Saudi Arabia - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Saudi Arabia cover image

Saudi Arabia

September 27, 2026

Riyadh 2:24 am

29°C

France s President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Saudi Arabia s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he arrives for a State diner in his honor at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Aug. 24, 2026.

What France’s military deployment means for Saudi Arabia’s fight against Houthis

New pledges of limited British and French military deployments fall short of what Riyadh would likely need to defend its skies should the Houthis escalate further.

A shipping vessel transits the Strait of Hormuz

Explainer

Saudi Arabia’s return to Hormuz puts oil transfer network to the test

For months, Saudi Arabia had been eschewing the Strait of Hormuz, but the kingdom has now resorted to ship-to-ship transfers through the vital waterway.

ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Can Netanyahu turn Israel's UN isolation into strength at home?

The absence of a Trump meeting would have been awkward for Netanyahu, who has long portrayed himself to Israeli voters as uniquely close to the US president.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Syrians wave Iranian, Russian and Syrian flags during a protest against U.S.-led air strikes in Damascus,Syria April 14,2018.REUTERS/ Omar Sanadiki TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1815671B90

Does the US want a war with Iran over Syria?

Despite Trump’s initial caution about an indefinite military commitment, the risks of the United States getting drawn into the Syria conflict are growing.

Thai court extends detention of Bahraini soccer player

Dissident Bahraini soccer player Hakeem al-Araibi says he would face torture if extradited to Bahrain.

Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah gestures during a news conference with Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, following the annual summit of GCC, in Kuwait City, Kuwait, December 5, 2017. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed - RC16BFA38D60

Is the GCC dead?

Although Saudi Arabia has invited Qatar to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council summit Dec. 9, a resolution to the dispute between Doha and its Gulf neighbors seems far off, threatening the entire council with irrelevancy.

Egypt eyes bigger exports to Arab, African markets

Egypt has announced the imminent launch of a free zone in Nuweiba, the first in the Sinai Peninsula, and experts believe such a project will boost economic ties with Saudi Arabia and increase Egyptian exports.

Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) speaks to the media after a closed briefing for senators about the latest developments related to the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 28, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC1218182BD0

Senate puzzles out how to punish Saudi Arabia ahead of unprecedented vote

An overwhelming majority of senators want to punish Riyadh for murdering Jamal Khashoggi and because of the Yemen war. The question is how.

Swedish Foreign minister Margot Wallstrom, U.N. envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths and delegates attend the opening press conference on U.N.-sponsored peace talks for Yemen at Johannesberg castle, in Rimbo, Sweden December 6, 2018. Stina Stjernkvist /TT News Agency/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. SWEDEN OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SWEDEN. - RC1E49050030

US ices Iran out of Yemen talks

Iranian efforts to send a high-level official to Sweden talks with the Houthis have been rebuffed.

UAE, Yemen’s Islah Party try to tolerate each other

The Islah Party in Yemen and the United Arab Emirates recognize they have a common enemy, but that doesn't make them friends.

Saudi Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri, spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition forces, speaks to the media next to a replica of a Tornado fighter jet, at the Riyadh airbase in the Saudi capital on March 26, 2014. Speaking to reporters in the Saudi capital, spokesman Ahmed Assiri also said that there were no immediate plans for a ground offensive but that the coalition would not allow any supplies to reach the rebels. AFP PHOTO / FAYEZ NURELDINE (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey issues arrest warrants for MBS associates

Turkey sends a message to Saudi Arabia and the world about the Khashoggi murder.

Congress grills incoming Middle East commander on Yemen

On the heels of a vote to end support to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, senators grilled President Trump’s choice to lead US troops in the Middle East about America’s role in the conflict.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman looks out as leaders arrive for a family photo at the G20 in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1CF27DCB60

Saudi Arabia's estrangement

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman got into the G-20 group photo, but his brand remains very toxic.

Turkish lira banknotes are pictured at a currency exchange office in Istanbul, Turkey August 13, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC179263C1F0

Economists unmoved by pause in Turkish lira's plummet

Though the latest news about Turkey's currency is good, economists still believe Turkey could well be sailing into recession, while at the G-20 summit, the Turkish president is frustrated by how little is being made of the Jamal Khashoggi murder case.

People chant slogans and hold banners as they take part in a protest, opposing the visit of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Tunis, Tunisia, November 27, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi - RC1CDFF239E0

Arab Spring memories fresh as Tunisians protest MBS

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was greeted in Tunisia by hundreds of protesters, blaming him for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and calling for an end to the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen.