Arab World News

Syrian Authorities Say Killed Assad-Era Officer After Clash

Arab World A member of Syria's internal security forces in Tartus city. (SANA)

Syrian Authorities Say Killed Assad-Era Officer After Clash

Syrian security forces said on Sunday that they killed an army commander who served under ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad, after he opened fire on them as they…

Arab World The sun sets behind apartment buildings in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP)

Iraq Sentences US-Sanctioned Oil Official to Prison

Iraq sentenced a US-sanctioned oil official to seven years in prison after he was arrested as part of a government-led anti-corruption campaign, the country's…

Arab World  Israeli settlers look out through a metal fence, as an Israeli flag flutters nearby, on the day of their weekly tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 29, 2026. (Reuters)

US News Agency Says Crew Attacked by Israeli Settlers in West Bank

Israeli settlers attacked an NBC crew in the central West Bank Saturday, as they were interviewing a Palestinian woman who said she’d been driven out of her…

Arab World People wave Libyan flags during a demonstration in Benghazi February 7, 2014. (Reuters)

Libya Rivals Agree Roadmap for Elections Within 24 Months at UN-Led Talks

Representatives of ‌Libya's rival political parties on Sunday signed an agreement on holding long-delayed national elections within two years to resolve…

Arab World Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attends an event at which new weapons are distributed to Israel's police volunteer security teams in Ashkelon, Israel, October 27, 2023. (Reuters)

Far-Right Israeli Minister Boasts of Worse Prison Conditions for Palestinians

Israel's far-right national security minister on Sunday boasted of worsening conditions for Palestinian prisoners as he visited female inmates. Two months…


Arab World Smoke billows following Israeli demolition of residential structures east of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on August 25, 2026. (AFP)

Israel Army Says Struck Hamas Commander in Gaza Hospital Compound

Israel's military said it struck a Hamas commander within the compound of a Gaza hospital on Saturday, while the territory's health officials said Israeli…

Arab World Students who made it to school despite the unrest, sit for official exams. (Sweida governorate)

Al-Hijri Gunmen Prevent Students in Syria’s Sweida from Sitting for Official Exams

Armed factions in Syria's Druze-majority Sweida province have blocked students from travelling to sit for official exams, demanding they be held instead in the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus)
Arab World A Lebanese soldier sits on an armored personnel carrier at the entrance of Burj Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Beirut, Lebanon, 21 August 2025.   EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Iran Links Hamas, its Allies’ Weapons in Lebanon to Hezbollah’s Arms

As efforts to address Hezbollah’s weapons continue to stall, along with the domestic dialogue over the issue, discussion of Palestinian weapons inside the…

Paul Astih (Beirut)
Arab World Yemeni political researcher Saleh Al-Baidani, who says the Houthis are facing growing popular and economic pressure in areas under their control - Asharq Al-Awsat

Al-Baidani: Houthis Use 'Siege' Slogan to Advance Iran’s Agenda as Pressure Builds Within

Yemeni political researcher Saleh Al-Baidani says the Houthis' use of claims about a siege and unpaid salaries is an attempt to mask the group's agenda with…

Badr Al-Qahtani (Riyadh)
Arab World The Houthi group suffered heavy losses as a result of government deterrence operations (military media).

How Yemen Has Developed Rules of Engagement That Are Disrupting the Houthis

The confrontation between Yemen's internationally recognized government and the Iran-backed Houthi group is no longer unfolding according to the military…

Ali Rabih (Aden)
Arab World Banque Misr’s main branch in the UAE. (Banque Misr on Instagram)

Banque Misr in UAE Targeted by US Sanctions

An Egyptian banking source and an economic expert downplayed the impact of the US sanctions against Banque Misr’s UAE branch on the Egyptian banking sector and…

Hisham Elmayany (Cairo)
Arab World Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri during a parliamentary session on August 11, 2026. (EPA)

Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: UNIFIL Alternative Is Another Force Operating under UN Banner

The United States' persistent refusal to renew the mandate of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) demands a search for an alternative UN…

Mohamed Choucair (Beirut)
Arab World A soldier from the US-led anti-ISIS coalition. (AFP file)

Baghdad Says Committed to Completing US Troop Withdrawal by End of Sept.

Baghdad remains committed to the upcoming September 30 deadline to end the military presence of international coalition forces in Iraq, sources said. Media…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World Israeli settlers jump over the garden wall as they make their way towards a Palestinian home under construction in the village of Qusra, south of the city of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which has faced escalating settler violence over the past month, on August 29, 2026. (AFP)

Netanyahu Condemns Israeli Settler Attack in Flashpoint West Bank Village

Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Qusra in the northern occupied West Bank on Saturday after nearly three weeks of tension in the…

Arab World Syrian army soldiers stand on the chassis of a mine-clearing tank of the Syrian Ministry of Defense's military engineering department during a demining operation in Qarah in the Damascus countryside on August 23, 2026. (Photo by Bakr ALkasem / AFP)

Syria: Local Factions Clash Overnight in Sweida

Armed clashes broke out in the Syrian city of Sweida late on Friday following a dispute between a group of factions that escalated into gunfire and the use of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A Lebanese woman inspects damage caused by Israeli airstrikes on the southern Lebanese town of Arabsalim (AP)

Israel Seeks New Rules of Engagement with Hezbollah Over Ali al-Taher

Israel’s escalation in southern Lebanon on Thursday appeared aimed at establishing new rules of engagement with Hezbollah, under which it would launch…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Part of the latest Yemeni government meeting in the interim capital, Aden (Saba)

Yemen Bolsters Defenses Against Houthi Threat

The escalating Houthi threat is no longer confined to the front lines or direct military attacks. It is increasingly bearing down on ports, economic…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)

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Arab World Sudanese refugees at Ura camp in Assosa, Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region (AFP)

Sudan War Moves Closer to Ethiopian Border

Days after tensions rose along Sudan’s western border with Chad, the war’s fallout has edged closer to its eastern frontier with Ethiopia. Fighting has…

Mohammed Amin Yassin (Nairobi)
Arab World US Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack (AP) 

Barrack Congratulates Syria on Week of ‘Historic Accomplishments’

US Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack congratulated Syria on a week of “historic accomplishments” after meeting Syrian Chargé d’Affaires in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Arab World Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich reviews the 'E1' settlement map in the West Bank (Archival - AFP)

Smotrich Announces Plan to 'Judaize the Galilee and Negev'

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the far-right Religious Zionism party, announced a broad plan to “Judaize” the Galilee and the Negev under…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Members of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in southern Lebanon (Reuters)

Three Israeli Vetoes Complicate Progress in Southern Lebanon

Israel has raised three objections that are blocking progress toward a political or military resolution in southern Lebanon: it has rejected a proposed Italian…

Soubhi Amhaz (Beirut)
Arab World Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, right, meets with the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, center left, at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP)

Can Mazloum Abdi’s Appointment as President's Adviser Bolster Security in Northern Syria?

Syrian Kurdish political figures and a senior Arab official in Syria’s Hasakeh region welcomed the appointment of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander…

Muwafaq Mohammed (Damascus)
Arab World Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets US Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris. (Iraqi Government media)

Harris Ends Baghdad Posting, Iran Expert Eyed as Successor

US Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris wrapped up his mission in Iraq with a final meeting with Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, as Baghdad-Washington ties enter a new…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World The seal of the United States Department of State is seen in Washington, US, January 26, 2017. (Reuters)

US Revokes Visa of Former Iraqi Finance Minister

The Trump administration has revoked the U.S. visa of a former Iraqi finance minister who was honored in 2022 with an “International Women of Courage” award by…

Arab World Israeli troops search the area following an airstrike that killed three Palestinians near the West Bank city of Jenin, 28 August 2026. (EPA)

Israeli Strike Kills Three in West Bank; Israel Says It Targeted Hamas Operative

Israel's military said it ‌carried out an airstrike in the West Bank on Friday that killed a Palestinian it described as a Hamas operative, as well as two…

Arab World Sudanese army solders take part in a military parade on August 17, 2026, in the city of Gedaref in eastern Sudan during celebrations to mark the 72nd anniversary of the Sudanese Armed Forces. (Photo by AFP)

Drone Strikes Kill 8 Civilians in Sudan’s North Kordofan

Drone strikes have killed eight civilians and wounded dozens in Sudan's Kordofan region, a rights group said Friday. Emergency Lawyers, an independent group…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Part of the latest Yemeni government meeting in the interim capital, Aden (Saba)

Yemen Strengthens Defensive Measures Against Houthi Threat

The escalating Houthi threat is no longer confined to front lines or direct military attacks. It is increasingly targeting ports, economic infrastructure and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World Palestinians inspect the damage following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 27 August 2026. (EPA)

New Israeli Strikes Kill Five in Gaza, Authorities Say

Israeli strikes killed five people in Gaza on Friday, authorities in the Palestinian territory said, in the latest day of attacks despite international appeals…

Arab World The Hasakeh region was held by Kurdish forces before coming under central government control in February. (SANA)

Two People Killed in Northeast Syria Explosion

Two people were killed by an explosion on Friday in front of the Hasakeh courthouse, in Syria's predominantly Kurdish northeast, state news agency SANA…