King Salman’s vision: Stability, unity

January 24, 2015

Jeddah, Jan 24: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman took charge as the new ruler of Saudi Arabia on Friday in a smooth transition following the death of King Abdullah and pledged to continue the current government policies to ensure stability and unity in the country.

Addressing the nation, King Salman also urged the citizens to pledge their allegiance to Crown Prince Muqrin and Deputy Crown Prince and Interior Minister Muhammad bin Naif.

“We will continue by the grace of Allah and His strength to follow the right path … and will never deviate from it. Our constitution is the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet, peace be upon him,” the king said.

King Salman said all existing ministers would continue in their positions without change.

He appointed Prince Mohammed bin Salman as defense minister and head of the royal court and the king’s private secretary.

Hamad Al-Suwailem was appointed head of the crown prince’s court with the rank of a minister while Gen. Hamad Al-Ouhali was named commander of the royal guards.

He commended the services extended by King Abdullah for the nation, the wider Muslim community and the Arab world.

He also asked Allah to help him to carry out his duties in the best manner.

Quoting from the Qur’an to highlight the transience of life, the king said that everyone on earth would die and have to face their Creator. “With a heart filled with grief and sadness,” he extended condolences to the “loyal Saudi people and the Arab and Islamic nation” on King Abdullah’s death.

He said King Abdullah had dedicated his entire life to strengthen his religion, his nation and people, defending the causes of the Arab and Islamic worlds. “Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return,” he said stressing the reality of death.

King Salman also urged Arabs and Muslims to seek solidarity in the face of challenges currently confronting them. He said this would be the policy of Saudi Arabia as it moves to tackle obstacles facing it.

“We will continue in this country, which Allah has honored by choosing it as the platform for His message and the Qibla (direction to which Muslims turn while praying), to boost unity and defend our nation’s causes.” He said the Kingdom would be guided by the teachings of Islam, which is a religion of “peace, mercy and moderation.”

The king added: “I ask Allah to guide me to serve our dear people, realize their hopes, preserve our country and nation’s security and stability, and to protect it from evil. He is able to do that and there is no strength except with the support of Allah.”

Meanwhile, King Salman, Crown Prince Muqrin, deputy premier, and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Naif, interior minister and second deputy premier, received at Al-Hukm Palace on Friday a group of citizens including princes and the grand mufti, who came to take their oath of allegiance on the basis of Qur’an and Sunnah.

In a statement on Friday, Prince Muqrin commended King Abdullah’s great services to the nation. He wished every success for King Salman to carry out his duties in the service of the nation and the Arab and Islamic Ummah, adding that the king’s wisdom and expertise are required to overcome the present challenges.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Syrian Town erupts after Israeli forces enter Beit Jinn; heavy casualties reported

News Network

November 28,2025

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.

Comments