Saudi Arabia gets support from UAE, Oman, Kuwait on Lebanon fruit and vegetable import ban

The ban will start on Sunday and will remain in place until sufficient measures to prevent smuggling have been taken by Lebanese authorities. (File/Shutterstock)
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Updated 25 April 2021
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Saudi Arabia gets support from UAE, Oman, Kuwait on Lebanon fruit and vegetable import ban

  • More than 7.8 million Captagon pills seized
  • Arab states stand by any decision the Kingdom takes in efforts to combat drug smuggling

RIYADH: The United Arab Emirates, Oman and Kuwait are supporting Saudi Arabia’s recent ban on consignments of fruit and vegetables from Lebanon after a failed attempt to smuggle millions of amphetamine pills embedded in the farm products. 

Customs authorities at Jeddah Islamic Port seized more than 7.8 million Captagon pills hidden in a pomegranate consignment from Lebanon – foiling a large drug smuggling operation and leading to nationwide ban. 


Saudi customs at Jeddah Islamic Port foiled an attempt to smuggle Captagon pills hidden in pomegranates that came from Lebanon. (SPA)

Saudi customs at Jeddah Islamic Port foiled an attempt to smuggle Captagon pills hidden in pomegranates that came from Lebanon. (File/SPA)

The respective foreign ministries of Oman and Kuwait released statements saying that Arab states stand by any decision the Kingdom takes in efforts to combat drug smuggling and were calling for regional cooperation in this matter.

The UAE has also expressed its support for Saudi Arabia’s decision to ban agricultural products coming from Lebanon, according state-run WAM news agency.  

Lebanon’s fruit and vegetable trade with Saudi Arabia was worth around $24 million per year, according to Lebanese agriculture minister Abbas Mortada. 

Beirut has since pledged to take more steps to combat drug smuggling. The import ban however remains in place until the Saudi interior ministry has been assured, as it continues to monitor other products from Lebanon.

Trending tweets on the issue have accused Hezbollah as the organization behind the drug smuggling operation.


SDAIA president says Saudi Arabia is building an integrated AI ecosystem

Updated 20 February 2026
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SDAIA president says Saudi Arabia is building an integrated AI ecosystem

RIYADH: Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority President Abdullah Al-Ghamdi says that Saudi Arabia is moving steadily to establish artificial intelligence as a trusted national capability, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Guided by the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030, Al-Ghamdi said the goal is to use AI to help develop government services, enhance competitiveness, build human capacity and improve quality of life through a comprehensive strategy based on three main pillars that unlock the potential of this technology and achieve sustainable developmental impact.

“The first pillar focuses on building human capacity and enhancing readiness to engage with AI technologies,” he said.

The second pillar is building an integrated national AI ecosystem that drives expansion and innovation by developing advanced digital infrastructure that enables various sectors to adopt AI applications efficiently, consistently and with effective governance, Al-Ghamdi said.

The third pillar, he said, is governance that ensures responsible and measurable AI through a national framework aligned with international standards.

This came during Al-Ghamdi’s speech at a high-level ministerial session held on Thursday on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi.

He is heading the Saudi delegation, and the session saw broad participation from heads of state, decision-makers and technology leaders from around the world.

Al-Ghamdi also had a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday evening, discussed AI cooperation and expressed his gratitude for hosting the summit and for the hospitality extended to the participants.