2 million faithful seek God’s blessings in Grand Mosque

August 6, 2013

Makkah, Aug 6: Two million worshippers spent the 27th night of the holy month of Ramadan in the Grand Mosque seeking God's blessings. High security and integrated services contributed to a smooth flow of movement among worshippers filing in and out of the Grand Mosque.

Security forces were deployed for crowd management, in addition to a special emergency force, the security force for Haj and Umrah and the security force responsible for training police staff. In addition, 10 government agencies extended support to these forces by providing health and other services to worshippers.

“With the beginning of the 27th of Ramadan, the third stage of the crowd management plan at the Grand Mosque was successfully implemented to control and manage the huge influx of people entering the Grand Mosque and its courtyards,” said Brig. Saad Al-Khlaiwi, deputy commander of Haj forces and director of Haj Training Centers.

Col. Saeed Salem Al-Qarni, director of security patrols in Makkah, said about 300 security personnel were patrolling the areas and helping other agencies streamline the movement of pilgrims.

Brig. Khalaf Al-Mutrafi, director general of Civil Defense in Makkah, said that Civil Defense forces exercised a high degree of efficiency during this holy night. “The number of staff was increased to meet the stiff increase in the number of pilgrims and visitors,” Al-Mutrafi said, adding that the situation required further precautionary measures to maintain order and minimize hazards as much as possible for the safety of people there. “It is a blessing that all worshippers performed the holy rituals safely and with ease,” he added.

Yahiya Al-Zahrani, commander of the Grand Mosque force, said that although the premises of the Grand Mosque, the roofs, the first floor, the corridors and the courts surrounding the mosque reached maximum capacity, worshippers performed their prayers and the holy rituals comfortably. “The implementation of the plan of this night in particular greatly contributed to the smooth streamlining of people,” he added.

“The movement of worshippers inside and outside the Grand Mosque was being monitored by 750 display screens and more than 1,000 digital cameras,” Al-Zahrani said, adding that a special security force was dedicated to safeguarding the Al-Mataf Bridge.

Brig. Gen. Abdulrahman Al-Muqbil, director-general of the traffic department, said that more than 4,000 security men, including 2,500 police trainees and 1,500 members of the General Directorate of Traffic, as well as the traffic department staff in Makkah, implemented the traffic plan for the night. “This greatly contributed to the smooth flow of crowds within the holy city,” he said, adding that they were deployed in the central area, shopping centers, streets and squares.

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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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