RIYADH: The speaker of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly, Ahmad Muzani, led a delegation to the headquarters of the Muslim World League in Makkah.

Muzani was received by Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, the league’s secretary-general and chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars.

Muzani delivered greetings from Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and expressed appreciation for the MWL’s global efforts to promote Islam’s message of peace and tolerance.

He said that the league, through its extensive outreach and dialogue initiatives across diverse cultures and religions, effectively conveys the true essence of Islam.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the visit by the Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem.

The ministry said that the national security minister’s visit and prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound on Thursday morning was a clear violation and provocation of the feelings of Muslims worldwide.

Ben-Gvir has repeatedly contested the Israeli government’s longstanding ban on Jewish prayer at the Al-Aqsa compound, which has been a focal point of tensions in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Al-Aqsa compound in the Old City of Jerusalem is Islam’s holiest site after the mosques in Makkah and Madinah and is a symbol of Palestinian national identity.

The Saudi ministry on Thursday also condemned the Israeli occupation forces’ advance in southern Syria after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in early December.

“The continuation of (Israeli) military operations in Syria is an attempt to sabotage Syria’s chances of restoring its security and stability,” the ministry said in a statement.