Saudi-Iraq to open border points, set up consulate

Saudi Gazette

October 23, 2017

Riyadh, Oct 23: Saudi Arabia and Iraq agreed on Sunday to open border points and set up a Saudi consulate in Iraq.

In a joint statement issued at the end of the first Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, the two countries announced their decision to develop ports, roads and border zones as well as to carry out studies about establishing a trade exchange zone.

The two sides will also review the agreement for customs cooperation between the two countries. Minister of Trade and Investment Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi and Iraq’s Minister of Planning and Commerce Dr. Salman Al-Jumaili were among the senior officials who addressed the meeting.

The meeting took a raft of decisions aimed at improving the entire gamut of bilateral ties. The decisions included opening an office of the Saudi Industrialization & Energy Services Company (TAQA) and reopening of the SABIC office in Iraq. It is also agreed that the Saudi Agriculture and Livestock Company (SALIC) will obtain a license to invest in Iraq in the agricultural field from the Anbar Investment Commission. Saudi Arabia would take advantage from the economic cities available in Iraq to be an agricultural and industrial source that contribute to enhancing agricultural investment to achieve food security for the two countries.

The two sides stressed the need to work together to bring down the obstacles and boost exports between the two countries. The council agreed to develop the partnership between the private sector in the two countries and to allow businessmen to identify trade and investment opportunities. The two sides would encourage the exchange of technical and scientific expertise and scientific research between the two countries.

As part of the promotion of bilateral relations, it was agreed that Saudi Arabia would participate in exhibitions in Iraq, including the Baghdad International Fair, the Basra Oil and Gas Exhibition, and the Business and Investment Forum, which brings together Saudi businessmen with their Iraqi counterparts.The two sides discussed the priorities of the work of the council during the next two years and agreed to hold its second meeting in Baghdad.

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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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