Arab World News

Mohammad Mahdi Shamseddine to Shiites: Integrate Into Your States

Arab World Sheikh Mohammad Mahdi Shamseddine during an event with Amal Movement military commander Akel Hamiyeh (Getty). 

Mohammad Mahdi Shamseddine to Shiites: Integrate Into Your States

Asharq Al-Awsat begins publishing an extended text in the form of a dialogue held in 1997 between the late Sheikh Mohammad Mahdi Shamseddine, then head of…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Arab World  01 January 2026, Palestinian Territories, Nablus: Israeli forces raid shops in the central market and opened fire toward a residential building, detaining several Palestinians in the Old City of Nablus in the West Bank. (dpa)

Video Shows Masked, Armed Men Beating a Palestinian in the Occupied West Bank

Dozens of masked men armed with sticks attacked a plant nursery and beat and injured a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank, according to people who saw the…

Arab World Somalis demonstrate in support of their country’s territorial unity in Mogadishu on January 7, 2026. (AP)

Unified Arab, Islamic Stances ‘Tighten the Noose’ on Israel’s Moves in Somaliland

Arab and Islamic positions continued to express a firm rejection of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as an independent state, reaffirming Somalia’s unity and…

Ahmad Jamal (Cairo)
Arab World The Israeli flag, with part of the Israeli settlement of Ma’ale Adumim visible in the background in the occupied West Bank on August 14, 2025. (Reuters)

Israel Scales Back from ‘Major Strike’ on Hezbollah, Opts for ‘Limited Attacks’

Informed sources in Tel Aviv said the Israeli strike on Lebanon on Friday was the response chosen by the military following remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin…

Nazir Magally (Tel Aviv)
Arab World A general view shows the destruction in the Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza (AFP)

Mladenov Shuttle Talks between Israel and Ramallah Hasten Gaza Administration Committee

Nickolay Mladenov, the man chosen to serve as the director-general for US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace in Gaza, discussed arrangements for the…

Mohamed Mahmoud (Cairo)

Arab World A member of Yemeni government forces mans a machine gun on a pick-up truck while on patrol outside the headquarters of the Central Bank of Yemen in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen, 08 January 2026. (EPA)

Southern Transitional Council Dissolution Paves Way for Calm South Yemen Talks

As Yemen’s government, led by the Presidential Leadership Council, moves to consolidate military and security authority in the south under the defense and…

Waddah Aljaleel (Aden)
Arab World TOPSHOT - Residents of Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsud area evacuate their neighborhood after warnings from the Syrian army that called on civilians to get out of harms way, following the refusal of Kurdish fighter forces to leave Aleppo, on January 9, 2026. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

Syrian Authorities Transferring Kurdish Fighters from Aleppo to Northeast

Syrian authorities on Saturday began transferring Kurdish fighters from the country's second city Aleppo to areas they control in the country's northeast,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) shakes hands with Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Youssef Raggi (R) at the Foreign Ministry in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, 09 January 2026. (EPA)

Lebanon FM Urges Iran to Find ‘New Approach’ on Hezbollah Arms

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi on Friday urged his visiting Iranian counterpart to find a "new approach" to the thorny issue of disarming the Iran…

Arab World  Palestinians inspect damaged tents at a displacement camp following an Israeli strike in Gaza City, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP)

Hamas Says Israeli Strikes on Gaza ‘Cannot Happen without American Cover’

A Hamas official said Friday that Israeli strikes on Gaza "cannot happen without American cover", the day after Israeli attacks killed at least 13 people…

Arab World A view of Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the West Bank, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP)

Germany Calls on Israel to Halt E1 Settlement Plan

Germany calls on Israel to halt its controversial ​E1 settlement project, said a foreign ministry spokesperson in Berlin on Friday, warning that construction…

Arab World Lebanese army soldiers and paramedics inspect the wreckage of a car that was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the town of Qanarit, near the coastal city of Sidon in southern Lebanon on January 8, 2026. (AFP)

Israel Army Says Struck Hezbollah Targets in ‘Several Areas’ of Lebanon

Israel's military said it struck Hezbollah targets in several areas of Lebanon on Friday, a day after the Lebanese army said it had completed the first phase…

Arab World Soldiers are seen outside the headquarters of the Southern Transitional Council in Aden, Yemen. (Reuters)

Yemen's STC to Dissolve Itself

Yemen's Southern Transitional Council and its institutions will be dismantled effective Friday. The move paves the way for participation in the southern Yemen…

Arab World People protest against Israel’s recognition of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland in Mogadishu, Somalia, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP)

Hundreds in Somalia’s Capital Protest Israel’s Recognition of Breakaway Territory of Somaliland

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Somalia’s capital to protest Israel’s recognition of the self-declared Republic of Somaliland, waving Somali flags and…

Arab World A French peacekeeper of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stands by munitions formerly used by Iran-backed Hezbollah at a position that was held by the group in the Khraibeh Valley in el-Meri in south Lebanon on August 27, 2025. (AFP)

Israel Casts Doubt on Hezbollah Disarmament South of the Litani

Israel on Thursday voiced skepticism over the Lebanese Army’s announcement that its plan to seize weapons from southern Lebanon has reached an advanced stage,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during a meeting with Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto (not pictured), in Budapest, Hungary, October 27, 2025. (Reuters)

Chinese Envoy Visited Israel and Ramallah This Week, Ministry Says

A Chinese envoy visited Israel and Ramallah ​this week and met senior officials from both sides, China's foreign ministry said in statements on ‌Friday. …

Arab World Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Al-Shaibani (R) receives European Council President Antonio Costa (C) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during an official visit to the People's Palace in the Syrian capital Damascus on January 9, 2026. (AFP)

Visiting EU Leaders Pledge to Support Syria’s Recovery After Years of Civil War

Senior officials from the European Union visited Syria for the first time Friday and met with Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the latest sign of…

Arab World Thick smoke rises from areas of fighting between the Syrian army and the SDF in Aleppo (EPA) 

Türkiye Calls on SDF to ‘Renounce Terrorism’, Abandon Separatism

Türkiye has urged the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to renounce terrorism and abandon what it described as separatist ambitions that threaten Syria’s unity,…

Saeed Abdulrazek (Ankara)

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Arab World Rubble lies at the site of Thursday's Israeli strike on a house, in the central Gaza Strip, January 9, 2026. (Reuters)

Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Attacks Kill 13 Including 5 Children

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli attacks in the Palestinian territory on Thursday killed at least 13 people, including five children, despite a…

Arab World Vice President of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Abdul Rahman Al-Mahrami and United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg meet in Riyadh. (State media)

UN Envoy to Yemen Invited to Southern Yemen Conference

Vice President of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Abdul Rahman Al-Mahrami, also known as Abou Zaraa, held talks in Riyadh on Thursday with United…

Arab World Amer Bisat, the Lebanese minister of Economy and Trade, speaks during an interview with Associated Press, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Jan.8, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Lebanon’s Economy Minister: Financial Recovery Will Rest on Security and Political Reforms

Lebanon's moves to remove weapons from all non-state groups and assert full state control are as important as financial reforms if the economy is to recover…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi receives UN envoy Hans Grundberg in Riyadh (Saba News Agency)

Al-Alimi Urges Civilian Protection, Warns Against Militarizing Politics

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi met the United Nations special envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, in Riyadh on Thursday, as the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World Palestinians walk past destroyed buildings in a neighborhood heavily damaged during the war, in Gaza City, January 5, 2026. (Reuters)

Senior Hamas Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Committed to Handing Gaza Governance to Palestinian Body

A senior source in Hamas cast doubt on Israel’s intentions to sustain the ceasefire in Gaza and move to its second phase, which provides for withdrawal from…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World From the civil protest movement in Aleppo’s Ashrafieh district in 2013, which brought together Arabs and Kurds (Aqil Hussein archive)

From ‘Jabal al-Sayyida’ to ‘Sheikh Maqsoud,’ Ashrafieh’s Syriac Roots

Aqil Hussein, a Syrian activist and journalist from Aleppo, reflects on his ties to the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh, now the scene of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aleppo)
Arab World Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu. (SONNA)

Somalia Probes Use of Its Airspace, Territory in Al-Zubaidi’s Escape

Somalia opened an urgent investigation on Thursday into reports that its airspace and airports were used without authorization to facilitate the movement of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Mogadishu)
Arab World FILE - Workers distribute food aid from the World Food Program at a refugee camp in Dolo, Somalia on July 18. 2012. (AP Photo/Jason Straziuso, file)

US Pauses Some Aid to Somalia, South Sudan over 'Theft'

The United States paused aid in Somalia and South Sudan on Thursday over reports of theft and government interference, declaring a "zero-tolerance policy" for…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Security forces affiliated with the Ministry of the Interior stand guard in the Ashrafieh neighborhood, which they have taken control of, according to the Ministry of the Interior, following battles with the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Aleppo, Syria, January 9, 2026. (Reuters)

Kurdish Fighters Refuse to Leave Syria's Aleppo after Ceasefire

Kurdish fighters rejected a call to leave Syria's Aleppo on Friday after the government announced a truce in deadly fighting that forced thousands of civilians…

Arab World Sacked Defense Minister and commander of the armed forces Mohsen al-Daeri. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Al-Alimi Sacks Yemen Defense Minister

Chairman of Yemen's Presidential Leadership Council Dr. Rashad al-Alimi sacked on Thursday Defense Minister and commander of the armed forces Mohsen al-Daeri,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World Civilians carry their bags and belongings as they flee following renewed clashes between the Syrian army and the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Aleppo, Syria, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Hassano

Syrian Army Orders Evacuations as Heavy Fighting Grips Aleppo's Kurdish Areas

The Syrian army clashed with fighters from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) ​in parts of Aleppo on Thursday and ordered residents to evacuate,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Lebanese soldiers stand in front of a building targeted by an Israeli airstrike in the village of Deir Kifa in south Lebanon last month. (AFP file)

Lebanese Military Moves to New Phase of Disarming Non-state Groups like Hezbollah

The Lebanese military said Thursday it had concluded the first phase of their plan to fully deploy across southern Lebanon and disarm non-state groups, notably…

Asharq Al Awsat