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RIYADH: Saudi surgeons on Sunday separated Syrian conjoined twins Celine and Eline in an eight-hour operation at Riyadh’s King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital.

“It’s an indescribable feeling. Truly, it’s a feeling beyond words,” said Abdulnaeim Al-Shubli the twins’ father.

“Thanks to Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah and the specialized medical team. I am deeply thankful. From now on, we will move from better to even better," he added.

"����ֱ�� is our second home. It’s like we came to be with our own family and daughters.”

Celine and Eline, who are 17 months old, were conjoined at the lower chest and abdomen.

They were born in Februaty 2024 at Rafik Hariri Hospital in Beirut as part of a triplet birth. Their brother, Sanad, was born healthy and unjoined.

The family fled Aleppo in 2013 after their home was destroyed during the war and have lived in Lebanon since.

The twins were medically evacuated to Riyadh in December 2024 to receive specialized care. Al-Shubli said they underwent four months of preparation before surgery.

“They were under 24-hour supervision by a consulting medical team. The girls received complete care throughout that period, and after that they told me the surgery would proceed.”

The operation was the 66th procedure under the Saudi Conjoined Twins Program.

It is also the fourth separation of Syrian conjoined twins to be performed as part of the initiative, which has treated cases from 27 countries since its launch in 1990.

Hussein Abdulaziz, charge d’affaires at the Syrian Embassy in Riyadh, said the procedure was part of the Kingdom’s broader humanitarian efforts to assist Syrian families in need of medical care.

He said: “Cases like these are medically complex and difficult, and they require thorough study. From a humanitarian angle, such surgeries come with very high financial costs, but the Kingdom of ����ֱ��, through its humanitarian and charitable work, lifts this burden entirely off the shoulders of the children’s families.”

Abdulaziz also highlighted the work of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center in Syria.

“It’s well known that KSrelief has been working in Syria for the past 14 years. After the liberation, the center expanded its operations to cover all Syrian provinces, most recently providing support to families affected by the wildfires in Latakia province on the Syrian coast,” he said.

He added that ����ֱ��’s volunteer medical program has carried out nearly 1,300 surgeries in Syria in recent years, alongside the wide-ranging provision of food and medical aid.

JEDDAH: Manga Productions, a subsidiary of the Misk Foundation, has launched the Saudi Dialects Dubbing Contest to empower local voice talent and highlight the Kingdom’s linguistic diversity.

The initiative aims to create audio content that reflects Saudi society by celebrating its rich regional dialects, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The contest features scenes from the hit animated series “Asateer2: Future’s Folktales,” which has gained international acclaim with more than 150 million views across five continents and eight platforms.

Participants are invited to dub using dialects from regions such as AlUla, Hail, Makkah, Jeddah, the Eastern Province, Qassim, Asir, Tabuk, and Jazan.

The four-week contest will run through digital challenges, with active public participation on social media. The company aims to train aspiring voice actors under the guidance of its professional team.

Outstanding contestants will be invited to join future Manga Productions projects, further boosting local creative talent.

Sara Waldaddah, head of the creative department at Manga Productions, said the initiative aligns with the company’s mission to support national talent and highlight ����ֱ��’s cultural and linguistic richness.

She said that scenes from “Asateer2: Future’s Folktales” are ideal for the contest, as the series celebrates Saudi heritage through stories that reflect national values and encourage voice acting in native dialects.

Waldaddah added that the goal is to transform this linguistic diversity into a creative force that reinforces the Kingdom’s cultural identity and shares it with regional and global audiences.

Abdulaziz Al-Muaina, head of marketing and communications at Manga Productions, highlighted the Kingdom’s rich geographical and cultural diversity reflected in its many dialects.

He said that the contest aims to showcase this diversity by providing a platform for Saudi voice talents to creatively celebrate the Kingdom’s beauty and generosity.

Participants are invited to submit voice recordings in local Saudi dialects by choosing a scene and uploading entries at saudidubbing.com. Use of AI tools for voice generation or editing is strictly prohibited to ensure authentic submissions.