Municipality ends ‘shawarma row’

June 30, 2014

Riyadh, Jun 30: The Riyadh Municipality clarified the image of the three workers preparing a large quantity of shawarma (grilled chicken meat on large vertical skewers) in unsanitary conditions is that of a restaurant in Turkey and not in the Kingdom.

The image went viral on social media networks raising a lot of concern about the hygiene and sanitation levels in the Kingdom.

The questions however can now be laid to rest following a long investigation by officials from the municipality who identified that the picture was taken in a Turkish restaurant in Turkey and that it had done the rounds of social network sites earlier.

The General Director of the Environmental Health Department in Riyadh, Mohamed Moaamn, confirmed that the captured image is of three workers in a famous restaurant in Turkey, and also confirmed that the picture had previously appeared on Turkish websites.

Moaamn expressed his appreciation toward the residents of the capital for alerting the municipality and reporting the three workers through the emergency hotline number 940.

The Riyadh Municipality had earlier called on all citizens and residents to cooperate with them and to report any information before receiving the picture about three workers preparing shawarma in unhygienic conditions at a restaurant.

The efforts to investigate and confirm the issue represents the municipality’s keenness, as per the instructions of the Mayor of Riyadh Region, Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Al-Mokebel, to provide a safe, healthy environment for the customers in the capital and to seriously address any violation of the health regulations.

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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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