Saudi shuts down Al-Jazeera office, withdraws licence

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture and Information has closed down Qatari news channel Al Jazeera’s office in the kingdom and withdrawn its licence.

“The move came after Al Jazeera has promoted plots of terrorist groups, supported the Houthi militias in Yemen, and tried to break the Saudi internal ranks by inciting them to leave the country and harm the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the Saudi Press Agency said in a statement.

Qatar state-owned media network Al Jazeera has already been blocked across Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Saudi Arabia, along with several other Arab states, has severed all ties with Qatar, citing the Gulf state’s support of “terrorist” groups and its alleged support for Iran.