Arab World News

Hamas, Two Other Palestinian Groups Say Gaza Ceasefire Deal 'Closer Than Ever'

Arab World Palestinians inspect damages in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, following a Hamas surprise attack, at Beach refugee camp, in Gaza City, October 9, 2023. (Reuters)

Hamas, Two Other Palestinian Groups Say Gaza Ceasefire Deal 'Closer Than Ever'

Hamas and two other Palestinian militant groups said on Saturday that a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel is "closer than ever", provided Israel does not impose…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World FILE PHOTO: A UN chemical weapons expert, wearing a gas mask, holds a plastic bag containing samples from one of the sites of an alleged chemical weapons attack in the Ain Tarma neighborhood of Damascus August 29, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Abdullah

Cyprus Can Help Rid Syria of Chemical Weapons, Search for its Missing, Says Top Diplomat

Cyprus stands ready to help eliminate Syria’s remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and to support a search for people whose fate remains unknown after more…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Asaad Hassan al-Shibani. (SANA)

Syria's New Rulers Name Foreign Minister

Syria's new rulers have appointed a foreign minister, the official Syrian news agency (SANA) said on Saturday, as they seek to build international relations…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A Palestinian mourns as he carries the shrouded body of a child, killed in an Israeli strike the previous night, during a funeral in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip on December 21, 2024, as the war between Israel and Hamas militants continues. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Pope Calls Gaza Airstrikes ‘Cruelty’ after Israeli Minister’s Criticism

Pope Francis on Saturday again condemned Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, a day after an Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff for suggesting…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World This handout image made available by the Telegram channel of the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) early on December 17, 2024 shows Ahmed al-Sharaa, receiving the director of the Middle East and North Africa department at Britain's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office in Damascus. (Photo by SANA / AFP)

Syria’s New Authorities: Syrian People Stand at Equal Distance from All Countries

Syria wants to contribute to "regional peace,” the country's new authorities said in a statement after a meeting between leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and a US…

Asharq Al Awsat

Arab World Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei (Archive photo – MEHR)

Iran's Foreign Ministry: Evacuation of Advisors from Syria Was a Responsible Decision

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei stated that Iranian advisors were initially deployed to Syria to support the Syrian army in its fight…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Arab World A demonstration in support of the SDF in Qamishli, Hasakah Province, opposing Turkish escalation (AFP).

US, Türkiye Clash Over Support for Kurdish Forces in Syria as Erdogan Vows to Eliminate them

Tensions between Türkiye and the United States over the handling of the Syrian Kurdish YPG (People’s Protection Units), the primary component of the Syrian…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)
Arab World A boat for illegal migration in the Mediterranean (circulated)

Algeria Tightens Measures to Combat Migrant Smuggling to Europe

Algerian authorities launched a new security unit last week to tackle human trafficking and migrant smuggling by sea from the country’s northern shores. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Algiers)
Arab World Iraqi security forces were surprised to find an ISIS flag raised at the gate of a school in a village in Kirkuk

ISIS Flag Raised in Kirkuk Village

Iraqi security forces on Friday encircled a village in Kirkuk province, located 250 kilometers north of Baghdad, after an ISIS flag was raised there. The move…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World US Drops $10 Million Reward for Syria’s al-Sharaa

US Drops $10 Million Reward for Syria’s al-Sharaa

The Biden administration said Friday it has decided not to pursue a $10 million reward it had offered for the capture of Ahmad al-Sharaa, whose group led…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus)
Arab World Smog obscures the skyline in Tehran, Iran, 18 December 2024. (EPA)

US Charges Iran Guards Captain in 2022 Killing of American in Iraq

The US Justice Department said on Friday it had charged a captain in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards with murder and terrorism offenses in the 2022 death of…

Arab World A Palestinian carries a wounded child at the site of an Israeli strike on an apartment, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, December 20, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli Strike on a Gaza Apartment Building Kills at Least 7 People, Including 4 Children

An Israeli airstrike on a residential building in central Gaza killed at least seven Palestinians, including four children, and injured 16 other people on…

Arab World 20 December 2024, Türkiye, Ankara: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock shakes hands with her Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan ahead of their meeting in Ankara. (dpa)

Türkiye Tells Germany Kurdish Militant Groups Must Lay Down Arms

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his visiting German counterpart Annalena Baerbock on Friday that it is essential for Kurdish militant groups…

Arab World Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (National News Agency)

Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon's Presidential Elections to Be Held on Time, No Prior Deal over Govt

Lebanon’s parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Friday that efforts are ongoing to hold the presidential elections on time on January 9. Speaking to…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World Palestinians inspect the damage done to a mosque, after a reported attack by Israeli settlers, in the town of Marda near the West Bank city of Salfit on December 20, 2024. (AFP)

Israeli Settlers Set Fire to Mosque in West Bank in Latest Violent Attack on Palestinian Villages

Israeli settlers set fire to a mosque and vandalized property in the northern occupied West Bank on Friday, the head of the Palestinian village council said,…

Arab World A woman and child walk among debris in the aftermath of Israeli strikes at the area, where Israeli hostages were rescued in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, June 9. REUTERS/Abed Khaled

Israeli Airstrike Kills Eight Palestinians in Gaza Refugee Camp, Medics Say

An Israeli airstrike killed at least eight Palestinians in an apartment in Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza strip on Friday, medics said. Palestinian…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) arrives at the Netzarim Corridor just south of Gaza City - AFP

Israel Media Report Accuses Troops of Indiscriminate Killing of Gaza Civilians

A leading Israeli newspaper, citing unnamed soldiers serving in Gaza, described indiscriminate killings of Palestinian civilians in the territory's Netzarim…

Asharq Al Awsat

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Arab World Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a press conference with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (not pictured), Ankara, Türkiye, 04 September 2024. (File/EPA)

Erdogan Says Türkiye Expects Allies to Pull Support from Kurds in Post-Assad Syria

Türkiye expects foreign countries will withdraw support for Kurdish fighters in Syria following the toppling of Bashar al-Assad, President Tayyip Erdogan…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World  Activists carry Lebanese and Syrian flags, along with pictures of journalist Samir Kassir, who was assassinated by the former Syrian regime, during a demonstration in Beirut (EPA).

Mikati Instructs Lebanon’s Institutions to Cooperate with HTS

Communication channels have been opened between the Lebanese state and the Syrian Interim Government. Diplomats conveyed a message from HTS leader Ahmed al…

Youssef Diab (Beirut)
Arab World Residents stand in line to buy bread from a bakery in Aleppo, Syria. (File/AP)

Large-scale Refugee Returns Could Overwhelm Syria, UN Migration Agency Chief Warns

Large-scale returns of refugees to Syria could overwhelm the country and even stoke conflict at a fragile moment following the toppling of President Bashar al…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Kurds wave the flags of the SDF and the new Syrian regime during a celebration in the city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria (AFP).

Kurdish Silence over Negotiations Paves Way for Conflict in Syria

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are facing limited options as they grapple with increasing pressure from Türkiye and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) to disarm…

Ali al-Sarry (London)
Arab World FILE - Israeli soldiers take position as they enter the UNRWA headquarter where the military discovered tunnels underneath of the UN agency that the military says Hamas militants used to attack its forces during a ground operation in Gaza, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit, File)

Sweden Will No Longer Fund UNRWA Aid Agency

Sweden will no longer fund the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) but instead provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza via other channels, the Nordic…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Photograph taken inside Nasser Hospital, after a siege by the Israeli forces. At the end of January, the Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for the entire area and surrounded the hospital, which found itself at the center of intense fighting for several weeks. (MSF)

Death Trap in Gaza Will Scar Generations

Repeated Israeli military attacks on Palestinian civilians over the last 14 months, the dismantling of the healthcare system and other essential infrastructure…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World The war in Sudan has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 11 million. AFP/File

US Announces $200 Mn Additional Aid for Sudan

The United States on Thursday announced $200 million of new funding for the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, bringing Washington's commitment to $2.3 billion,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World 19 December 2024, US, New York: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks during a press conference, ahead of a Security Council meeting. Photo: Bianca Otero/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Guterres Establishes Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed on Thursday Karla Quintana of Mexico as Head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in…

Asharq Al Awsat (New York)
Arab World A general view shows Beirut international airport, Lebanon. (Reuters)

EgyptAir Says It Resumes Direct Flights between Cairo and Beirut

EgyptAir resumed direct flights between Cairo and Beirut on Thursday "in light of the stability in Lebanon" after a three-month hiatus, it said in a statement…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A delegation of US diplomats, including US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf (C, in green), leaves a hotel in Damascus, Syria 20 December 2024, after opposition forces toppled president Bashar al-Assad. (EPA)

US Officials Hold ‘Very Productive’ Talks with ‘Pragmatic’ Al-Sharaa in Syria

The first US diplomats to visit Syria since President Bashar Assad’s ouster earlier this month held “very productive” talks with transitional officials in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World The UN General Assembly often finds itself taking up measures that cannot get through the Security Council due to political concerns. JOHN ANGELILLO / POOL/AFP/File

UN General Assembly Asks Court to Say What Israel Needs to Provide in Gaza

The UN General Assembly approved a resolution Thursday asking the UN’s highest court to state what Israel’s obligations are in Gaza and the West Bank to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Houthi fighters take part in a parade during a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

US Imposes Sanctions on Iran and Houthi-related Targets

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Iran and Houthi-related entities, according to the Treasury Department website which listed a number of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)