JEDDAH: The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO) praised the services provided by the Health Ministry to Hajj pilgrims, and the efforts exerted to care for them and maintain their health.
In a tweet on his official Twitter account, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus congratulated the ministry on the successful Hajj season, describing its work as “exceptional.”
Earlier, Health Minister Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said that the current Hajj season has been epidemic-free after a large-scale program of health screening and vaccination of pilgrims was carried out.
He revealed that 1.6 million pilgrims were medically screened at entry points.
A further 360,000 Saudi pilgrims were vaccinated against polio and 480,000 Saudi pilgrims were vaccinated against seasonal flu and meningitis.
Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal said that the health sector deployed 32,000 health practitioners.
The ministry provided pilgrims with health care through 25 hospitals with a total capacity of 5,000 beds.
The ministry also provided health services through 127 emergency centers, 153 health centers in addition to mobile clinics, highly equipped ambulances and field hospitals.
WHO praises Health Ministry’s ‘exceptional’ work during Hajj
WHO praises Health Ministry’s ‘exceptional’ work during Hajj
Saudi defense minister calls on Southern Transitional Council to de-escalate in Yemen
- In a statement addressed “to our people in Yemen” and published on X, Prince Khalid said Saudi Arabia’s intervention came at the request of Yemen’s internationally recognized government
DUBAI: Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman called on the Southern Transitional Council (STC) to respond to Saudi-Emirati mediation efforts and de-escalate tensions in eastern Yemen, urging the group to withdraw its forces from camps in Hadramout and Al-Mahra and hand them over peacefully to local authorities.
In a statement addressed “to our people in Yemen” and published on X, Prince Khalid said Saudi Arabia’s intervention came at the request of Yemen’s internationally recognized government and aimed to restore state authority across the country through the Decisive Storm and Restoring Hope operations.
He said the Kingdom has consistently treated the southern issue as a “just political cause” that must be resolved through dialogue and consensus, citing the Riyadh Conference and Riyadh Agreement as frameworks that ensured southern participation in governance and rejected the use of force.
The minister warned that recent events in Hadramout and Al-Mahra since early December had caused divisions that undermine the fight against Yemen’s common enemy and harm the southern cause. He praised southern leaders and groups who, he said, have acted responsibly to support de-escalation and preserve social stability.
Prince Khalid reaffirmed that the southern issue would remain part of any comprehensive political settlement in Yemen and stressed that it must be resolved through trust-building and national consensus, not actions that could fuel further conflict.
(إلى أهلِنا في اليمن)
— Khalid bin Salman خالد بن سلمان (@kbsalsaud) December 27, 2025
استجابةً لطلب الشرعية اليمنية قامت المملكة بجمع الدول الشقيقة للمشاركة في تحالف دعم الشرعية بجهودٍ ضخمة في إطار عمليتي (عاصفة الحزم وإعادة الأمل) في سبيل استعادة سيطرة الدولة اليمنية على كامل أراضيها، وكان لتحرير المحافظات الجنوبية دورٌ محوريٌ في تحقيق ذلك.…
