Meet Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani, the new Prime Minister of Qatar

News Network

March 7, 2023

Doha, Mar 7: Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was sworn in as Prime Minister of Qatar at the Amiri Diwan on Tuesday, Qatar news agency (QNA) reported.

He will replace Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani, who had served as prime minister and interior minister — responsible for domestic security — since 2020.

This took place in the precense of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Emir of the country.

Sheikh Mohammed served as foreign minister of Qatar since 2016 and will be replaced as interior minister on Tuesday by Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani.

In his current capacity as Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed's responsibilities include planning and implementing Qatar's foreign policy, maintaining and extending the country's strategic bilateral/multilateral relations, leading mediation efforts, and consolidating international peace and security by encouraging the peaceful settlement of international disputes.

Sheikh Mohammed also serves as Chairman of Qatar Fund for Development, since 2014, Chairman of Qatar Investment Authority, since 2018, and is a member of Qatar's Supreme Council for Economic Affairs and Investments.

Sheikh Mohammed was born and raised in Doha, Qatar. He is part of the Qatari royal family as a member of the House of Thani. He has a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from Qatar University (2003).

Sheikh Mohammed joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2013 as Assistant Foreign Minister for International Cooperation Affairs.

Prior to joining the ministry, Sheikh Mohammed served as economic researcher and then later Director of Economic Affairs at the Supreme Council of Family Affairs from 2005 to 2009.

He later became the director of the Department of Public and Private Sectors Partnership at the Ministry of Business and Trade in 2009 and launched “Enterprise Qatar” – an organization that provides technical and financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

A year later, in 2010, Sheikh Mohammed served as Secretary of the Personal Representative of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani for follow-up affairs at the Amiri Diwan in 2010.

Between 2011 and 2012, Sheikh Mohammed attained the rank of undersecretary and became the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aspire – Katara Investment Company.

Sheikh Mohammed’s responsibilities as Minister of Foreign Affairs included planning and implementing Qatar’s foreign policy, maintaining and extending the country’s strategic bilateral/multilateral relations, leading mediation efforts, and consolidating international peace and security by encouraging the peaceful settlement of international disputes.

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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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