��������

RIYADH: The 18th Senior Workshop on International Rules Governing Military Operations began in Riyadh on Saturday — the first time the Kingdom has hosted the event.

This year’s event was organized by the Ministry of Defense’s National Defense University in partnership with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.

The workshop was inaugurated by Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Fayyad Al-Ruwaili and ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, with the participation of 125 senior military officers from 90 countries.

Al-Ruwaili underscored the Kingdom’s commitment to respecting, promoting, and strengthening the application of international humanitarian law in military operations.

He said that ��������’s leaders have paid “great attention to international humanitarian law by enacting legislation that criminalizes violations of the laws of war and ensuring accountability through a strong legal and institutional framework, including specialized courts,” the SPA reported.

Al-Ruwaili also noted that the Kingdom was among the first nations to accede to the four Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, a commitment that he said aligns with “the tolerant teachings of Islamic Shariah, which call for mercy, justice, and humane conduct even in times of war,” according to the SPA.

Al-Ruwaili also highlighted that the Ministry of Defense has integrated the principles of humanitarian law into its military education and training programs to ensure their practical application across the armed forces and offered the ministry’s wide range of specialized training programs, often conducted in cooperation with the ICRC, as an example of the Kingdom’s “aspiration to serve as a global model in the application and training of international law.”

Al-Ruwaili said that the Kingdom’s commitment goes beyond the military sphere to include humanitarian and relief efforts, citing the work of Saudi aid agency KSrelief in conflict and disaster zones worldwide.

Egger noted that this year’s event comes “at a pivotal moment amid the global rise in the number and intensity of conflicts, which places immense pressure on the laws designed to protect civilians.”

She stressed the shared responsibility of all states to respect — and ensure respect for — international humanitarian law.

Egger expressed gratitude to the Kingdom for hosting the event, which is intended to help ensure the practical application of the written rules of war on the battlefield.

RIYADH: Jazan has “revived the spirit of its ancient markets through a vibrant, modern experience called the Crafts Market,” the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.

The Crafts Market is organized by the Alrowad Youth Association in Jazan in partnership with the Cultural House and supervised by the Heritage Commission. 2025 has been designated the Year of Handicrafts in the Kingdom.

The Crafts Market initiative gives artisans a platform to showcase traditional crafts and skills, “with the primary aim of empowering artisans and bolstering the local creative economy,” the SPA reported.

Weekly traditional craft workshops are being held at the Cultural House as part of the initiative. These sessions are led by a select group of local artisans, “offering a hands-on experience that combines education, enjoyment, and the revival of heritage.”

Running on Fridays and Saturdays until the end of November, the workshops cover pottery, sculpture, painting, palm frond weaving, candle and perfume making, leather arts, Arabic calligraphy, seashell crafts, embroidery, jewelry and accessories, branding, and product packaging.

Its organizers are billing the Crafts Market program as a “vital cultural project that restores the value of handicrafts as part of the national identity and a source of social development, aligning with the objectives of Vision 2030 to empower youth and revive traditional industries,” the SPA stated.