Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Monday chaired a cabinet session at which senior officials addressed last week's tragic crane collapse at the Grand Mosque in Mecca. King Salman thanked the world leaders and others who had expressed condolences after Friday's deadly incident, in which at least 107 people died and scores were injured, state news agency SPA reported. During the meeting, which was held at the Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah, King Salman directed service providers responsible for the pilgrims to take care of the injured and help them to perform hajj. The cabinet reviewed plans for this month's pilgrimage, in which millions of Muslims are expected to visit Saudi Arabia, along with efforts to ensure safety and care facilities, said Adel Altoraifi, the Minister of Culture and Information, after the session. The Minister said the cabinet had also addressed the "false and misleading accusations" surrounding Saudi Arabia's response to the Syrian refugee crisis. He reaffirmed that Saudi Arabia "will always remain at the forefront of countries supporting the brotherly Syrian people and will not accept any overbidding in this matter or questioning its positions"". Acknowledging the "human sufferings" stemming from the situation, Altoraifi stressed the measures taken by Saudi Arabia, which have included taking in nearly 2.5 million Syrians since the start of the civil war, as well as supporting millions of refugees in nearby countries. The cabinet also condemned the terrorist attack on the Al-Khamis Police Center in Bahrain, as well as denouncing the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied Jerusalem by Israeli forces.
