Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, tweeted: "It's time we work together to save our religion from these deadly criminal gangs."
Iranian Foreign Minister Javed Zarif tweeted: "There are no more red lines left for terrorists to cross. Sunnis, Shiites [Shias] will both remain victims unless we stand united as one."
The preceding week saw major terror attacks in Turkey, Bangladesh, and Iraq.
A series of deadly attacks struck Iraq and Saudi Arabia over the weekend. In Baghdad, at least 175 people were killed in the Karada neighborhood when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives amid crowds of people celebrating Ramadan early on Sunday morning. Iraqi officials say some people remain missing and that the death toll could continue to grow; at least one official has said at least 215 people were killed. A second bombing later in the day killed one person and wounded five others in the Shaab neighborhood of Baghdad. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has responded by calling for increased security screening at public places and ordered police to stop using fraudulent bomb detectors.
Militants attacked three targets in Saudi Arabia on Monday. An attack near the U.S. consulate building in Jiddah was stopped when the bomber, identified by Saudi authorities as Abdullah Qalzar Khan, a Pakistani national, detonated his explosives prematurely after drawing attention from security officials. Later in the day, a second bomber attacked a car park at the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, killing four Saudi security guards. The mosque, which includes the tomb of Mohammed and many of his companions, is one of the holiest sites for Muslims. A third attack struck the city of Qatif, which has a large Shia population, but no injuries have been reported. Though no group has taken credit for the bombings, the Islamic State, which has encouraged its followers to escalate their attacks during Ramadan, is believed to be responsible.
Three apparently coordinated attacks in different cities on Monday were a shocking reminder that years after it clamped down on a domestic terrorism campaign by Al Qaeda, Saudi Arabia is again facing a jihadist threat — this time from the Islamic State. – New York Times
As the war [in Yemen] grinds on, community leaders and aid workers are noticing that more and more girls, some as young as 8, are being married off to help their desperate families. Tens of thousands of families have been displaced, losing their homes and possessions. – Washington Post
Osama bin Laden may be dead but if the July 4 bombings in Saudi Arabia demonstrate anything to a global audience forcibly becoming, if not numbed, then wearily resigned to the horrors of jihadist violence, it’s that his playbook is still in full effect -- albeit with some major alterations. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
Saudi authorities released the names of four of the attackers responsible for the series of bombings across the country on Monday, noting they had histories of drug abuse and support for terrorists; 19 people have been arrested in connection to the attacks, including 12 Pakistani nationals and 7 Saudis.