Madinah set to serve Hajj pilgrims

Arab News

August 3, 2017

Jeddah, Aug 3: Madinah governorate has started implementing its plan to serve pilgrims and visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque during this year’s Hajj season, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The plan of the governorate and its affiliated municipalities covers environmental health, markets, public hygiene, road safety, lighting and a 24-hour monitoring system throughout the Hajj season.

Mayor of the Madinah region, Mohammed bin Abdulhadi Al-Amri, said the plan will mobilize human and material resources to provide the highest level of service to pilgrims. The plan is being supported and followed up by Madinah Gov. Prince Faisal bin Salman.

It takes into consideration the safety of pilgrims and visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque and its environs.

The plan also takes into account increased commercial activity, the number of pilgrims, speedy delivery of services, intensification of environmental health services, how to face the anticipated waste increase, combating commercial fraud, keeping streets tidy, and ensuring the safety and quality of food and water.

The plan will monitor roads used by pilgrims on a 24-hour basis, and stores’ compliance with required health certificates.

It entails operation of government and private slaughterhouses with strict controls on veterinary measures and air pollutants.

It also entails 24-hour readiness to treat emergencies, respond to police and civil defense requests, transport the dead, and operate and maintain lighting networks, tunnels and other facilities.

More than 356 workers are assigned in the central area on a three-shift system for 75 days. Workers and equipment are distributed in all municipalities to ensure proper implementation of work.

Store owners are under strict instruction to allocate waste compressors that can be transported to designated disposal areas.

The plan includes strict controls on hotels, food-processing plants and restaurants preparing meals for pilgrims.

Environmental health teams are assigned to monitor stations and rest houses located on highways passed by pilgrims on their way to Madinah.

The governorate and government agencies related to Hajj service providers are coordinating to iron out difficulties that may impede the progress of plans and programs, and the mobilization of human and material resources.

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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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