Yesterday (Sunday), Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a number of missiles and a drone launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards Riyadh and other areas in the Kingdom, while a building belonging to the “Aramco Company” in the capital was subjected to limited damage as a result of shrapnel falling on the site, with no casualties recorded.
Major General Turki Al-Maliki, the official spokesman for the “Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen,” announced later yesterday the destruction of 3 ballistic missile launching pads in Saada and Sana’a that were used by the terrorist Houthi militia in an attempt to attack Riyadh and the eastern region. Al-Maliki posted two video clips through his account on the “X” platform documenting the targeting process and the damage to the platforms.
The coalition had previously announced the interception and destruction of two cruise missiles and three ballistic missiles in the Riyadh, southern and eastern regions, and a drone towards the southern region.
For their part, Gulf and Arab countries and regional and international organizations condemned, in the strongest terms, the continued Houthi attacks on the Kingdom, affirming their full solidarity with Saudi measures to preserve its security and sovereignty, and stressing the need for the international community to move firmly to stop these attacks and hold their perpetrators accountable.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, affirmed that Saudi Arabia will continue its efforts in serving the Two Holy Mosques and the guests of God, placing this at the top of its priorities, while the Kingdom expanded the number of countries benefiting from the services of the “Direct Hajj” program to 133 countries.
This came in a speech delivered on his behalf by Prince Saud bin Mishal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of the Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region, during the opening of the sixth edition of the “Hajj Conference and Exhibition” in Jeddah, on Sunday, with the participation of about 520 entities, and attendance and participation representing more than 150 countries.
King Salman pointed out Saudi Arabia’s keenness to develop the Hajj system, improve the quality of services, employ the latest technologies, and enhance integration between state agencies, in a way that facilitates the pilgrim’s journey from his departure from his country until his safe return.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques added that “the continued success of the Hajj seasons confirmed the readiness of his system and its high efficiency,” considering this conference and exhibition one of its capabilities, as it “contributed to strengthening cooperation and joint coordination with you, concluding agreements and raising the level of readiness and preparation for the next season.”
For his part, the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, reviewed seven major transformations that the Hajj and Umrah system has witnessed since the launch of the “Service for the Guests of God” program in 2019, one of the programs to achieve “Saudi Vision 2030,” explaining that they included developing the services market, enhancing competition, early preparation for the seasons, developing the holy sites and transportation, digital transformation, facilitating travel, and enriching the experience of pilgrims and Umrah pilgrims.
The minister revealed that delegations of pilgrims abroad have now been able to choose between 34 companies to provide services, after their options were limited to only one, in a step aimed at enhancing competition and improving the quality of services and prices.
Al-Rabiah explained that the Ministry has strengthened direct contracts in 58 countries where there are no Hajj offices, after their pilgrims’ services were provided through tourist offices, in addition to adding 75 countries to the “Direct Hajj” program, bringing the total number of countries benefiting from the program to 133 countries.
Regarding early preparation, the Minister confirmed that planning for the next season begins on the 12th of Dhu al-Hijjah, through a detailed program for the various stages, pointing to the delivery of preliminary arrangements documents to pilgrims’ affairs offices in 78 countries, and the development of training and awareness programs in different languages, while working to complete contracts four months before the season to ensure readiness and quality of services.
In the field of digital transformation, Al-Rabiah announced that the number of users of the Nusk application has exceeded 70 million Muslims around the world, while the platform’s digital system processes more than 4.4 billion transactions annually, and provides services, including the “digital circumambulation,” which helps the pilgrims follow the circuits of circumambulation and seeking, and view supplications and remembrances.
The minister pointed out that the “Traveler Without a Bag” initiative handled 2.9 million bags during the last Hajj season, while the time for completing travel procedures at airports decreased from two hours to 15 minutes, as part of efforts aimed at facilitating departure procedures and improving the pilgrims’ experience.
Al-Rabiah touched on the projects to develop the Holy Sites and transportation, which are implemented by the Royal Commission for the City of Makkah Al-Mukarramah and the Holy Sites and its partners, with the aim of reducing travel time between the Holy Sites, as well as expanding the development of historical and enrichment sites in Makkah Al-Mukarramah and Medina, the number of which increased from 15 sites in 2022 to 102 sites in 2026.
The Minister explained that the number of visitors to Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifa increased from about 6 million visitors in 2022 to about 16 million in 2025, noting that the Hajj Projects Office, which includes more than 60 governmental and operational agencies, supervised the implementation of about 600 plans within a unified and integrated framework, in a way that enhances coordination between the parties participating in organizing the season.
Al-Rabiah pointed out that the level of pilgrims’ satisfaction increased, according to measurements by the Public Agencies Performance Measurement Center “Adaa”, from 74 percent in 1443 AH to 78 percent in the following year, then 81 percent in 1445 AH, before registering a jump to 91 percent in 1446 AH, reaching 93 percent during the 1447 AH Hajj season, which is the highest level recorded by the index during the aforementioned period.
In turn, Dr. Abdel Fattah Mashat, Deputy Minister, described the international participation in the conference as “large and exceptional,” stressing that the presence of more than 150 countries reflects the scale of the efforts made to develop the Hajj system, and the attention and care given to serving the guests of God.
Mashat explained that preparations for the season extend throughout the year, even though performing the rituals takes a few days, in order to ensure the quality of services and achieve integration between the various parties, indicating that the developments witnessed by the system were the result of joint work between the sectors involved in organizing the Hajj and serving the guests of God.
The conference, which is organized by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah in cooperation with the “Serving the Guests of the Most Merciful” program, will be held under the slogan “From Mecca to the World” until next Wednesday, on an area exceeding 67 thousand square meters, and includes more than 15 main areas and programs, including the “Awareness and Training Forum,” which is being organized for the first time, in addition to the innovation area and programs dedicated to emerging companies.
The sixth edition comes as an extension of five previous editions that witnessed the conclusion of more than 1,850 agreements, the organization of more than 310 sessions and 250 workshops, and the attraction of more than 570,000 visitors, at a time when the conference’s outcomes are directed towards strengthening partnerships, completing contracts early, and transforming initiatives and innovations into practical solutions that support the readiness of the Hajj system for the coming seasons.
