Saudi - Islamic World News

In recent years, Africa has become a key arena for competition among major and middle powers, each aiming to expand their political and economic influence. This trend is driven by motives such as the continent’s rich natural resources, including mines and rare earth elements, leading to intense rivalry and proxy wars like those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda. The main losers are often the host countries’ interests and their populations. Sudan exemplifies this trend, notably with the UAE’s involvement. The Horn of Africa—comprising Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, and Ethiopia—holds strategic importance due to its proximity to the Red Sea and its role in global trade routes. Its closeness to Yemen and the Bab al-Mandab Strait further amplifies competition, especially among Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), alongside the Eskan and Prince Sultan air bases near Riyadh, operates another facility at the port of Yanbu in western Saudi Arabia, known as L.S.A. Jenkins.

With Saudi air support, forces of Yemen’s government-in-exile have taken control of the provinces of Abyan and Aden.

Saudi Arabian fighter jets carried out airstrikes early this morning on targets in the port city of Mukalla, the capital of Hadhramaut province.

Following a warning message from Saudi authorities to the Southern Transitional Council and the flight of Saudi army Apache helicopters over the northern desert of Hadhramaut province, southern fighters pulled back from the al‑Abr–Khasha road and the al‑Khasha area, handing these positions over to Al‑Dara‘ al‑Watan forces.

The third session of the trilateral joint committee between Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China was convened on Tuesday, December 18, in Tehran.

Following recent developments in eastern Yemen and the advance of the Southern Transitional Council toward northern Hadhramaut, the Saudi government has halted operations at the Al‑Wadi‘ah border crossing between Saudi Arabia and northern Yemen.

In a recent meeting of the international coalition—comprising the European Union, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—chaired by Abdu Sharif, the British ambassador to Yemen, the establishment of the Yemen Maritime Security Partnership (YMSP) was announced.

On the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of Yemen’s October 14 Revolution—which led to the end of British colonial rule in 1963—Mahdi Al-Mashat, President of the Supreme Political Council, emphasized Aden’s historic role as the first site of anti-Zionist mobilization and a training ground for Palestinian fighters. He called on revolutionary and freedom-loving Yemenis in occupied provinces to uphold their ancestral legacy and Yemeni identity in resisting Zionist-backed forces.

Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom have launched a joint initiative aimed at bolstering the maritime security of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The plan involves mobilizing international financial support to equip the coast guard forces of Yemen’s internationally recognized (but deposed) government.

Khalid bin Salman, Saudi Defense Minister, will arrive in Tehran on Thursday at the head of a high-ranking delegation to meet with Iranian officials.

General Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander of CENTCOM, arrived in Riyadh to meet with the Chief of Staff of the Saudi Armed Forces and representatives of the resigned Yemeni government, and to visit American bases in the region.