FaceOf: Osama Hawsawi, Saudi footballer

Updated 04 January 2019
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FaceOf: Osama Hawsawi, Saudi footballer

  • While at Al-Hilal, Hawsawi was a first-team regular and captained his side to seven titles
  • Hawsawi announced his retirement from football after a career that spanned nearly 15 years

Osama Hawsawi is a Saudi footballer and captain of the Saudi national team. A central defender, Hawsawi began his footballing career playing for Al-Wahda club in the Saudi Professional League in 2005. 

Recently, Hawsawi announced his retirement from football after a career that spanned nearly 15 years. 

In a tweet from his official Twitter account, Hawsawi said: “I recall the beginnings, the love of football and the passion to play it as an amateur and a professional. In that green field, we spared no effort to compete. On the podium, we were rewarded with medals and cups. The most precious gift I reaped, though, was the love of my fans. Today, I announce to everyone my retirement. This end will mark the beginning of a more beautiful future.”

While at Al-Hilal, Hawsawi was a first-team regular and captained his side to seven titles during his four seasons with the club, which includes three league titles in the 2008, 2010 and 2011 seasons and 4 Saudi Crown Prince Cups.

In April 2012, Hawsawi signed a two-year contract with top Belgian side Anderlecht, making him the only member of the Saudi national team to play in Europe at the time. In 2013, he returned to the Saudi Professional League, signing with Jeddah-based club Al-Ahli. 

In 2016, after four years with Al-Ahli, Hawsawi would return to Al-Hilal for a transfer fee of $5.5 million. In his first season back with the club, he won the Saudi King’s Cup and the Saudi Professional League title. In his second season with Al-Hilal, he helped the club win a second round of consecutive league titles and reach the finals of the 2017 AFC Champions League.

He was also a member of the Saudi team at the FIFA World Youth Championship. 


Saudi Arabia welcomes ceasefire agreement between Syrian Democratic Forces and Syria state

Updated 19 January 2026
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Saudi Arabia welcomes ceasefire agreement between Syrian Democratic Forces and Syria state

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has welcomed an agreement between the Syrian state and Syrian Democratic Forces.
In a foreign ministry statement early on Monday, the Kingdom said it had welcomed an deal between Damascus and Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces that was announced by the Syrian government on Sunday.
The agreement entails merging all SDF forces into the defense and interior ministries and means that Kurdish forces will redeploy to east of the Euphrates river.
The 14-point deal would also see the immediate administrative and military handover of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa governorates.
The Syrian state would regain control of all border crossings, oil fields, and gas fields in the region, with protection secured by regular forces to ensure the return of resources to the Syrian government, while considering the special case of Kurdish areas, the state news agency SANA reported.
The ceasefire comes after intense fighting between the SDF and government troops in Aleppo. But SDF troops have now pulled back from there and the Syrian army now controls most areas east of Aleppo.
The Saudi foreign ministry statement also thanked the US for the agreement. Washington is believed to have supported brokering the ceasefire between allies SDF and the Syrian government, who they have also backed diplomatically since the fall of long-time dictator Bashar Assad.
The Syrian state announced on Friday a raft of new directives to recognize Syrian Kurds, including making their language official and bolstering other rights for the minority group.