Low-cost Haj: Ministry begins accepting online applications

September 2, 2014

Jeddah, Sep 2: The Haj Ministry website has started accepting applications from Saudis and expatriates who wanted to make use of the low-cost Haj scheme.

More than 40,000 pilgrims are expected to benefit from the low-cost Haj scheme this year, said Abdul Hameed Al-Sinani, secretary general of the Coordination Council for Domestic Haj Service Firms.

Speaking to Arab News, Al-Sinani said 53 companies and establishments have been authorized to provide low-cost services to eligible pilgrims for SR2,500 to SR5,000.

“About a third of the total domestic pilgrims are accounted for this low-cost service. The program, which is introduced by the ministry, will be a great relief for a good number of citizens and expatriates,” he said.

Other domestic Haj operating companies have been striving to scale down the cost of Haj, but can only slash prices to a certain extent since factors, such as rising air fare and road transport costs, food supply contracts and rising labor charges, are beyond their control.

“The cost of renting out tents, furnishing tents and making additional modifications on them have also risen considerably,” Al-Sinan added.

Such factors have made it difficult for the council to force companies to bring down their charges despite demands on companies not to hike prices unreasonably.

“The council did not directly force or interfere in the pricing policies exercised in domestic pilgrim companies. It is, nevertheless, the council’s duty to advise them to keep their prices affordable,” said Al-Sinani, adding that he found that companies were cooperative and have slashed prices from last year’s higher tariffs.

Saad Al-Qurashi, owner of several domestic Haj companies, reiterated that the coordination council does not have the authority to set tariffs of private companies. “The council should uphold its fundamental roles and represent us effectively so we remain reassured,” he added.

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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.

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