RIYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) thanked King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their cooperation in making Saudi Arabia Yemen’s leading humanitarian supporter and reaffirmed that it would continue to provide all possible assistance to alleviate the sufferings of the people in need.
The Kingdom has topped donor states to the 2018 UN Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan (UNYHRP), by donating $530.4 million out of a total of $1.54 billion, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a report.
Saudi Arabia has also topped donor states outside the UNYHRP 2018 by providing $196 million out of $466.4 million. Significantly, this plan is the largest distress call by humanitarian organizations to alleviate the suffering in Yemen.
Welcoming the OCHA report Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor general of the KSRelief, said the extensive Saudi relief efforts in Yemen are made possible by the generous directives from the benevolent Saudi leadership that all possible aid and relief should be provided to the Yemeni people until the humanitarian crisis in their country ends.
"Since its establishment three years ago, KSRelief has implemented some 269 impartial humanitarian programs and projects in Yemen. These efforts have provided vital assistance to Yemenis in all parts of the country,” Al-Rabeeah underlined.
He further explained that these humanitarian project sectors included food, nutrition, medicine and medical supplies and protection, care, shelter, children’s vaccinations, maternal care, elderly care and education.
KSRelief has also provided some targeted programs to serve specific population groups, such as the Child Soldiers Rehabilitation Program in Yemen to help children who were recruited by Houthi militias to serve in the armed conflict.
Moreover, the project for landmine clearance aims to de-mine Yemen in order to eradicate the presence of explosive devices, which have been planted by Houthi militias in many parts of the country, he said.
Furthermore, KSRelief’s project for cholera treatment and eradication has been largely successful, and the Kingdom also provided funds, and in some cases, operational support, for private and public hospitals throughout Yemen.
He noted that KSRelief works in coordination with the UN agencies and other international and regional organizations to ensure the optimal efficiency of the overall humanitarian response to the plight of the Yemeni people.
“KSRelief carries out much of its important work in Yemen according to humanitarian response plans issued annually by the UN,” he said, adding that the center is also working in cooperation with local Yemeni partners and the Yemen High Relief Committee to ensure that all Yemenis receive the help they need.
‘Saudi leadership’s support behind KSRelief success’
‘Saudi leadership’s support behind KSRelief success’
- KSRelief has provided some targeted programs to serve specific population groups, such as the Child Soldiers Rehabilitation Program in Yemen
- KSRelief works in coordination with the UN agencies and other international and regional organizations to ensure the optimal efficiency of the overall humanitarian response to the plight of the Yemeni people
New wave of Iranian drone attacks on Saudi Arabia neutralized
- 13 drones downed east of Riyadh city and 8 destroyed upon entering Saudi air space
- Drone attacks continue despite apology given by Iranian officials to Gulf states
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s air defenses neutralized a fresh wave of drone attacks on Sunday, the Ministry of Defense announced, as Iranian strikes on Gulf states showed no signs of abating despite Tehran’s conciliatory gestures a day earlier.
Ministry spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said in posts on X that 13 drones were intercepted and destroyed east of Riyadh, while eight more were shot down shortly after entering Saudi airspace.
Sunday’s attacks follow a relentless barrage on Saturday in which the Kingdom’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed 21 drones headed toward Aramco’s Shaybah oil field deep in the Rub’ al-Khali desert, as well as five ballistic missiles fired at various times during the day.
Also on Saturday, Saudi defenses intercepted five ballistic missiles launched toward Prince Sultan Air Base in Al-Kharj, an important industrial zone approximately 80 kilometers southeast of Riyadh. It was the third attempted strike in three consecutive days on the base. A single drone was also intercepted east of Riyadh.
The Shaybah attack on Saturday was the first on the vital facility since Feb. 28, when Israel and the United States launched a massive air campaign against Iran, triggering a wave of retaliatory strikes by Tehran across the Gulf region.
The persistent attacks came despite Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian issuing a public apology on Saturday to Gulf neighbors, saying Tehran would halt strikes unless attacks against Iran originated from their territory. “I personally apologize to the neighboring countries that were affected by Iran’s actions,” he said in a televised address.
However, Iran’s armed forces spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi sought to qualify the pledge, saying Iran would avoid targeting neighboring countries only unless their territory was used to launch attacks against Iran — a caveat that left regional officials questioning whether the apology signaled a genuine effort to de-escalate or simply a shift in messaging while military operations continued.
The sincerity of this diplomatic overture has been met with skepticism as air defense sirens continue to wail across the Gulf. In the UAE, debris from a mid-air destruction caused minor damage to a building facade in Dubai Marina, though no injuries occurred.
The situation remains more volatile in Bahrain, where the Interior Ministry reported that an intercepted attack caused a fire in the capital, Manama, damaging a residential home and nearby structures. King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa reaffirmed the kingdom’s commitment to peace and coexistence but emphasized the necessity of maintaining regional stability against persistent threats.
Inside the Kingdom, the focus remains on protecting civilian and industrial hubs. Major General Al-Maliki highlighted that the recent missile threats were the third attempted strikes in three consecutive days on Al-Kharj, an important industrial zone located 80 kilometers southeast of Riyadh. On Friday alone, five missiles and multiple drones were shot down across the Eastern Province and the capital region.
The international community has responded with a mix of condemnation and warnings. US President Donald Trump warned via social media that Iran would be “hit very hard” in response to the aggression. Meanwhile, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), following an extraordinary meeting in Riyadh, affirmed the collective right of member states to defend their territories against what they termed “treacherous Iranian aggression.”
