RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s embassy in China on Saturday urged its citizens in Wuhan to contact its emergency numbers urgently to facilitate evacuation from the city after an outbreak of coronavirus, which has killed 41 people in China.
Saudi nationals in Wuhan, the original source of the previously unknown 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV), are being advised to call the following numbers in order to facilitate evacuation:
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to China: 008618511178585
Head of the consular section: 008618500224844
Department for the affairs of Saudis: 008615011007558
Unified number for the affairs of Saudis abroad: 0096692003334
Millions of people traveling during the Lunar New Year holiday have fueled the spread of the outbreak nationwide and overseas after it began in the city of Wuhan in central China. The vast majority of infections and all of the deaths have been in mainland China, but fresh cases are popping up elsewhere.
Australia and Malaysia reported their first cases on Saturday, and Japan, its third. France confirmed three cases on Friday, the first in Europe, and the US identified its second, a woman in Chicago who had returned from China.
Wuhan, at the heart of the outbreak and whose 11 million residents are already on lockdown, banned most vehicle use, including private cars, in downtown areas starting on Sunday, state media reported.
Only authorized vehicles carrying supplies and for other needs would be permitted, the reports said.
Saudi Arabia urges nationals in Wuhan to contact embassy after coronavirus outbreak
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Saudi Arabia urges nationals in Wuhan to contact embassy after coronavirus outbreak
- Saudi nationals in Wuhan are being advised to call numbers provided in order to facilitate evacuation
- Millions of people traveling during the Lunar New Year holiday have fueled the spread of the outbreak nationwide and overseas after it began in the city of Wuhan
Saudi Cabinet condemns ‘blatant’ Iranian aggression; affirms Kingdom’s right to respond to threats
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has warned it reserves the “full right” to respond to Iranian aggression following a series of “blatant and cowardly” strikes targeting the capital and the Eastern Province.
The warning came during a late-night Cabinet session on Tuesday, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman via videoconference, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
During the session, the Cabinet “reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s full solidarity with the brotherly countries whose territories were subjected to blatant Iranian aggression”, signaling a united front against regional threats.
The session followed a dramatic escalation of hostilities, including a direct drone attack on the US Embassy in Riyadh.
Major General Turki al-Malki, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, confirmed that while air defenses intercepted multiple threats, the embassy compound sustained a “limited fire and minor material damage.”
General Al-Malki further announced that Saudi forces successfully intercepted and destroyed eight additional drones targeting the cities of Riyadh and Al-Kharj early Tuesday morning.
In a sharp rebuke of the embassy strike, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) cited a flagrant violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
“The repetition of this flagrant Iranian behavior... will push the region toward further escalation,” the Ministry stated, underscoring that these provocations occurred despite Riyadh’s explicit policy of not allowing its airspace or territory to be used as a launchpad for strikes against Iran.
Global condemnation and solidarity
The Cabinet expressed deep appreciation for the wave of international support as world leaders condemned Tehran’s “indiscriminate” behavior.
In a joint show of force, the US and GCC member states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE) along with Jordan stood united, labeling the strikes a “dangerous escalation” and reaffirming a collective right to self-defense.
Leaders from the United Kingdom, France, and India. — including Prime Minister Narendra Modi — voiced strong solidarity with the Kingdom. The UK government confirmed its forces are engaged in “defensive actions” to maintain regional stability.
Amid the heightened military tension, the Cabinet reviewed the Kingdom’s hospitality efforts for GCC citizens currently stranded at Saudi airports due to regional airspace closures. The crown prince reaffirmed that the state would mobilize all capabilities to support brotherly nations in any measures they take to restore regional peace and stability.
