Arab World News

Israel’s Death Penalty Law Perpetuates Racial Discrimination, Says UN Watchdog

Arab World Protesters hold placards outside the Red Cross offices in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on March 31, 2026, during a rally against a bill approved by Israel's parliament that would allow the execution of Palestinians convicted on terror charges for deadly attacks. (AFP via Getty Images)

Israel’s Death Penalty Law Perpetuates Racial Discrimination, Says UN Watchdog

Israel's new death penalty law permitting the execution of Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks perpetuates racial discrimination against them, a United…

Arab World Protesters hold Palestinian flags during a demonstration to condemn the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla by the Israeli army, in Turin on April 30, 2026. (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP)

Israeli Authorities Taking 2 Activists Who Led a Gaza-Bound Flotilla to Israel for Questioning

Israeli authorities say they are taking two activists who led an aid flotilla bound for Gaza — and who were captured by Israel in international waters of the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World This handout photograph taken and released by the Iraqi Prime Minister's Press Office on April 28, 2026 shows new prime minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi talking on the phone at his office in Baghdad. (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Press Office /AFP)

Trump Congratulates Zaidi on His Nomination to Be Next Iraqi Prime Minister

US President Donald Trump congratulated Ali al-Zaidi on his nomination to be next prime minister of Iraq on Thursday, saying that he looked forward to a highly…

Arab World  A man passes on his scooter in front of a destroyed building that was hit few weeks ago by an Israeli airstrike, in the southern port city of Tyre, Lebanon, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP)

Israel Responds to Lebanon’s De-Escalation Demand with More Pressure, Attacks

Israel responded on Thursday to Lebanon’s demands for de-escalation with more evacuation warnings for southern towns that will increase internal pressure on…

Nazeer Rida (Beirut)
Arab World The head of Syria's committee for combating illicit enrichment, Basel Al-Suwaidan (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Syrian Authorities Hold Onto Campaign to Root Out Illegal Enrichment

The head of Syria's committee for combating illicit enrichment, Basel Al-Suwaidan, has revealed that settlements reached with prominent businessmen accused of…

Muwafaq Mohammed (Damascus)

Arab World An explosion of what appears to be white phosphorus fired by the Israeli army on the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border as seen from the Israeli side of the border, April 30, 2026. (Reuters)

US Urges Meeting Between Lebanese President, Israeli PM

The US embassy in Lebanon on Thursday urged a meeting between Lebanese and Israeli leaders as the health ministry said Israeli strikes on the country's south…

Arab World Residents from southern Lebanon hold signs bearing the names of their occupied towns and those at risk of Israeli destruction during a sit-in in Martyrs’ Square in central Beirut (AFP)

Evacuation Warnings Expand South Lebanon ‘Red Zone’, Strikes Raise Toll

Israel has expanded the scope of the “red zone” in southern Lebanon to areas about 22 kilometers from the border in Tyre and Nabatieh, issuing successive…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Two Israeli soldiers walk through rubble in southern Lebanon (AP)

Zamir Says Army Completed Iran, Lebanon Missions, Eyes Gaza

As Israel faces intensifying domestic criticism over the war, with opponents saying the government has failed to achieve its goals in Lebanon, Iran, and Gaza,…

Nazir Magally (Tel Aviv)
Arab World 15 April 2026, Berlin: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, gives a statement at the International Sudan Conference at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin. (dpa)

France to Host International Meet on Palestinian-Israeli Conflict in June

France will host an international meeting in June dedicated to the long-touted two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the French foreign…

Arab World  A Palestinian man carries jerrycans filled with water through a tent camp in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP)

‘Positive’ Mood in Cairo Talks on New Proposal by Mediators

Hamas described as “positive” an initial meeting held by its delegation on Wednesday evening with mediators in Egypt to discuss a new Gaza ceasefire proposal. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World  Israeli military vehicles drive in Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, April 30, 2026. (Reuters)

Israel Army Says Soldier Killed ‘in Combat’ in South Lebanon

The Israeli army said Thursday that a soldier was killed in southern Lebanon, the fourth such death since a fragile ceasefire took effect there earlier this…

Arab World A child waves a Lebanese flag while residents, mukhtars, and inhabitants of the devastated southern Lebanese border villages protest against the destruction of their villages and being prevented from returning by order of the Israeli army, at Martyrs’ Square in central Beirut on April 30, 2026. (AFP)

South Lebanese Mayors, Residents Protest Israeli Demolitions

Dozens of residents and local officials from southern Lebanon gathered in Beirut on Thursday to protest Israel's destruction of their villages, which has been…

Arab World Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the border, as seen from the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, 29 April 2026, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.  EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Hezbollah Signals Possible Return to 1980s 'Tactics' Against Israeli Army

Overlapping media leaks from within Hezbollah on activating “martyrdom fighters” (suicide operatives) have raised questions about the next phase on the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa (National News Agency)

Lebanese Defense Minister: Talks With Israel Aimed at Peace, Not Surrender or Trade-Offs

Lebanon’s Defense Minister, Major General Michel Menassa, said on Thursday that his country had entered negotiations for peace, not for surrender or trade-offs…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World FILE - Palestinians walk along a street surrounded by buildings destroyed during Israeli air and ground operations in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana, File)

Media Organizations Call on Israel to Allow Foreign Reporters Independent Access to Gaza

The leaders of major media companies around the world, including The Associated Press, are calling on Israel's government to lift a ban keeping foreign…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A police officer stands next to a banner at a polling station during the municipal council election, in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, April 25, 2026. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

Palestinians Mourn Teenager Shot Dead in the Occupied West Bank

Mourners carried the body of a teenager killed by Israel’s military through the hills of the West Bank ’s largest city on Thursday, the latest victim in a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A photo posted by Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab on X shows Adnan Abboud Hloua, one of the most prominent officers responsible for the chemical massacre in Ghouta.

Syria Arrests Former General Accused of Chemical Attack Involvement

Syria's interior minister on Wednesday said it detained an Assad-era general accused of involvement in the 2013 Ghouta chemical attack. In a post on X, Anas…

Asharq Al Awsat

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Arab World Global Sumud Flotilla vessels prepare to depart for Gaza at the port of Barcelona, northeastern Spain, 12 April 2026. EPA/MARTA PEREZ

Israel Says Detained Gaza Flotilla Activists to Be Taken to Greece

Israel on Thursday said that dozens of activists intercepted by the Israeli military from a Gaza-bound aid flotilla in international waters off Crete would be…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Patriarch al-Rahi receives Ambassador Bukhari in Bkerke (NNA)

Saudi Arabia Stresses Importance of Strengthening Lebanon’s Stability

A meeting between Maronite Patriarch Beshara Boutros al-Rahi and Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari in Bkerke underscored the priority of consolidating…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Israeli soldiers operate in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Lebanon: Disagreements Over Israel Talks Strain Aoun-Berri Ties

Disagreements between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri over negotiations with Israel have come to the surface as violence has…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Migrants rescued after their boat, which departed from Libya's coast towards Europe, sank (AP)

Libya: 17 Migrants Perish at Sea, 9 Missing Feared Dead

At least 17 migrants died and nine are missing after their boat broke down and drifted for eight days in the Mediterranean Sea, Libya's Red Crescent and Libyan…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Iraq’s prime minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi attends a Coordination Framework meeting in Baghdad on April 27 (AP)

US Auditors Find No Evidence Linking Iraq PM-Designate to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

A US law firm said an independent investigation it recently conducted found no evidence linking Iraq’s prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, to financial…

Ali Saray (London)
Arab World Brig. Gen. Abdul Basit Abdul Latif, head of Syria’s National Transitional Justice Commission (file photo)

Syria Justice Chief Says Pursuing Assad Regime Requires Patience

Syria’s judiciary has begun investigating four senior figures from the former regime accused of war crimes against Syrians, even as the National Transitional…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Hamas leaders, from right: Rawhi Mushtaha, Saleh al-Arouri and Ismail Haniyeh, all of whom were assassinated, and Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya (file photo, Hamas media)

Hamas Revives Momentum for Political Bureau Chief Election

Two sources in the Palestinian group Hamas said on Wednesday that the movement has resumed the process of electing a new head of its political bureau, pending…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Mourners weep beside the body of a child at a hospital in Gaza City (AFP)

Hamas Angered by Continued Violations, Prepares Amendments to New Mediator Plan

Three Hamas sources said the movement has expressed anger to mediators over the continued Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip, most recently the assassination…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World  Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in a southern Lebanese village, as seen from the Upper Galilee 29 April 2026, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.  EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Lebanon President Says Israel Must 'Fully Implement Ceasefire' before Talks

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that Israel must "fully implement" the ceasefire between the two countries before beginning direct negotiations,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World UN forces operate in southern Lebanon, as seen from northern Israel, Wednesday, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Over 1.2 mn People in Lebanon to Face Acute Hunger due to War

A UN-backed report said Wednesday that more than 1.2 million people in Lebanon were expected to face acute hunger due to the latest war between Israel and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A brick wall surrounds a tent camp housing people with alleged ties to ISIS militants at Roj Camp in eastern Syria, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP)

Syria Says Australia Won't Repatriate Families from Camp for Those with Alleged Ties to ISIS Militants

A group of Australian women and children who left a camp in Syria that houses people with alleged ties to ISIS group are stuck in the country because…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari meets Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian (X)

Saudi Envoy Says Adherence to Taif Accord is Key to Any Settlement in Lebanon

Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari said adherence to the 1989 Taif Agreement is the backbone to any settlement in Lebanon, alongside the need to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)