Leaders from Arab and Muslim nations began arriving in Saudi Arabia for a high-level summit on Monday to address Israel’s ongoing conflicts with Gaza and Lebanon, as reported by Saudi state media.
Announced in late October by Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry, the summit follows the formation of an “international alliance” seeking a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Officials, including leaders from Nigeria, Lebanon, and Pakistan, will discuss the continued Israeli aggression on Palestinian territories and Lebanon and the broader regional implications, according to Saudi state agency SPA.
Al-Ekhbariya news channel aired footage of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati landing in Riyadh, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expected to participate. Sharif has stated he intends to advocate for a cessation of Israeli adventurism and an end to the genocide in Gaza.
The summit comes due to escalating regional tensions following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel and Israel’s counteroffensive in Gaza. The United Nations-backed Gaza Health Ministry reports over 43,600 Palestinian casualties, most of them civilians, as cross-border exchanges with Hezbollah in Lebanon also intensify.