sent the price of oil crashing to…


Major Oil Shipping Port Targeted in Drone Attack, Missile Targets Aramco Facility: Saudi Officials

Officials for the Ministry of Energy in Saudi Arabia stated that one of its oil tank yards in Ras Tanura Port was attacked by an unmanned drone. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy said a petroleum tank farm in the port, which is one of the largest oil shipping ports in the world, was attacked…


Crocodile Tears for Khashoggi Betray Info Op to Promote His Fellow Islamists

Commentary With the Biden administration releasing an intelligence assessment claiming de facto Saudi leader Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) approved the grisly 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the political-media class is once again shedding crocodile tears over his death. Its purpose is more than performative. It is signaling the dawn of the rebooted Obama-Biden…


Why the Release of the Khashoggi Report Has Everything to Do With Iran

Commentary Last week the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released an assessment claiming that “Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.” The Joe Biden White House says that it won’t penalize the de facto leader of a traditional U.S….


Biden Says Saudi Announcement to Come Monday; Official Says No New Steps Expected

WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden on Saturday said his administration would make an announcement on Saudi Arabia on Monday, following the release of a report by the Director of National Intelligence which outlines the assessment of U.S. intelligence on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The Biden administration has faced criticism in a Washington Post editorial and from others…