Saudi Arabia Yemen

Lebanon's political system is deeply entrenched in sectarian divisions. The country is a confessional democracy, meaning that key political and military positions are reserved for representatives of specific religious sects.

These countries are Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen.

Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 that upended Iran's political and societal structure, the country has made a conscious effort to fan its influence across the Middle East with proxy groups.

Several countries have banned homosexuality, with many of them having the death penalty for same-sex relations.

Saudi border guards have fired "explosive weapons" on Ethiopian migrants trying to cross through Yemen into the Gulf kingdom, killing hundreds since last year, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

Saudi Arabia is giving Yemen's presidential council $1.2 billion to help the country's struggling economy, a Saudi source told Reuters on Tuesday.

The first commercial flight from Yemen's rebel-held capital to Saudi Arabia since 2016 took off carrying hajj pilgrims on Saturday, in the latest sign of easing tensions after years of war.

In a video project dedicated to young people in the Middle East, where more than half of the population is under 30, AFP interviewed women from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar and Bahrain.

The Biden administration is discussing the possible lifting of its ban on US sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, but any final decision is expected to hinge on whether Riyadh makes progress toward ending the war in neighboring Yemen.

US President Joe Biden confirmed Friday he was considering a trip to Saudi Arabia, which would be a stark reversal after he called for the kingdom to be made a pariah state.

Yemen's Houthis said they launched attacks on Saudi energy facilities on Friday and the Saudi-led coalition said oil giant Aramco's petroleum products distribution station in Jeddah was hit, causing a fire in two storage tanks but no casualties.

Saudi air defences destroyed a ballistic rocket launched towards the port city of Jazan and an explosive-laden drone launched towards Najran, near the Yemen border, Saudi state media SPA said on Friday.

Huthi rebels launched multiple attacks into southern Saudi Arabia Saturday, including one on a facility run by oil company Aramco in Jizan, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels in Yemen said in a statement.

The United States on Monday condemned missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on targets in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, calling the incidents a "troubling escalation" of the conflict.

The Houthis are a Zaidi tribal political movement that developed in northern Yemen

Lebanon's political system is deeply entrenched in sectarian divisions. The country is a confessional democracy, meaning that key political and military positions are reserved for representatives of specific religious sects.

These countries are Algeria, Bangladesh, Brunei, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen.

Since the Islamic Revolution of 1979 that upended Iran's political and societal structure, the country has made a conscious effort to fan its influence across the Middle East with proxy groups.

Several countries have banned homosexuality, with many of them having the death penalty for same-sex relations.

Saudi border guards have fired "explosive weapons" on Ethiopian migrants trying to cross through Yemen into the Gulf kingdom, killing hundreds since last year, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

Saudi Arabia is giving Yemen's presidential council $1.2 billion to help the country's struggling economy, a Saudi source told Reuters on Tuesday.

The first commercial flight from Yemen's rebel-held capital to Saudi Arabia since 2016 took off carrying hajj pilgrims on Saturday, in the latest sign of easing tensions after years of war.

In a video project dedicated to young people in the Middle East, where more than half of the population is under 30, AFP interviewed women from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar and Bahrain.

The Biden administration is discussing the possible lifting of its ban on US sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, but any final decision is expected to hinge on whether Riyadh makes progress toward ending the war in neighboring Yemen.

US President Joe Biden confirmed Friday he was considering a trip to Saudi Arabia, which would be a stark reversal after he called for the kingdom to be made a pariah state.

Yemen's Houthis said they launched attacks on Saudi energy facilities on Friday and the Saudi-led coalition said oil giant Aramco's petroleum products distribution station in Jeddah was hit, causing a fire in two storage tanks but no casualties.

Saudi air defences destroyed a ballistic rocket launched towards the port city of Jazan and an explosive-laden drone launched towards Najran, near the Yemen border, Saudi state media SPA said on Friday.

Huthi rebels launched multiple attacks into southern Saudi Arabia Saturday, including one on a facility run by oil company Aramco in Jizan, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels in Yemen said in a statement.

The United States on Monday condemned missile attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on targets in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, calling the incidents a "troubling escalation" of the conflict.

The Houthis are a Zaidi tribal political movement that developed in northern Yemen