Saudi Cabinet lauds king’s orders on easing citizens’ living conditions

Arab News

January 10, 2018

Riyadh, Jan 10: The Saudi Cabinet has expressed its appreciation of King Salman’s royal decrees on the payment of annual bonuses and cost of living allowances for civilians and military employees in the Kingdom.

Chaired by King Salman at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh Tuesday, the Cabinet also praised the king’s orders on the payment of financial rewards to military personnel serving at the Kingdom’s southern frontline, and cost of living allowances for retired employees and social security beneficiaries, as well as the increase of stipend payments for students.

The Cabinet also appreciated the king’s orders on the government’s bearing the value-added tax (VAT) of citizens benefiting from private health and education services and the payment of VAT in the purchasing price of a citizen’s first house, as long as it does not exceed SR850,000 ($226,636).

The Cabinet stressed that the king’s orders came from his keen desire to care for the country’s citizens and provide continued support to them toward a decent life, and to ensure a distinct living standard for all segments of society.

King Salman also briefed the Cabinet on the phone call made to Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah; his talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammed Najib Abdul Razzaq and President Nicos Anastasiades of Cyprus, during which agreements of cooperation were signed; and the results of his meeting with the Speaker of House of Representatives of Arab Republic of Egypt Dr. Abdel-Aal.

At the regional level, the Cabinet welcomed the statement issued by Arab foreign ministers at their meeting in Jordan on the consequences of a US decision to recognize Al-Quds as a capital of Israel, which stressed that Al-Quds will remain a central issue for the Arabs and key to peace in the region. It also supported the reference in the statement that no peace or stability will be achieved unless an independent Palestinian state is established with its capital in East Quds.

The Cabinet further expressed the Kingdom’s strong condemnation of a terrorist attack on a mosque in Nigeria and renewed the Kingdom’s rejection of such terrorist acts.

Later, the Cabinet approved a series of memos of understanding on cooperation in the areas of Islamic affairs, minerals and energy, education and science, telecoms and information technology between the Kingdom and Djibouti, China, Sweden and Russia, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet ordered the activation of anti-begging offices at the Ministry of Labor and Social Development and continuation of the security forces at the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah to fully undertake their responsibility in fighting begging at the Two Holy Mosques.

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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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