No driving licenses for women

October 25, 2013

Jeddah, Oct 25: Several Saudi women who applied for driving licenses at Dallah Driving School in Jeddah had their applications rejected on Thursday by traffic officials.

Naila Attar, a Saudi businesswoman, went with two friends to apply for licenses this week at the school. She said it was a futile situation for local women, but that they had some hope that officials would grant them the licenses.

“We have done our homework and studied for the exam. We’ve learned everything there is to know about driving. We actually have licenses from other countries but want the Saudi one too,” she said.

Attar was surprised when she saw other women at the driving school also applying for licenses. “When we walked in, we saw a waiting area for women. We asked the front desk to give us the license applications but they kept asking for our drivers. When we said the applications were for us, they started laughing,” she said.

Saudi women have been going in small groups to apply for licenses throughout the week.

Fatima Moussalli, a businesswoman, was one of the women who applied Wednesday with two friends. “As soon as we walked in, they knew why we were there because other ladies had applied earlier in the week,” she said. “An employee told us that there was no way we could obtain Saudi driving licenses for the time being. He advised us to seek an explanation from the Ministry of Interior,” she said.

Hanaa Humaidan, another Saudi businesswoman who applied, said: “We wanted to apply the legal way because we are a country that respects the law. At the school, an official told us that they would only accept applications once the Ministry of Interior gives the green light,” she said.

“I learned a lot about this issue just by sitting with him for a short while. He also informed us that if we had a driving license from another GCC country, it would be easier for us to get a Saudi one without tests once it is allowed,” she said.

Three women videotaped themselves driving in Jeddah to the driving school to apply for licenses on Oct. 22. In the short video, the women said an official told them that they had not received an order from the Ministry of Interior to obtain licenses.

Um Mohannad was videotaped saying that women are being arrested for not having licenses as opposed to driving illegally, but are refused licenses upon application.

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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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