Arab World News

Egyptian Gaza Relief Group Says Israeli Strike on Photographers Was Deliberate

Arab World An aid distribution point in northern Gaza operated by the Egyptian Relief Committee (Egyptian Relief Committee)

Egyptian Gaza Relief Group Says Israeli Strike on Photographers Was Deliberate

The spokesperson for the Egyptian Relief Committee in Gaza, Mohamed Mansour, said Israel deliberately targeted three photojournalists while they were carrying…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Smoke and sparks ascend from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in the southern Lebanese village of Kfour on January 21, 2026. (AFP)

Israel Launches Wave of Fresh Strikes on Lebanon

Israel launched fresh strikes on what it said were Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon after raids earlier Wednesday killed two people, the latest violence…

Arab World Rifaat al-Assad, uncle of deposed Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad. (AP file)

Syria’s Rifaat Al-Assad, ‘Butcher of Hama’, Dies Aged 88, Say Sources

Rifaat al-Assad, uncle of deposed Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad and dubbed the "Butcher of Hama" for suppressing an uprising in the 1980s, has died aged 88, two…

Arab World Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Palestinian PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Gaza Rebuilding Delays Aid Displacement Plans

With a fragile ceasefire holding in the Gaza Strip amid continued Israeli violations and overlapping political and security pressures, Palestinian Prime…

Najla al-Habriri (Davos)
Arab World  Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians who, according to medics, were killed by Israeli strikes on Wednesday, at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

Israeli Fire Kills 11, Including Journalists, Gaza Health Officials Say

Israeli fire killed 11 Palestinians, including two boys and three journalists, in Gaza on Wednesday, local medics ​said, and the Israeli military said it had …

Asharq Al Awsat

Arab World Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi delivers a speech during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2026.  (AFP)

Egyptian President Says Palestinian Cause Remains Top Priority

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday said the Palestinian cause is still “at the forefront of priorities” in the Middle East. He told a panel…

Arab World 12 July 2025, Jerusalem: Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, speaks at the press conference after talks at the seat of government. (dpa)

Israel’s Netanyahu Agrees to Join Trump’s Board of Peace

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Wednesday he had agreed to join US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, after his office earlier…

Arab World A view from inside the Dabba facility. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

UAE Forces Accused of Committing Violations against Detainees Held in Secret Prisons in Yemen

United Arab Emirates forces are accused of running a secret prison in Yemen's Dabba area in the eastern city of Mukalla. Asharq Al-Awsat toured the facility,…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Mukalla (Yemen))
Arab World 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. (dpa)

Aoun Stresses Keenness on Keeping Lebanon out of 'Suicidal Adventures'

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed on Tuesday that his country has "cleaned vast areas south of the Litani River of illegal weapons". Speaking to the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Members of the Syrian army ride a vehicle en route to al-Hassakeh, following the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Syria, January 20, 2026. (Reuters)

Syrian Military, SDF Announce New Truce After Guards Leave Camp Housing ISIS Families

Guards from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) abandoned a camp Tuesday in northeast Syria housing thousands of people linked to the ISIS group,…

Arab World Destroyed buildings in Gaza, as seen from Israel, January 20, 2026. (Reuters)

Gaza Committee Faces Israeli Hurdles as it Seeks Pressure from Mediators

The committee tasked with administering the Gaza Strip has begun work in Cairo, but its planned entry into the enclave has been blocked by Israel, a move…

Mohamed Mahmoud (Cairo)
Arab World US President Donald Trump, left, greets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025. (AFP)

Türkiye’s Erdogan Says Discusses Syria, Gaza with Trump in 'Very Good' Call

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed developments in Syria and Gaza in a call with US President Donald Trump, his office said on Wednesday, as…

Arab World  A member of the Syrian army stands guard on the road towards Al-Hasakah, following the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Syria, January 20, 2026. (Reuters)

Syria Gives Kurds Four Days to Accept Integration as US Signals End of Support

Syria's government set a four-day deadline on Tuesday for Kurdish-led forces to agree on integrating their last enclave into the central state as their former…

Arab World A Palestinian girl walks past the rubble of houses destroyed in Israeli strikes during the war, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, January 17, 2026. (Reuters)

Israel Orders Gaza Families to Move in First Forced Evacuation Since Ceasefire

Israeli forces have ordered dozens of Palestinian families in the southern Gaza Strip to leave their homes in the first forced evacuation since October's…

Arab World Civilians cross a collapsed bridge linking Raqqa with its western countryside of Tabqa, northern Syria, 19 January 2026. EPA/AHMAD FALLAHA

Syrian Interior Ministry: 120 ISIS Members Escape from Prison amid Clashes

Syria's ministry of interior said Tuesday that 120 ISIS members escaped from a prison in northeast Syria a day earlier, amid clashes between government forces…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World US President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi meet ahead of a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a US-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025. (Reuters)

Egypt’s Sisi to Meet Trump on the Sidelines of Davos, Presidency Says

Egypt's President Abdel ​Fattah al-Sisi will meet US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Egypt's presidency said on…

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Arab World A photograph shows a demolished structure inside the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem on January 20, 2026. (AFP)

Israel Begins Demolitions Inside UNRWA Headquarters in East Jerusalem

Israeli bulldozers began demolitions at the headquarters of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in east Jerusalem on Tuesday, in what the organization…

Arab World A Palestinian child is seen as fighters from Hamas’ Qassam Brigades search for the bodies of Israeli hostages in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, last December. (EPA)

Hamas Leaders Prepare for 'Safe Exit' from Gaza, Amid Doubts Over Return

Sources within Hamas in Gaza revealed that senior figures in the movement are preparing for a “safe exit” from the enclave following arrangements related to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World  Displaced Palestinians shelter in a tent camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, January 19, 2026. (Reuters)

China Confirms Invited to Join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

Beijing confirmed on Tuesday that China had been invited to join US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace". "China has received the United States'…

Arab World Famine spreads in North Darfur and South Kordofan in Sudan (AP) 

UN: More Than 8 Million Sudanese Need Food in 2026

Sudan continues to face critical gaps in humanitarian nutrition services, exacerbated by ongoing conflict, displacement, and limited access to health and…

Ahmed Younes (Kampala)
Arab World Lebanese army chief General Rodolphe Haykal. Photo: Army command

Lebanese Army Chief to Make Pivotal Visit to Washington Next Month

Lebanese army chief General Rodolphe Haykal is gearing up for an official visit to Washington in early February, after the US cancelled meetings with him in…

Caroline Akoum (Beirut)
Arab World Hadramout Governor and a member of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Salem al-Khanbashi gives a media briefing in the port city of Mukalla in Hadramout, Yemen, January 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Al-Khanbashi: Hadramout Has Been Liberated from Al-Zubaidi, UAE's Hegemony

Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) member and Governor of Yemen's eastern Hadramout province Salem al-Khanbashi accused on Monday the United Arab Emirates…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World Syrian government forces brandish their weapons as they take possession of the SDF military base as they enter the city of Raqqa on January 19, 2026. (AFP)

Syria Says Sharaa, Trump Discuss Kurdish Rights as Forces Deploy in Country’s North, East

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and US President Donald Trump discussed guaranteeing Kurdish rights in a phone call on Monday, Syria's presidency said, a day…

Arab World  A member of Syrian military police stands guard near Raqqa prison, after the army took control of the city of Raqqa, Syria January 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Syria Tightens Grip After Kurdish Pullback, Says ISIS Prisoners Escape

Syrian government troops tightened their grip on Monday across a swathe of northern and eastern territory after it was abruptly abandoned by Kurdish forces in…

Arab World A crossing at the Syrian-Turkish borders. (AFP)

Syria Deal Could Remove Main Obstacle to Türkiye -PKK Peace, Turkish Officials Say

A deal under which Kurdish forces abandoned long-held ​territory in Syria to the Syrian government could pave the way for Türkiye to advance its stalled effort…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Children wait for lunch at their hut in Sanaa, Yemen August 29, 2022 (Reuters)

Yemen Humanitarian Crisis to Worsen in 2026 amid Funding Cuts, Says UN

The UN warned on Monday that the humanitarian situation in Yemen is worsening and that gains made to tackle malnutrition ​and health would go into reverse due…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World US and Israeli soldiers convene at the Civil Military Coordination Center, the US-led center overseeing the implementation of President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza, in Kiryat Gat, southern Israel November 17, 2025. REUTERS/Alexander Cornwell

Israeli Minister Smotrich Calls for US-led Center for Gaza to Be Shuttered

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to shut a US-led multinational coordinating center that supports…

Asharq Al Awsat