White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is in the United Arab Emirate s today for meetings aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war. Witkoff traveled to the UAE from Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday afternoon.

“Oh God, deal with the Jews who have seized and occupied, for they cannot escape your power,” Sheikh Saleh bin Humaid, an imam at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, said in a recent sermon.

The kingdom has come under fire for a shift in tone that has its roots in a regional rivalry with the U.A.E.

The U.S. has approved major weapons sales to Saudi Arabia and Israel. The total value is about $15.6 billion. These are among the largest recent arms deals announced by the State Department. The announcement comes amid rising tensions in the region.

The Trump administration has approved a massive new series of arms sales to Israel totaling $6.67 billion and to Saudi Arabia worth $9 billion.

Israel and Saudi Arabia have also staked out opposing positions on Syria, where Riyadh supports President Ahmad al-Sharaa, while Israel has been much more hesitant to embrace the new Syrian leader and has acted militarily to protect the Druze Syrian minority near its border.

The U.S. has approved a massive $15.67 billion arms sales to Israel and Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Gaza ceasefire talks and rising Iran tensions in the region.