Two Saudi millionaires pay blood money to free Filipino

December 26, 2015

Riyadh, Dec 26: Two Saudi millionaires have reportedly paid SR225,000 in blood money to free a Filipino man who had killed an Indian national in a car accident.

The men donated the blood money requested by the victim’s relatives. The Filipino man was working for the firm of the Saudi citizens. A local court has sent a letter to the prison to release the Filipino and consider the case closed, according to a report published by an online news channel.

The Filipino man was driving a van in Al-Rass town in central Saudi Arabia, when he hit the pedestrian, killing him instantly, according to the report, but did not specify when the incident took place.

The Philippine Embassy has issued its thanks for the generous gesture. However, Philippine Ambassador Ezzedin Tago, in a message to Arab News on Friday, could not confirm the donation. “The money could have been made directly to the prison as an act of charity,” he said.

Meanwhile, in a separate case, the mother of Joselito Zapanta, the Filipino on death row in Riyadh, has pleaded for help to raise the rest of the blood money needed to save her son from execution.

In an interview, the mother said they have so far raised P23 million (less than SR2 million) of the P49 million (SR4 million) sought by the family of the Sudanese national Imam Ibrahim who was murdered in 2009 in Riyadh after an argument over rental payment.

According to Zapanta’s mother, the money collected can be sent to the Philippine Embassy’s account at a local Saudi bank.

The Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, a non-profit organization assisting distressed overseas foreign workers, had issued an appeal to raise the blood money.

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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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