Prince Al-Waleed bin Khaled Al-Saud, a Saudi royal widely known as the “Sleeping Prince,” has passed away at the age of 36 after spending nearly 20 years in a coma. The announcement was made by his father, Prince Khaled bin Talal Al Saud, in a post on social media platform X on July 20, 2025.
The prince fell into a coma following a serious car accident in London in 2005, when he was just 15 years old. The crash resulted in a brain haemorrhage and internal bleeding. At the time, he had been studying at a military college in the UK. After the accident, he was transferred to King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh, where he remained under intensive care until his death.
Throughout the years that followed, his father remained committed to his care. Despite his long-term condition, Prince Khaled refused to remove his son from life support, holding onto hope for a possible recovery. The family’s enduring commitment drew widespread attention and sympathy. Many in the Arab world followed the prince’s story closely, often sharing prayers and messages of support online.
In announcing the news, Prince Khaled quoted from the Quran, expressing both sorrow and faith. “With hearts believing in Allah’s will and decree, and with deep sorrow and sadness, we mourn our beloved son,” he wrote.
Following the announcement, the hashtag “Sleeping Prince” trended across social media, with thousands expressing condolences and tributes. Funeral prayers for Prince Al-Waleed were scheduled for today at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.
His passing marks the close of a widely followed story, remembered for its tragic circumstances and a father’s unwavering love.
The Deputy for Operations of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army said that by utilizing existing air defense systems and replacing the damaged ones, the country has managed to maintain full coverage of its airspace and ensure the security of Iran’s skies.
Rear Admiral Mahmoud Mousavi referred to the achievements of the Armed Forces and the Army during the recent 12-day war, saying, “The first targets of the Zionist enemy in this imposed war were our radar and air defense systems. Our comrades in the Air Defense Force of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran remained at their stations around the clock and confronted the enemy.”
Mousavi, referring to the crimes committed by the Zionist regime during the war, said, “The criminal Zionist regime launched a cowardly attack on Iranian soil and had specific goals in doing so.”
He emphasized the air defense force’s capability in securing the country’s skies, stating: “The Zionist enemy aimed to destroy Iran’s air defense capabilities. Some of our systems were damaged in this war, but thanks to the efforts of our comrades, the damaged systems were replaced and deployed at predetermined locations.”
“We managed to restore airspace coverage using existing systems and by deploying new replacements, thus securing the airspace of the beloved Iran. Therefore, despite all its desperate efforts, the enemy failed to achieve its objectives,” he added.
Mousavi also pointed out that the Zionist enemy did not act alone in the war, stating, “The United States and NATO aided the Zionist regime. The capabilities of Iran’s Armed Forces far surpass what the illegitimate Zionist regime can confront. However, its supporters had been helping it for months by gathering intelligence, and we hold the US complicit in the Zionist regime’s crimes.”
“The Iranian nation stood beside its Armed Forces and demonstrated unbreakable unity. Just like during the eight-year Sacred Defense, we once again showed that no enemy can prevail against Iran,” he concluded.
While the Zionist regime waged a war of aggression against Iran on June 13 and struck Iran’s military, nuclear, and residential areas for 12 days, the US stepped in and conducted military attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran’s Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan on June 22.
The Iranian military forces conducted powerful counterattacks immediately after the aggression. The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force carried out 22 waves of retaliatory missile strikes against the Zionist regime as part of Operation True Promise III, which inflicted heavy losses on cities across the occupied territories.
Also, in response to the US attacks, Iranian armed forces launched a wave of missiles at al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military base in West Asia.
A ceasefire that came into force on June 24 has brought the fighting to a halt.
Over 1,000 people killed in south Syria violence, monitoring group says
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has said the death toll from violence in the country’s south involving Druze fighters and their Bedouin rivals, as well as government forces, armed tribes and Israel, had topped 1,000.
The war monitor said those killed since last Sunday included 336 Druze fighters and 298 civilians from the religious minority group, 194 of whom were “summarily executed by defence and interior ministry personnel”.
Among those killed also included 342 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin, three of them civilians “summarily executed by Druze fighters”. Another 15 government forces were killed in Israeli airstrikes, according to the SOHR.
We have not been able to independently verify these figures yet.
Key events
Aid convoys reportedly on their way to Sweida amid shortages
The Syrian Red Crescent said on Sunday they are sending 32 trucks to Sweida loaded with food, medicine, water, fuel and other aid, after the fighting left the province with power cuts and shortages.
The health ministry is also sending a convoy of trucks, according to reports.
The UN refugee agency UNHCR has warned of water shortages due to electricity outages and said many hospitals are struggling to cope with the influx of people injured from the clashes.
Here is Marco Rubio’s full post published on X yesterday as US-brokered negotiations sought to avert further Israeli military intervention in Syria:
The US has remained heavily involved over the last three days with Israel, Jordan and authorities in Damascus on the horrifying & dangerous developments in southern Syria.
The rape and slaughter of innocent people which has and is still occurring must end. If authorities in Damascus want to preserve any chance of achieving a unified, inclusive and peaceful Syria free of ISIS and of Iranian control they must help end this calamity by using their security forces to prevent ISIS and any other violent jihadists from entering the area and carrying out massacres.
And they must hold accountable and bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks. Furthermore the fighting between Druze and Bedouin groups inside the perimeter must also stop immediately.
US special envoy says Syria ‘stands at a critical juncture’
US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said this morning that Syria stood at a “critical juncture”, adding that “peace and dialogue must prevail – and prevail now”.
In a post on X, he wrote:
President Trump’s decision to lift sanctions was a principled step, offering the Syrian people a chance to move beyond years of unimaginable suffering and atrocities.
The international community has largely rallied behind the nascent Syrian government, watching with cautious optimism as it seeks to transition from a legacy of pain to a future of hope.
Yet, this fragile ambition is now overshadowed by profound shock, as brutal acts by warring factions on the ground undermine the government’s authority and disrupt any semblance of order.
All factions must immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities, and abandon cycles of tribal vengeance. Syria stands at a critical juncture – peace and dialogue must prevail – and prevail now.
His comments came a day after the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, urged the Syrian government’s security forces to prevent jihadists from entering and “carrying out massacres” in the south, and called on Damascus to “bring to justice anyone guilty of atrocities including those in their own ranks”.
The government is headed by Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa. He is the former leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the Islamist rebel group which led the military operation to topple the former president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad, in December.
Witnesses, Druze factions and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have accused government forces of siding with the Bedouin and committing abuses, including summary executions, when they entered Sweida earlier in the week.
‘Tense calm’ reported in Sweida after withdrawal of Bedouin fighters
The Reuters news agency has spoken to residents who say there is a “tense calm” in Sweida after the Islamist-led government declared that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city.
Kenan Azzam, a dentist, told Reuters residents were still, however, struggling with a lack of water and electricity.
“The hospitals are a disaster and out of service, and there are still so many dead and wounded,” he said by phone.
Syrian government troops are amassed at a security checkpoint outside of Swedia city, preventing factional fighters from entering.
An Internal Security Forces officer stands guard to prevent Bedouin fighters from advancing towards Sweida. Photograph: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters
The Druze, who follow anoffshoot of Shia Islam, are an Arabic-speaking religious minority in Syria, Lebanon, Israel and the occupied Golan Heights. They make up the majority of the population of the southern Sweida province in Syria. Many Druze who live in Israel are loyal to the Israeli state because of participation in the country’s military service.
As my colleague William Christou notes in this story, the Druze have been negotiating with the Islamist-led authorities in Damascus since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in an attempt to achieve autonomy.
The interim government, led by the Syrian president,Ahmed al-Sharaa, has had strained relations with Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities since it toppled al-Assad, who belonged to the Alawite religious minority, in December.
On Saturday, al-Sharaa urged Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes to “fully commit” to the ceasefire aimed at ending clashes with Druze-linked militias.
This week’s fighting marks the most serious outbreak of violence since government forces battled Druze fighters in Sweida province and around Damascus in April and May, leaving more than 100 people dead.
Syrian government says fighting in Sweida halted after ceasefire declaration
Welcome to our continuing live coverage of the Middle East, with a particular focus on Syria.
Bedouin fighters and their allies have reportedly continued to clash with Druze fighters in the Syrian province of Sweida after the southern city was recaptured by Druze fighters.
This is despite an order by the Syrian government to put down their arms in a conflict that has killed more than 900 people since last Sunday.
The Syrian interior ministry said yesterday evening that clashes in Sweida had been halted after the intervention of its forces in the city.
Sweida was “evacuated of all tribal fighters, and clashes within the city’s neighbourhoods were halted”, Syria’s interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said in a post on Telegram.
It came after the Syrian presidency announced a ceasefire and urged an immediate end to hostilities.
Internal security forces officers escort a Druze prisoner and prevent him from being attacked by Bedouins, at a security checkpoint in Walgha, Sweida province. Photograph: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters
The deal, approved by Israel as part of a US-mediated agreement, included a halt to Israeli military airstrikes as long as the Druze citizens were protected. Fighting nonetheless reportedly persisted in some parts of Sweida province.
Armed tribes had clashed with Druze fighters on Friday, a day after the army withdrew under Israeli bombardment and diplomatic pressure.
Syrian leader Ahmad al-Sharaa has accused Israel of enflaming Syrian factional tensions and pushing the country into “a dangerous phase” with its “blatant bombardment of the south and government institutions in Damascus”.
For context: Israel had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier this week to force their withdrawal after they were accused of summary executions and other abuses against Druze civilians.
We will have more on the volatile security situation in Syria throughout the day so stick with us.
Japanese voters headed to the polls on Sunday in a tightly contested election amid public frustration over rising prices and the imminent threat of US tariffs.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior coalition partner Komeito need to secure a combined 50 seats to retain an overall majority in the upper house but the latest polling shows they might fall short.
This election comes at a difficult time for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his ruling coalition as US President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Tokyo during tense tariff negotiations.
Japan’s massive auto industry, which accounts for eight percent of the country’s jobs, is reeling from painful levies already in place.
Weak export data last week stoked fears that the world’s fourth-largest economy could tip into a technical recession.
Despite Ishiba securing an early meeting with Trump in February, and sending his trade envoy to Washington seven times, no agreement has been reached.
For voters, tackling rising prices is a also a central concern.
The cost of rice, a staple food for Japanese households, has nearly doubled since last year.
For the past few months, the government has had to tap into its emergency stockpiles to tackle the shortage.
Since last year’s lower house election, which saw the coalition fall short of a majority, the LDP has not been able to regain the trust of voters who are disgruntled with stagnant wages and relentless inflation.
Meanwhile, the populist Sanseito party, which has been using social media to attract younger voters, has seen a surge in popularity.
Polls show its “Japanese First” slogan has struck a chord with some conservatives, although its hardline stance on foreigners has drawn criticism.
The party wants “stricter rules and limits” on immigration, opposes “globalism” and “radical” gender policies, and wants a re-think on decarbonisation and vaccines.
If Ishiba’s ruling coalition fails to secure 50 seats, it will have lost majority in both chambers of parliament, which could threaten his leadership and lead to political instability.
Ishiba’s centre-right party has governed Japan almost continuously since 1955, albeit with frequent changes of leader.
The last time the LDP and Komeito failed to win a majority in the upper house was in 2010, having already fallen below the threshold in 2007.
That was followed by a rare change of government in 2009, when the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan governed for a rocky three years.
MAZRAA, Syria (AP) — Syria’s armed Bedouin clans on Sunday announced that they had withdrawn from the southern city of Sweida following over a week of clashes, as per a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement.
The clashes between militias of the Druze religious minority and the Sunni Muslim clans killed hundreds and threatened to unravel Syria’s already fragile postwar transition. Israel also launched dozens of airstrikes in the Druze-majority Sweida province, targeting government forces who had effectively sided with the Bedouins.
A series of tit-for-tat kidnappings sparked the clashes in various towns and villages in the province, which later spread to the city.
Government forces were redeployed to halt renewed fighting that erupted Thursday, before withdrawing again.
Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was more sympathetic to the Bedouins, had tried to appeal to the Druze community while remaining critical of the militias. He later urged the Bedouins to leave the city, saying that they “cannot replace the role of the state in handling the country’s affairs and restoring security.”
“We thank the Bedouins for their heroic stances but demand they fully commit to the ceasefire and comply with the state’s orders,” he said in an address broadcast Saturday.
The Bedouins’ withdrawal brought a cautious calm to the area, with humanitarian convoys reportedly on their way. The Syrian Red Crescent said Sunday they are sending 32 trucks to Sweida loaded with food, medicine, water, fuel and other aid, after the fighting left the province with power cuts and shortages. Syrian state media SANA said that the Health Ministry is also sending a convoy of trucks.
Washington’s special envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, said the clashes and atrocities “overshadowed” an initial cautious optimism about the country’s post-war transition and the international community’s lifting of sanctions.
“All factions must immediately lay down their arms, cease hostilities and abandon cycles of tribal vengeance,” Barrack said on X. “Syria stands at a critical juncture — peace and dialogue must prevail — and prevail now.”
Dozens of Druze civilians were killed in a series of targeted attacks in the city at the hands of Bedouin fighters and government forces. Videos also surfaced online of fighters destroying portraits of Druze religious officials and notables in homes, and shaving the mustaches of elderly Druze, seen as an insult to culture and tradition. Druze militiamen in return attacked Bedouin-majority areas in the outskirts of the province, forcing families to flee to the neighboring Daraa province.
More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. Most of the other Druze live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981.
Syria’s Druze largely celebrated the downfall of the Assad family that ended decades of tyrannical rule. While they had concerns about Al-Sharaa’s de facto Islamist rule, a large number wanted to approach matters diplomatically. However, the the recent clashes have made a growing number of Druze in the area more skeptical about Damascus’ new leadership and more doubtful of peaceful coexistence.
Collapsed bamboo scaffolds of a residential building are seen as Typhoon Wipha approaches, in Hong Kong on July 20, 2025.
Tyrone Siu | Reuters
Typhoon Wipha toppled trees and caused major flight disruptions Sunday in Hong Kong and at some nearby airports in China as it moved west off the country’s southern coast.
Airports in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Macao canceled or postponed daytime flights, their websites showed. Hong Kong grounded about 400 flights, affecting some 80,000 passengers, broadcaster RTHK said. Some high-speed train services were also suspended.
The Hong Kong Observatory issued a hurricane signal No. 10, its highest warning. The eye of the storm passed just south of the city around midday with maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers (87 miles) per hour, the observatory said.
Vehicles weaved around branches strewn on the streets. The government said it had received more than 350 reports of fallen trees and that 21 people had sought medical treatment at public hospitals. A news release did not provide details on any injuries.
About 240 people had sought refuge in public shelters, the release said. Hong Kong Disneyland and other amusement parks were closed.
The storm, which reached typhoon strength overnight, later passed off Macao and was forecast to make landfall on China’s coast late Sunday. It is expected to reach Vietnam later this week.
Wipha, which is a Thai name, passed over the Philippines at tropical storm strength and drenched parts of Taiwan on Saturday. Names for typhoons in the western Pacific are chosen by the countries in the region.
In the Philippines, the storm intensified seasonal monsoon rains, leaving at least one villager dead in floodwaters in northern Cagayan province.
More than 370,000 people were affected by days of stormy weather, including 43,000 who fled to government-run emergency shelters or homes of relatives due to flooding, landslides and fierce winds. More than 400 houses were damaged, officials said.
Elsewhere in Asia, heavy rains in South Korea left 14 people dead and 12 others missing, the government said Sunday.
Three earthquakes, one with a magnitude of 7.4, recorded near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, capital of Russia’s Kamchatka region.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) says there is no longer a danger of tsunami waves on Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula after three earthquakes – the larger with a magnitude of 7.4 – struck in the sea nearby.
The warning was issued earlier on Sunday after the quakes were recorded off the Pacific coast of Russia, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
(Al Jazeera)
The epicentres of a series of earthquakes – the others measuring 6.7 and 5 – on Sunday were about 140km (87 miles) east of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, capital of Russia’s Kamchatka region, which has a population of more than 160,000.
According to the USGS, the quakes hit the same area off the coast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky within 32 minutes.
The magnitude 7.4 earthquake was at a depth of 20km (12 miles). There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The PTWC initially said there was a danger of major tsunami waves but later downgraded its warning before finally saying the danger had passed.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry also issued a tsunami warning following the second quake, urging residents of coastal settlements to stay away from the shore.
A separate tsunami watch issued for the state of Hawaii was later lifted.
Germany’s GFZ monitor also confirmed that at least one magnitude 6.7 earthquake was recorded off the east of Kamchatka region on Sunday. GFZ later updated it to magnitude 7.4.
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is located in the Kamchatka region, facing the Pacific, northeast of Japan and west of the US state of Alaska, across the Bering Sea.
The Kamchatka Peninsula is the meeting point of the Pacific and North American tectonic plates, making it a seismic hot zone. Since 1900, seven major earthquakes of magnitude 8.3 or higher have struck the area.
On November 4, 1952, a magnitude 9 earthquake in Kamchatka caused damage, but no deaths were reported despite setting off 9.1-metre (30-foot) waves in Hawaii.
Above average rainfall recorded in last five days in Sancheong county, where most deaths took place.
The nationwide death toll from heavy rainfall in South Korea has risen to 14, authorities said, as fears grow of more deaths, with 12 more people missing since the disaster began.
Two people died and four went missing in the resort town of Gapyeong on Sunday after a landslide engulfed houses and flooding swept away vehicles, the AFP news agency reported, citing government officials.
A woman in her 70s was killed when her house collapsed in the landslide, while the body of a man in his 40s was found near a bridge after he drowned, South Korea’s official news agency Yonhap reported.
Cars damaged by floods seen on a road along a river in Gapyeong province, South Korea [Yonhap/AFP]
Close to 170mm (6.7 inches) of rainfall was recorded in the area in Gyeonggi province, about 70km (40 miles) east of Seoul, early on Sunday.
But most of the deaths occurred in the southern county of Sancheong, which has seen nearly 800mm (31.5 inches) of rain since Wednesday.
Two bodies were found there early on Sunday during search and rescue operations, raising the number of deaths in the rural county of 33,000 to eight, with six still missing.
The adjacent county of Hapcheon received 699mm (27.5 inches) of rain, while the nearby county of Hadong got 621.5mm (24.5 inches).
Two of the 12 people reported missing were from the southwestern city of Gwangju, Yonhap said.
Yonhap also quoted authorities as saying they have registered 1,920 cases of flooded roads, soil loss and destroyed public facilities, and 2,234 other cases of damage to private property, such as buildings and farmland.
A total of 12,921 people have taken shelter across 14 major cities and provinces, Yonhap said.
South Korea typically experiences monsoon rains in July and is usually well-prepared. But this week, the country’s southern regions were hit by especially intense downpours, with some of the heaviest hourly rainfall on record, official weather data showed.
Scientists say climate change has made extreme weather events more frequent and intense around the world. In 2022, South Korea endured record-breaking rains and flooding, which killed at least 11 people.
