SR500m given back to victims of bogus Haj operators

September 15, 2016

Jeddah, Sep 15: The Ministry of Haj and Umrah returned nearly SR500 million to 48,400 people who had fallen prey to unscrupulous companies that falsely claimed that they could organize Haj for those desiring to perform the pilgrimage.

haj

About 45 such fraudulent companies were identified.

Ministry sources described the move as a significant “achievement,” not for the ministry alone, but for all authorities involved in Haj management, including security authorities.

In a related move, Haj and Umrah Ministry spokesman Hatem Qadi said more than 256,000 people were arrested at 21 ports for not having the necessary Haj permits and 100,000 vehicles were prevented from transporting undocumented pilgrims.

He said these results point to the high levels of accomplishments achieved because of coordination and planning that began three months before Haj.

He said what made this Haj clearly different was the use of modern technology to serve pilgrims, including the electronic bracelet, which enabled easy access to information and decision making.

The bracelets enabled rapid identification of pilgrims, especially helpful for those who do not speak Arabic, and helped the ministry identify their accommodations and personal information to provide guidance and assistance.

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Shaima umar farooq
 - 
Thursday, 15 Sep 2016

Masha Allah gud work done by saudi gov

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News Network
November 28,2025

fire.jpg

Several Syrians were killed and more than two dozen others injured in Israeli strikes on the outskirts of Damascus, amid intensified incursions by the occupying regime since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad and the rise of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.

Syrian state TV reported that the casualties occurred during an overnight Israeli assault involving helicopters and drones on the town of Beit Jinn in the Damascus countryside. The attack followed an Israeli military unit’s entry into the town, where they were surrounded by local residents, leading to gunfire and direct confrontations.

According to the report, “The occupation army’s helicopters and artillery shelled Beit Jinn, located at the foothills of Mount Hermon, resulting in 13 martyrs and 25 injured civilians.” The broadcaster did not specify the full extent of damage.

Al-Ikhbariyah Syria confirmed that the shelling coincided with Israeli soldiers entering Beit Jinn, while artillery pounded surrounding areas. The broadcaster stated that the escalation began after local residents clashed with an Israeli patrol that had infiltrated the southern town and “kidnapped” three young men.

Following a two-hour exchange of heavy fire, Israeli forces withdrew and repositioned on the hill of Butt al-Warda at the town’s outskirts.

Israeli media acknowledged that six soldiers were wounded in the clashes—three of them seriously—describing the confrontation as a “sudden ambush” that forced the deployment of reserve units and air support to secure an exit route. No further details were provided.

The aggression has fueled renewed displacement from Beit Jinn, with residents fleeing to nearby villages amid increasingly frequent Israeli attacks.

The raid came just a day after Israeli troops carried out another ground incursion into Umm al-Luqas village in Quneitra province. According to SANA, an Israeli unit in four vehicles entered the village, raided several homes, and later withdrew.

Syria condemned the repeated incursions as violations of the 1974 Disengagement Agreement and UN resolutions, urging the international community to enforce compliance and pressure Israel to halt its operations and withdraw fully.

Israel has expanded its attacks across Syrian territory following the collapse of the Assad government last year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly instructed his forces to push deeper into Syrian territory and seize strategic positions.

Meanwhile, critics say the HTS-led interim government’s inaction and growing normalization gestures toward Israel have emboldened Tel Aviv to intensify its military operations. HTS, formerly linked to al-Qaeda, seized control of Damascus last December, formally ending Assad’s rule.

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