Saudi Arabia: 459 illegal foreigners arrested in crackdown

October 16, 2014

Riyadh, Oct 16: In a major operation on Sunday, the police arrested 459 expatriates of various nationalities, including 36 women, who violated the country's labor regulations.

Among those arrested were two Yemeni beggars, who were carrying fake Saudi identity cards.

The police raids were conducted on the orders of Riyadh Gov. Prince Turki bin Abdullah. The authorities here also hope their actions will reduce crime in the region including theft, sorcery, cupping therapy and brewing liquor.

The operations were carried out in the district of Manfouha. The police combed construction sites, abandoned buildings, market places, malls and streets for child beggars and people staying illegally in the Kingdom. The raids were carried out over 24 hours from dawn on Sunday.

According to a police official, most of those arrested were people who overstayed their Haj or Umrah visas and were trafficked into the capital from Jeddah.

In a separate operation at the weekend in Riyadh, the police also arrested 400 violators including 59 beggars who were operating near traffic lights. Most of the beggars were foreign nationals and included children, women and men.

Begging increases in the Kingdom during the Haj season and holy month of Ramadan when it is customary to give charity. The government deports expatriates and sends citizens to rehabilitation programs run by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

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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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