Muqeem only after valid iqama expires

October 12, 2015

Jeddah, Oct 12: Exchanging the Muqeem card with the iqama is not required for those who still have valid iqamas, and is only needed for those whose iqamas have expired and have to be renewed, said the General Directorate of Passports.

The directorate is ready to launch the Muqeem card from the beginning of Muharram 1437H.

Workers’ iqamas will be sent by Saudi Post to the directorate to change them to the Muqeem cards. The Muqeem cards will be returned to sponsors by post.

The directorate is prepared to start this process in coordination with the National Information Center and the Saudi Post, said Maj. Gen. Suleiman Al-Yahya, director general of passports.

The launch of the Muqeem card comes after completion of all necessary requirements, which will enable security personnel in the field, government departments and private establishments to identify the date of its expiry.

All companies and institutions are required to register with the Saudi mail Wasil to provide documents to them by 1/11/1436H, while individuals (citizens and residents) are required to register as of the beginning of the month of Muharram 1437H.

The Muqeem card is unique in that it is valid for five years and aims to provide the identity of the foreign national in the field, as well as their name, number, birth date, profession, eligibility to work, nationality, work permit number (if applicable), religion and employer.

There have also been changes to the appearance of the card, as it is now called a Muqeem card. The card can be issued electronically for the first time via the Abshir or Muqeem e-services.

The card is only an identification card for the sponsor or profession, and is to be renewed electronically every year by the employer.

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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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