Saudi Arabia has arrested numerous citizens for sharing 'anti-Israel sentiments' on social media, according to a report by Bloomberg. While there are no precise figures on the number of arrests, they have been made since Israel began its war on Gaza on October 7, 2023.
Acoording to reports, an executive of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s administration is among the arrested persons.
Another arrested person had reportedly called for Saudi citizens to boycott Israeli-owned brands operating in the Gulf kingdom on Social media.
The Saudi kingdom has cited ‘pro-Iranian influence’ behind the arrests that could allegedly harm the country’s security.
The crackdown coincides with ongoing efforts by the United States to collaborate with Riyadh towards establishing normalized relations with Israel.
During a recent visit to the Gulf state, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that significant progress made in the past week towards reaching an agreement, suggesting that a deal is nearing completion.