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An explosion was heard over Dubai airport on Saturday followed by a cloud of smoke in the air, a witness told AFP; Dubai Media Office described 'a minor incident resulting from the fall of debris after an interception', but dismissed unspecified social media reports about the airport in a post on X.



Explosion over Dubai airport: Witness to AFP

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Finance Minister <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pm-finance-minister-highlight-pakistans-reform-push-at-wef-davos" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Muhammad Aurangzeb</a> held high-level meetings with Saudi and World Bank officials on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference 2026, focusing on investment follow-ups, technology cooperation and long-term development support.&nbsp;According to a finance ministry statement, Aurangzeb met Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal bin Fadhil Alibrahim to review progress on Saudi investment commitments in Pakistan and broader bilateral economic cooperation. The AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies will be held on February 8&ndash;9, 2026, at Maraya Hall in AlUla.&nbsp;The annual forum is organized by Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s finance ministry in collaboration with the International Monetary Fund&rsquo;s regional office in Riyadh, and brings together finance ministers, central bank governors, policymakers and international institutions from emerging economies.&nbsp;The engagements come as Pakistan seeks to deepen economic partnerships with key regional and multilateral partners, using the AlUla Conference as a platform to advance investment, trade and development priorities.&nbsp;During the meeting, the Saudi minister praised Pakistan&rsquo;s growing technology sector. He &ldquo;highly appreciated the quality of artificial intelligence and technology talent being produced by Pakistan,&rdquo; noting that it ranks &ldquo;among the top one or two globally,&rdquo; the statement said.&nbsp;Alibrahim also expressed Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s &ldquo;keen interest in leveraging Pakistani tech professionals&rdquo; to support the Kingdom&rsquo;s ongoing technological transformation.&nbsp;Aurangzeb said Pakistan is working to formalize overseas employment pathways, sharing that the country is creating &ldquo;a structured pipeline of skilled human resources for key international markets, including Saudi Arabia,&rdquo; aimed at generating &ldquo;mutual economic benefits.&rdquo;&nbsp;The two sides also discussed progress on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Free Trade Agreement, with emphasis on boosting trade and economic exchanges.&nbsp;Aurangzeb assured that &ldquo;dedicated Pakistani teams are actively leading the process to finalize Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s investment commitments in Pakistan,&rdquo; and thanked the Saudi government for hosting what he described as a &ldquo;strategically significant conference.&rdquo;&nbsp;Separately, the finance minister met World Bank Group Managing Director Anna Bjerde to review Pakistan&rsquo;s reform and development agenda.&nbsp;According to the finance ministry, the meeting assessed progress under Pakistan&rsquo;s Country Partnership Framework and followed up on the recent visit of the World Bank president to Pakistan.&nbsp;Discussions covered priority sectors including energy, education, health, climate resilience, infrastructure, fiscal reforms and debt-for-development swaps.&nbsp;Both sides stressed the need for &ldquo;a more focused approach, clear performance trackers, and robust implementation&rdquo; to ensure measurable outcomes.

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Pakistan’s finance minister meets Saudi and World Bank officials at AlUla Conference, advancing investment, technology cooperation and development support, while reaffirming commitments to trade, reforms and long-term economic partnerships.

At AlUla Conference, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia advance investment and tech cooperation

ISLAMABAD: The United States on Friday approved a sale of $9 billion in Patriot defense missiles for Saudi Arabia, at a point of high tensions with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-says-iran-wants-to-make-a-deal" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran</a>, AFP reported.&nbsp; The kingdom, a longtime US partner, plans to buy 730 Patriot missiles from the United States, the State Department said. The missiles are used to defend against incoming attacks. Growing pressure &nbsp;Iran has faced growing pressure after major protests against the government. Saudi Arabia has voiced caution about an <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/saudi-qatar-oman-convinced-trump-to-give-iran-a-chance-senior-saudi-official" style="color:#0073e6;">attack on Iran</a>. Condemnation of Israeli aggression&nbsp;In June last year, according to a&nbsp;state-run Saudi Press Agency&#39;s report,&nbsp;the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the &ldquo;blatant Israeli aggressions&rdquo; against Iran, which it said undermined its sovereignty and security and constituted a clear violation of international laws and norms. &ldquo;While the Kingdom condemns these heinous attacks, it affirms that the international community and the Security Council bear a great responsibility to immediately halt this aggression,&rdquo; the report had said.

State Department says the kingdom, a longtime US partner, plans to buy 730 Patriot missiles from the United States.

US approves $9 billion in Patriot missile defense for Saudi Arabia

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have agreed to deepen cooperation in the energy and minerals sectors, underscoring their commitment to strengthening bilateral economic and strategic ties.&nbsp;Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik held a meeting with Saudi Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliki, during which both sides reviewed existing collaboration and discussed new areas for partnership.&nbsp;&ldquo;During the meeting, both sides reviewed ongoing collaboration and explored new avenues for cooperation, particularly in the energy and minerals sectors,&rdquo; the information ministry said in a statement.&nbsp;Malik said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had &ldquo;vast potential&rdquo; to expand cooperation in energy and mineral development, emphasizing the importance of sustained engagement between the two countries.&nbsp;&ldquo;Both sides agreed to maintain close coordination to further strengthen economic and strategic cooperation in the coming period,&rdquo; the statement added.&nbsp;The Saudi ambassador praised Pakistan&rsquo;s participation in the Future Minerals Forum held in Riyadh and stressed the value of continued dialogue to advance joint efforts in the minerals sector.&nbsp;Malik congratulated the Kingdom on the successful organization of the forum, noting that it &ldquo;offers significant opportunities for regional collaboration,&rdquo; according to the statement.&nbsp;Expressing confidence in the longstanding partnership between the two countries, Malik said the strong Pakistan-Saudi Arabia friendship was expected to yield tangible outcomes, including increased investment, technology sharing and development projects benefiting both sides.

Pakistan’s petroleum minister meets the Saudi ambassador, reviews ongoing collaboration, explores new investment avenues, and stresses close coordination to deepen economic and strategic ties between the two countries.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to enhance cooperation in energy and minerals

Pakistan TV Satellite

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Defence Production Raza Hayat Harraj has said that if a trilateral defense cooperation agreement among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye is proposed in the future, Pakistan would welcome it. Talking exclusively in Pakistan TV&rsquo;s programme The Newsroom, the minister said Pakistan enjoys very strong diplomatic and defense relations with both Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, describing them as close allies and reliable friends of the country.&nbsp; &ldquo;An agreement has already been concluded between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. It is a bilateral agreement. If tomorrow, Turkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia come up with a proposal, it will be a very welcoming statement as far as Pakistan is concerned,&rdquo; the minister said, adding that at present there is no trilateral agreement involving the three countries. The Saudi-Pakistan defense agreement was signed between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Riyadh in September last year, which was described as a &ldquo;strategic mutual defense agreement.&rdquo;&nbsp; The agreement aims to development aspects of defense cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression. Harraj said Pakistan maintains close defence cooperation with Turkiye, particularly in defence industrial development, and has a similar association with Saudi Arabia. Azerbaijan is also a close partner of Pakistan in terms of defense cooperation, he added. The minister said while a trilateral framework could be a future prospect, any such arrangement would only be considered if and when a formal proposal is presented.&nbsp; &ldquo;We would be willing to deliberate once an opportunity arises,&rdquo; he said, adding that if such an agreement comes forward, it will be left for the relevant stakeholders to scrutinize it. Harraj emphasised that defense-related agreements are considered trade secrets and often involve classified information that cannot be disclosed publicly.&nbsp; Explaining the nature of defense cooperation, the minister said such collaborations can take various forms, including joint exercises, shared production of defense equipment, or joint manufacturing of components.&nbsp; He cited the JF-17 fighter jet programme as an example of successful defense collaboration between Pakistan and China. Reiterating Pakistan&rsquo;s position, Harraj said bilateral defense agreements with Turkiye and Saudi Arabia are independent of each other.

The Newsroom

Federal Minister for Defense Production Raza Hayat Harraj has said that if a trilateral defense cooperation agreement among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye is proposed in the future, Pakistan would welcome it.

Pakistan open to trilateral defense deal with Saudi Arabia, Turkiye in future: Harraj

PAX SILICA, a partnership built for the AI age. (x/@UnderSecE)

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The move signals a shift by energy-rich Gulf states toward securing artificial intelligence supply chains, semiconductor manufacturing, critical minerals, and digital infrastructure.

Qatar, UAE join Pax Silica alliance on global technology supply chains

DOHA: Some personnel have been asked to depart the United States&#39; Al Udeid military base in Qatar, two diplomatic sources told AFP on Wednesday, with the Gulf state saying &quot;regional tensions&quot; were behind the move.&nbsp;The decision comes after Washington&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-keeps-iran-air-strikes-on-table-white-house-says" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">threatened</a>&nbsp;to respond to an Iranian government crackdown on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-warns-of-very-strong-action-if-iran-hangs-protesters" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">protests</a>&nbsp;while Tehran has said it would strike US military and shipping assets in the event of a new attack.&nbsp;The measure was taken &quot;in response to the current regional tensions&quot;, Qatar&#39;s International Media Office said in a statement.&nbsp;&quot;Qatar continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety including actions related to the protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities,&quot; it added.&nbsp;A diplomatic source told AFP earlier that a number of personnel were asked to leave the base by Wednesday evening.&nbsp;A second source confirmed the information, also on condition of anonymity.&nbsp;The US embassy in Qatar declined to comment on personnel movement at Al Udeid.&nbsp;In June, Iran targeted the United States&#39; Al Udeid military base in Qatar in response to earlier American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.&nbsp;Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Iran&#39;s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned US President Donald Trump on Wednesday that the strike on the base had demonstrated &quot;Iran&#39;s will and capability to respond to any attack&quot;.&nbsp;Doha was able to leverage the unprecedented attack on its soil to help deliver a speedy truce between Washington and Tehran.&nbsp;Washington has repeatedly said the United States is considering air strikes on Iran to stop a crackdown on protesters.&nbsp;Trump on Tuesday said in a CBS News interview that the United States would act if Iran began hanging protesters.&nbsp;Iranian authorities called the American warnings a &quot;pretext for military intervention&quot;.&nbsp;Mass protests in Iran since Thursday have posed one of the biggest challenges to the clerical leadership since the 1979 Islamic revolution ousted the shah.&nbsp;Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said it had confirmed 734 people killed during the protests, including nine minors, but warned the death toll was likely far higher.&nbsp;&quot;The real number of those killed is likely in the thousands,&quot; IHR&#39;s director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said.

Qatar said some US personnel were asked to leave Al Udeid base due to regional tensions, amid US threats over Iran’s protest crackdown and Tehran’s warnings, following earlier Iranian strikes and unrest killing hundreds nationwide.

Qatar says some personnel departing US base over 'regional tensions': AFP sources

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday held virtual consultations with his counterparts from T&uuml;rkiye, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), focusing on regional developments and underscoring the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in easing tensions, the Foreign Office said.&nbsp;The consultations took place while Dar is on an official visit to Beijing, where he is co-chairing the 7th Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers&rsquo; Strategic Dialogue with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according to an earlier Foreign Office statement.&nbsp;During his separate conversations with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Dar discussed the evolving regional situation, the statement said.&nbsp;The foreign minister welcomed the Saudi position on Yemen and &ldquo;appreciated the efforts of all sides to resolve&rdquo; regional issues through peaceful means, the Foreign Office added.&nbsp;In a separate interaction with UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Dar exchanged views on the broader regional environment and expressed satisfaction over what the statement described as a &ldquo;positive trajectory&rdquo; and recent improvements in the situation.&nbsp;&ldquo;DPM/FM Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar appreciated that dialogue and diplomacy have resulted in tangible outcomes on the ground,&rdquo; the Foreign Office said, adding that Pakistan continues to support peaceful engagement and cooperative approaches to regional challenges.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar holds virtual talks with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and UAE, discussing regional developments and praising dialogue and diplomacy for easing tensions

Pakistani FM consults Muslim-majority counterparts on regional stability, diplomacy

ISLAMABAD: In 2025, Israel launched an unprecedented series of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/the-bitter-relationship-between-israel-and-arab-states" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">military attacks across six countries in the Middle East</a>, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).&nbsp; The data analysis group&rsquo;s report, &ldquo;Israel recalibrates its military campaigns in a region still on edge,&rdquo; highlights the growing scope and intensity of Israel&rsquo;s actions in the region. ACLED, an independent global conflict monitor, reported that Israel launched military attacks in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen throughout the year, marking the widest geographic reach of any military worldwide in 2025. &ldquo;In 2025, Israel launched attacks in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen,&rdquo; ACLED states, noting that between January 1 and November 28 alone, Israel &ldquo;undertook more than 12,500 military actions across the Middle East.&rdquo; Deadliest zone: Palestine (Gaza Strip and West Bank)ACLED identified the Palestinian territories, particularly Gaza, as the deadliest theater of Israel&rsquo;s military activity in 2025. &ldquo;Gaza remained the deadliest arena; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/gaza-civil-defense-says-7-killed-in-israeli-strikes" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">IDF killed thousands</a>&nbsp;&mdash; the majority civilians &mdash; in strikes,&rdquo; the report details. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) strikes reportedly killed over 16,100 Palestinians in Gaza. The report further stated that Israel broke a ceasefire in January and, by October, had &ldquo;confined Palestinians in Gaza to less than 25% of the enclave and was pushing to establish full control over Gaza City.&rdquo; In the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/14-countries-condemn-israels-expansion-of-west-bank-settlements" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">West Bank</a>, ACLED documented intensified Israeli military operations: &ldquo;The IDF conducted its largest operations in decades, displacing tens of thousands from the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur al-Shams camps.&rdquo; Lebanon: ongoing air and artillery strikesDespite a ceasefire, ACLED recorded that Israel continued to carry out air and artillery strikes in Lebanon. &ldquo;The IDF conducted nearly 1,600 air- and artillery strikes, as well as shooting attacks, in Lebanon,&rdquo; the report said. Israeli forces withdrew ground troops in February but continued &ldquo;hundreds of near-daily strikes, mainly in the south but also in the Bekaa Valley and Beirut,&rdquo; killing hundreds of Hezbollah fighters, including nearly 25 commanders. Iran: strategic campaignACLED describes Israel&rsquo;s campaign in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/iran-says-missile-programme-defensive-nonnegotiable" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Iran</a>&nbsp;as the most strategically consequential foreign operation of 2025. &ldquo;Israel launched a 12-day military campaign consisting of over 350 airstrikes across 27 provinces, including in the capital Tehran,&rdquo; the report notes. Targets included missile sites, military bases, nuclear facilities, and government buildings, with assassinations of senior military leaders and nuclear scientists. Syria: expanded presence and strikesIsrael maintained and expanded its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/three-wounded-in-southern-syria-after-israeli-incursion-state-media" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">military presence in Syria</a>, according to ACLED. &ldquo;In Syria, the IDF targeted Syrian military assets despite al-Assad&rsquo;s ouster,&rdquo; the report says, noting that Israel &ldquo;established six additional outposts in the demilitarized buffer zone, deploying up to 15 kilometers inside Syria.&rdquo; Yemen: targeted operations against HouthisIn Yemen, Israel escalated its military campaign against Houthi forces. &ldquo;The IDF conducted operations on 16 separate days in 2025, killing over 120 people,&rdquo; ACLED states, highlighting strikes that decimated the Houthi de facto government and killed the military chief of staff. Qatar: Rare but significant targetACLED points out Israel&rsquo;s rare&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/qatar-says-us-claims-of-warnings-prior-to-doha-attack-are-%E2%80%98baseless%E2%80%99" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">military action in Qatar</a>, related to its pursuit of Hamas leaders. &ldquo;From Palestine to Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iran, and even Qatar, the Israel Defense Forces projected military power across the region in 2025,&rdquo; the report says. The strike in Qatar marked a diplomatic turning point affecting regional relations later in the year. ACLED concludes that Israel&rsquo;s 2025 military posture shifted from a status quo power to a more revisionist one, noting: &ldquo;Israel established or expanded buffer zones and military outposts in three countries.&rdquo; This data underscores the complex and far-reaching nature of Israel&rsquo;s military campaigns in the Middle East throughout 2025, marking one of the most active and geographically expansive years in recent regional history.

ACLED says Israel launched military attacks in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, and Yemen throughout the year.

Israel attacked six Muslim countries in 2025: Report

RIYADH: A Saudi-led coalition said it targeted Tuesday a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles destined for separatist forces that were being offloaded from ships at a port in Yemen, coming from the UAE.&nbsp;Yemen has been fighting a crippling war, as armed factions loosely grouped under the government and backed by the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia turn on each other.&nbsp;The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which seeks to revive the formerly independent state of South Yemen, has in recent weeks swept through swathes of the country, expelling other government forces and their allies.&nbsp;The Saudi-led coalition warned on Saturday that it would back Yemen&#39;s government in any military confrontation with separatist forces and has urged them to withdraw &quot;peacefully&quot; from recently-seized provinces.&nbsp;&quot;At 4:00 am, we received a call to evacuate the port of al-Mukalla a quarter of an hour before the strike,&quot; an official at the Yemeni port told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.&nbsp;&quot;The evacuation completed, and the strike occurred a quarter of an hour later in a dirt area within the port. The fire is still burning,&quot; he said.&nbsp;The coalition targeted two ships carrying &quot;a large quantity of weapons and combat vehicles to support the Southern Transitional Council forces&quot;, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported.&nbsp;&quot;Given the danger and escalation posed by these weapons... the Coalition air forces carried out a limited military operation this morning targeting weapons and combat vehicles that had been unloaded from the two ships at the port of al-Mukalla,&quot; it said.&nbsp;The ships had arrived from the port of Fujairah, on the east coast of the United Arab Emirates, the SPA said, adding that the operation was conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law and that no collateral damage occurred.&nbsp;Aerial footage showing docked boats and a large number of vehicles driving through the port was shared by the SPA.&nbsp;&#39;Sensitive moment&#39;The attack came days after reported Saudi air strikes on separatist positions in Yemen&#39;s Hadramawt province -- and after Washington called for restraint in the rapidly escalating conflict.&nbsp;US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said: &quot;We urge restraint and continued diplomacy, with a view to reaching a lasting solution.&quot;&nbsp;Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman posted Saturday on X that troops from the separatist STC should &quot;peacefully hand over&quot; two regional governorates to the government.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s time,&quot; he posted, &quot;at this sensitive moment, to let reason prevail by withdrawing from the two provinces and doing so peacefully.&quot;&nbsp;But the STC had warned on Friday they were undeterred after strikes blamed on Saudi Arabia hit their positions, following their seizure of large swathes of territory in the Hadramawt and Mahrah provinces.&nbsp;Since the takeover, supporters of the separatists have been gathering regularly in cities including Aden to demand they declare independence, with the largest rallies taking place every Friday.&nbsp;On Saturday, hundreds of Yemeni tribesmen gathered in Aden to ask the STC&#39;s leaders to announce the independence of South Yemen, according to the separatist-affiliated Aden Independent Channel.&nbsp;The channel aired footage of a large crowd marching and waving the South Yemen independence flag alongside the UAE&#39;s flag.&nbsp;A Yemeni military official said on Friday that around 15,000 Saudi-backed fighters were massed near the Saudi border but had not been given orders to advance on separatist-held territory.&nbsp;The areas where they were deployed are at the edges of territory seized in recent weeks by the UAE-backed STC.&nbsp;The government is a patchwork of groups that includes the separatists, and is held together by shared opposition to the Iran-backed Houthis.&nbsp;The Houthis pushed the government out of Yemen&#39;s capital Sanaa in 2014 and secured control over most of the north.

Saudi state news agency says two ships arrived from the port of “Fujairah entered the port of Mukalla on Saturday and Sunday, without obtaining official permits from the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition."

Articles tagged with "Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman talks"

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US approves $9 billion in Patriot missile defense for Saudi Arabia

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia agree to enhance cooperation in energy and minerals

Pakistan open to trilateral defense deal with Saudi Arabia, Turkiye in future: Harraj

Qatar, UAE join Pax Silica alliance on global technology supply chains

Qatar says some personnel departing US base over 'regional tensions': AFP sources

Pakistani FM consults Muslim-majority counterparts on regional stability, diplomacy

Israel attacked six Muslim countries in 2025: Report

Saudi-led coalition targets arms shipments from UAE in Yemen

Explosion over Dubai airport: Witness to AFP