RIYADH: The Royal Saudi Naval Forces started the fifth edition of a joint exercise with the Jordanian Armed Forces, the Saudi Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
The “Safe-Beach 5” drill, which continues until Thursday, is being held with the Kingdom’s Eastern Fleet.
Rear Admiral Ali Al-Shehri, commander of the RSNF taking part in the exercise, said that the maneuvers include several joint military operations with the aim of raising the readiness and combat capacity of the participating units, strengthening military cooperation between the two countries and exchanging expertise of combat in built-up areas.
He added that the coordination, cooperation and preparation for the launch of the exercise was carried out with a high degree of skill, wishing all participants success in achieving the set targets.
Col. Khalid Al-Balawi, director of the exercise, said that the drills are part of “a unified strategy to enhance military cooperation between the Saudi and Jordanian armed forces.”
He said that theoretical and practical exercises that constitute important training in exchanging expertise and unifying common military concepts will be applied through the drills.
Meanwhile, the ministry said on Sunday that the Royal Saudi Land Forces launched a mixed bilateral ground exercise on Thursday with the participation of Egyptian land forces in the Kingdom’s northwestern region.
The “Tabuk-5” exercise, which is also part of a series of joint exercises with allied countries, aims to enhance military cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Saudi Arabia hosts joint military drills with Jordan, Egypt
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Saudi Arabia hosts joint military drills with Jordan, Egypt
- Royal Saudi Naval Forces began the ‘Safe-Beach 5’ exercise with the Jordanian Armed Forces
- Saudi and Egyptian land forces hold the joint ‘Tabuk-5’ exercise
Riyadh emerges as Gulf evacuation hub for wealthy amid regional escalation
- Saudi capital’s King Khalid International Airport is among the few major airports in the region still operating normally after Iranian missile and drone strikes
RIYADH: Riyadh has become a principal evacuation hub for wealthy residents and senior executives seeking to leave the Gulf amid escalating regional tensions, according to a report by Semafor.
The Saudi capital’s King Khalid International Airport is among the few major airports in the region still operating normally after Iranian missile and drone strikes targeted cities including Dubai and Abu Dhabi over the weekend, as well as locations in Qatar and Bahrain.
With airspace closures elsewhere, stranded executives and high-net-worth individuals have been travelling overland to Riyadh, in some cases undertaking a roughly 10-hour journey from Dubai, in order to board private or commercial flights out of the region.
Citing people familiar with the arrangements, Semafor reported that private security firms have been hiring fleets of SUVs to transport clients to the Saudi capital before arranging chartered aircraft departures.
Those being evacuated include senior figures at global financial institutions as well as affluent individuals who had been in the Gulf for business or leisure.
The surge in demand has sharply increased costs.
Ameerh Naran, chief executive of private jet brokerage Vimana Private, told Semafor that Riyadh is currently “the only real option” for those seeking to exit the region, with private jet charters from the Saudi capital to Europe reaching as much as $350,000.
Alternative routes have narrowed. Security providers initially explored using Oman as an exit corridor, but that option became unviable after reported Iranian strikes on the country’s port infrastructure and a tanker, leaving Riyadh as the most accessible transit point, the report said.
Riyadh’s role marks a notable shift in regional risk perception. In previous years, security concerns — including cross-border Houthi attacks during the Yemen conflict and earlier periods of regional instability — had led many expatriates and business leaders to favour other Gulf cities as transit hubs.
However, Saudi Arabia’s more flexible visa regime, which now allows many nationalities to obtain visas on arrival, combined with the kingdom’s ability so far to keep its airspace open, has reinforced its position as a temporary gateway out of the region.
While some schools have moved to remote learning and certain companies have advised staff to work from home, Semafor reported that daily life in Riyadh has largely continued uninterrupted compared with other Gulf cities that have faced direct attacks.
