Saudi Crown Prince to attend G20 in Argentina

Yemeni gov't to take part in planned UN talks in Sweden

The Yemeni government has agreed to take part in upcoming UN-brokered peace talks in Sweden, according to a UN official.In a statement, Martin Griffiths, the UN’s envoy for Yemen, said that a Yemeni government delegation would be sent to the talks with a view to reaching a political solution to the country’s ongoing crisis.The government, for its part, has stressed the importance of pressing Yemen’s Houthi rebel group to refrain from setting any preconditions and to distance itself from attempts to disrupt the talks.Last Friday, Griffiths announced that Yemen’s warring parties had confirmed that they would take part in the peace talks in Sweden.'Khashoggi incident highlighted Yemen crisis'Griffiths’ announcement came after David Beasley, the head of the UN's World Food Program (WFP), briefed reporters on Yemen’s dire humanitarian situation.“The country isn’t on the brink of catastrophe,” Beasley said at a news conference. “It is already facing a catastrophe.”According to the WFP, some 18 million people in Yemen are “food insecure”, while another 12 to 14 million are “severely food insecure”."These people are literally marching toward the brink of starvation," Beasley said.Saudi king backs political solutions in Yemen, SyriaYemen rebels halt missile attacks on Saudi, UAE

Saudi king backs political solutions in Yemen, Syria

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Monday reiterated support for reaching political solutions to the conflicts in Yemen and Syria.In a speech to the Shura Council, a top advisory body, the monarch said the oil-rich kingdom would continue its efforts to resolve regional crises.“Our stand with Yemen was not an option but a duty to support the Yemeni people against the Iran-backed putschist militias,” he said.Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.The conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as proxies for Shia Iran -- launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.The Saudi king also called for reaching a political solution that help “cruise Syria out of its crisis, push away terrorist groups and allow the repatriation of Syrian refugees.”The king’s speech was his first public comments since the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last month.Khashoggi, a frequent contributor to The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul Oct. 2.Saudi Arabia had offered shifting explanations for Khashoggi's disappearance before suggesting he was killed during a botched rendition operation by rogue agents.So far, 21 people, including security officers, have been arrested in Saudi Arabia in connection with the murder.Top security official shot dead in Yemen’s AdenTurkey says Khashoggi killers may have taken body parts out of countrySaudi Arabia defies US pressure to end Qatar row after Khashoggi killingSaudi account of Khashoggi killing 'unsatisfying'

Yemeni Houthis halt missile attacks on Saudi coalition

Houthi rebels in Yemen said on Monday they were halting drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and their Yemeni allies, responding to a demand from the United Nations.The Iranian-aligned group, which has been battling the Saudi-backed government for nearly four years, also said it was was ready for a broader ceasefire if the Saudi-led coalition "wants peace".International pressure has mounted on Yemen's warring parties to end the war that has killed more than 10,000 people and pushed the country to the verge of starvation.The move from the Houthi group came after the coalition ordered a halt in its offensive against Yemen's main port city Hodeidah, which has become the focus of the war."We announce our initiative...to halt missile and drone strikes on the countries of aggression," Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the Houthis' Supreme Revolutionary Committee, said in a statement.The decision was based on discussions with U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths to show "good faith" and support peace efforts, he said.Griffiths is trying to salvage peace talks after a round in September collapsed when the Houthis did not show up. He hopes to convene talks before the end of the year in Sweden to agree on a framework for peace under a transitional government.Yemen's parties have given "firm assurances" they are committed to attending peace talks, Griffiths told the U.N. Security Council on Friday.Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Monday reiterated the kingdom's support for U.N. efforts to end the war.Tired Of WarYemenis cautiously welcomed the announcement on Monday."We pray that this will be the real beginning of peace in Yemen, we are all tired of this war," said Mona Ibrahim, a teacher in the capital Sanaa, which has been under Houthi control since September 2014."We just want to live like other humans," Mohammed al-Ahdal, a resident of Hodeidah said.The Houthi defence ministry said it would respond to any hostilities from the coalition.Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported later on Monday that Houthi forces fired a ballistic missile on Saudi-backed forces in the desert of Midi, bordering Saudi Arabia.The Houthis say their missile attacks on Saudi Arabia are in retaliation for air raids on Yemen by the Western-backed coalition, which entered Yemen's war in 2015 to try to restore the Saudi-backed government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.The coalition has carried out thousands of air strikes in the impoverished country that have hit schools, markets and hospitals, killing hundreds of people - though it says it does not target civilians.The Houthis last July unilaterally halted attacks in the Red Sea to support peace efforts, after Riyadh temporarily suspended oil exports through a strategic Red Sea channel following attacks on crude tankers.Western allies including the United States have called for a ceasefire ahead of the renewed U.N. efforts.Western countries have provided arms and intelligence to the Arab states in the alliance, but have shown increasing reservations about the conflict since the murder of U.S.-based Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last month.Top security official shot dead in Yemen’s AdenSaudi Arabia defies US pressure to end Qatar row after Khashoggi killingYemen gov’t says to swap prisoners with Houthi rebelsUN: Yemeni parties to attend peace talks in SwedenClashes stop in Yemeni port city

Saudi king makes no mention of Khashoggi case in first public comment since murder

Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Monday called on the international community to put an end to Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programme, but made no direct mention of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.The king, who had largely stepped back from active political life, has intervened to try to defuse the crisis, the biggest to hit Saudi Arabia in a generation, and shore up the power of his son and heir apparent, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.He did, however, laud the Saudi judiciary and prosecution service in his speech on Monday for "performing the duties they were entrusted with", without elaborating.Saudi trolls take action as Ankara presses forward in Khashoggi caseThe king’s remarks to the Shura Council, a top advisory body to the government, were his first public comment since Khashoggi’s murder, which sparked global outcry and strained Riyadh's ties with the West.Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working for The Washington Post, was killed shortly after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul Oct. 2.Saudi Arabia had offered shifting explanations for Khashoggi's disappearance before suggesting he was killed during a botched rendition operation by rogue agents.Germany imposes travel bans on 18 Saudis over Khashoggi killingYemen conflictThe king said Saudi Arabia supported U.N. efforts to end the conflict in Yemen, where a Saudi-backed coalition has been battling Iran-aligned Houthi rebels for nearly four years to restore the internationally-recognised government."Our standing by Yemen was not an option but a duty to support the Yemeni people in confronting the aggression of Iranian-backed militias," he said.Impoverished Yemen has remained wracked by violence since 2014, when Shia Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including capital Sanaa.Video: Starving Yemeni children struggle to battle cholera as conflicts continueThe conflict escalated in 2015 when Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-Arab allies -- who accuse the Houthis of serving as proxies for Shia Iran -- launched a massive air campaign in Yemen aimed at rolling back Houthi gains.The following year, UN-sponsored peace talks in Kuwait failed to end the destructive conflict.The violence has devastated Yemen’s infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems, prompting the UN to describe the situation as “one of the worst humanitarian disasters of modern times”.Rouhani says Iran to continue oil exports and resist US economic warIranian jobs pay the price as US sanctions start to bite

Saudi trolls take action as Ankara presses forward in Khashoggi case

The murder of Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Turkey’s Istanbul has thrust an unwavering spotlight on Riyadh and top Saudi officials close to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.As Turkey keeps pushing for the truth in the case of Khashoggi’s murder, Saudis have taken to social media. Hashtags laced with anti-Turkey sentiment even became a trending topic on Twitter on Sunday evening. Two hashtags in particular calling for boycotting tourism in Turkey and professing love for Crown Prince bin Salman were trending in the Kingdom. A closer look at some of the users behind the campaigns reveals that a large number of accounts taking part in these campaigns appear to be run by bots with photos of bin Salman used as profile pictures. One tweet accompanied by a photo says, “Not taking a stance is betrayal” and another reads, “How can we respect those that don’t respect our leaders? Will they show us respect if we go to them?”#مقاطعه_السياحه_التركيهمن لا يحترم قادتنا وبلادنا ومقدساتنا كيف يحترمنا اذا ذهبنا لهم pic.twitter.com/x8Cc4rFJ6j— 🇸🇦MBS💛🖤abuoenad ابوعناد (@abuoenad) 18 Kasım 2018 A different Twitter user tweeted a photo of a crossed-out Turkish flag, calling the boycott of Turkish goods “a national duty.”عداوة تركيا للسعودية اشبه بعداوة الشيطان لابن ادم، عداوة يغذيها الحسد والحقد، والسعودي الغيور على بلدة يجب علية مقاطعة تركيا في كل شئ هذا واجب وطني #مقاطعه_السياحه_التركيه pic.twitter.com/8sLBvDsfAs— مكحل الذيب (@t800800) 18 Kasım 2018 Saudi journalist Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, and Turkey has provided the U.S. as well as other countries with a recording of the murder.After weeks of denying any involvement in the crime, Saudi Arabia later admitted that Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate but claimed the Saudi royal family had no prior knowledge of any plot to murder the journalist.According to reports, Turkish investigators found traces of "hydrofluoric acid and other chemicals" inside a well at the Saudi consul general's home in Istanbul, suggesting Khashoggi’s body was dissolved in acid and other chemicals.Germany imposes travel bans on 18 Saudis over Khashoggi killingOn Thursday, Saudi Arabia’s chief prosecutor’s office announced it had charged 11 out of 21 suspects in relation to the murder, seeking the death penalty for five of the suspects.The CIA believes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Khashoggi, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday, complicating President Donald Trump's efforts to preserve ties with a key U.S. ally.The sources said the CIA had briefed other parts of the U.S. government, including Congress, on its assessment, which contradicts Saudi government assertions that Prince Mohammed was not involved.Khashoggi killing embarrassed France: French journalistTrump wants Saudi Arabia as an ally despite 'vicious' Khashoggi murderWashington Post says Trump is defending bin Salman’s 'lies'