More than 1.5 million Muslim pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, a figure that already exceeds last year's foreign arrivals, with the pilgrimage itself not beginning until Monday.
Pilgrims in Mecca © Mena Today
More than 1.5 million Muslim pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, a figure that already exceeds last year's foreign arrivals, with the pilgrimage itself not beginning until Monday.
The numbers are striking given the backdrop. The Hajj is taking place under the shadow of regional conflict, following the Israeli-American strike on Tehran on February 28 that prompted Iran to target its Gulf neighbours. The resulting airspace closures, flight cancellations and surge in travel costs had raised serious doubts about attendance levels this year.
That pilgrims have turned out in such numbers is a testament to the centrality of the Hajj in Muslim life, one of Islam's five pillars, obligatory for every Muslim who is physically and financially able to undertake it at least once in a lifetime. Major Gulf carriers from the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain have largely restored their operational capacity after weeks of disruption, easing access to the holy sites.
In 2025, total pilgrims numbered 1.67 million. This year's final count is expected to rise further before the rites begin.
Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, spiritual leader of Syria's Druze community, said Monday that Suwayda's future could take several forms, full independence, autonomy under another state's protection, or union with another country, as he marked the first anniversary of the deadly July 2025 events in the southern Syrian province.
One Indian crew member was killed and eight others were wounded when two Emirati oil tankers were struck by Iranian cruise missiles in the Strait of Hormuz, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday, in the latest escalation in the strategic waterway.
Lebanon and Israel resumed talks on Tuesday in the Italian capital, with Beirut hoping for progress towards securing an Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon under a U.S.-brokered deal, although expectations for swift progress were low.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.
