Arab World News

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

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 Israeli tanks drive in Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, April 25, 2026. (Reuters)

Four Killed in Israeli Strikes on Southern Lebanon

Four people were killed on Saturday in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, Lebanon's state news agency reported, while the Israeli military said Hezbollah had…

Arab World Residents gather in a street after Friday prayers to celebrate the arrest of Amjad Yousef, a key suspect in the 2013 Tadamon massacre, in Tadamon, Syria, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)

Syria to Begin Trying Assad-Era Figures on Sunday, Says Justice Official

Trials of prominent figures from the rule of ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad are set to begin this weekend, a justice ministry official told AFP on…

Arab World Palestinian electoral officials set up a polling station in a tent for municipal elections in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, on April 25, 2026. (AFP)

Low Turnout as Palestinians Vote in First Elections Since Gaza War

Palestinians in the West Bank and central Gaza voted on Saturday in municipal elections, the first since the Gaza war erupted, marked by low turnout and a…

Arab World A Yemeni child visits a cemetery for Houthi fallen fighters in Sana'a (EPA)

Houthis Rename Schools in Yemen’s Sanaa After their Fallen Fighters

Yemen’s Houthi-run capital, Sanaa, is witnessing a new wave of changes in the education sector, as the group renames a number of public and private schools in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Sanaa)
Arab World A Yemeni man in Taiz prepares coffee from the beans harvested on his farm. (United Nations)

UN Project Supports Thousands of Coffee Farmers in Yemen's Taiz

A UN-backed food security project in Yemen has become a model for creating jobs, helping farmers confront food insecurity, and developing coffee farming as a…

Waddah Aljaleel (Aden)
Arab World Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa attends a press conference on the day of a summit of the European Union and regional partners' leaders in Nicosia (Lefkosia), Cyprus, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)

Sharaa: Syria Is a Safe Artery Linking Central Asia, Gulf, Europe

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Friday that a meeting of European Union leaders and regional partners in Nicosia marked a new level of political and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Nicosia)
Arab World  The Shorja wholesale market, as the US administration suspends shipments of US dollars to Iraq, in central Baghdad, Iraq, April 23, 2026. (Reuters)

Iraq Deadlock Persists Over Next Prime Minister

Iraq's main Shiite alliance failed on Friday to agree on a new candidate for prime minister after US pressure stymied the chances of frontrunner Nouri al…

Arab World  Lebanese President Joseph Aoun delivers his address at an informal European Union leaders’ meeting in Cyprus (AP)

Aoun: Lebanon Rejects Being A Bargaining Chip in Regional Conflicts

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Lebanon “refuses to be a bargaining chip in regional conflicts,” stressing it “negotiates in its own name, in defense of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Palestinians walk amid the rubble of destroyed buildings in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza (AFP)

Gaza Reconstruction Back on the Table, Parallel Track to the Board of Peace

The reconstruction of the Gaza Strip has returned to the agenda in recent days during Egyptian talks with international parties, amid a stalemate in…

Ahmad Jamal (Cairo)
Arab World CAPTION: Lebanon’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ali Karanouh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Lebanon Ambassador in Riyadh: Saudi Arabia Played Key Ceasefire Role

Lebanon’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ali Karanouh, said a phone call on Tuesday between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime…

Ghazi al-Harthi
Arab World A woman holds photos of her relatives who were killed in the Tadamon massacre during a celebration after the arrest of Amjad Youssef, the main perpetrator in the massacre, in the Tadamon neighborhood, Damascus, Syria, 24 April 2026. (EPA)

Syria Celebrates Arrest of Main Tadamon Massacre Suspect

For many residents of Damascus’ Tadamon district, Friday felt like a holiday. Celebratory chants rang through the streets and women handed out sweets after…

Muwafaq Mohammed (Damascus )
Arab World  Attendees pose for a family photo during a summit of the European Union and regional partners' leaders in Nicosia, Cyprus, April 24, 2026. (Reuters)

Shaken by Iran War, EU Seeks Larger Voice on Middle East

EU leaders vowed to boost security and economic ties with Middle East partners and push for a diplomatic end to the Iran war, after talks in Cyprus focusing on…

Arab World  Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a ceremony commemorating Israel's Remembrance Day for fallen soldiers, or Yom HaZikaron, at the Military Cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, Tuesday April 21, 2026. (Ilia Yefimovich/Pool Photo via AP)

Israel PM Says Hezbollah Trying to ‘Sabotage’ Peace Efforts with Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hezbollah on Friday of trying to "sabotage" efforts to reach a peace agreement with Lebanon. "We have…

Arab World  Members of civil defense personnel use a fire hose at the site of an Israeli airstrike on a car in the central Gaza Strip, April 23, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli Strike Kills Three in Gaza, Medics Say

An Israeli strike killed at least three in Gaza on Friday, according to Palestinian health officials. The strike hit a crowded area in Gaza City near an area…

Arab World People carry the coffin of Lebanese journalist Amal Khalil during her funeral procession in the village of Baisariyah, southern Lebanon, 23 April 2026. (EPA)

UN Says Israeli Strikes in Lebanon, Hezbollah Rockets into Israel May Breach International Law

The UN human rights office said on Friday it has documented patterns of attacks on civilians in populated areas and residential buildings in Lebanon and Israel…

Arab World Palestinians examine the destruction after an Israeli strike on a residential building in Rafah, Gaza Strip on March 3, 2024. © Hatem Ali, AP

Unexploded Bombs Littering Gaza Threaten Recovery for Decades, UN Warns

War-torn Gaza is heavily contaminated by unexploded ordnance, which frequently kill and maim people and could threaten recovery efforts far into the future,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Members of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), in armored vehicles, patrol the road of the southern Lebanese village of Tair Debba on April 12, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)

Indonesia Condemns Israeli Attack Resulting in Death of Another Peacekeeper in Lebanon

Indonesia once again strongly condemned an Israeli attack in Lebanon that resulted in the death of a fourth Indonesian peacekeeper, the foreign ministry said…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Amjad Yousef - Syria's Interior Ministry

Main Suspect in Syria's Tadamon Massacre Arrested, Ministry Says

Syria's Interior Ministry said on Friday it had arrested the main suspect in the 2013 Tadamon massacre, one of the worst acts of violence attributed to the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Members of Iraq's pro-Iran Hezbollah Brigades (Kataib Hezbollah) gather in a mourning procession for one of their comrades who was killed the previous day in a strike in Basra, during the funeral in Baghdad on April 8, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

US Puts $10 Million Bounty on Iraq’s Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada Leader

The United States has placed a $10 million bounty on the leader of an Iranian-backed Shiite group in Iraq. The US State Department’s Rewards for Justice…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Arab World US President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 23 April 2026. President Trump met with Lebanese and Israeli envoys at the White House for a new round of peace talks.  EPA/WILL OLIVER / POOL

Lebanon-Israel Ceasefire Extended by 3 Weeks after White House Meeting

Lebanon and Israel extended their ceasefire for three weeks after a high-level meeting at the White House, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Arab World  From a Coordination Framework alliance meeting in Baghdad (INA)

Iraq Ruling Alliance Nears Critical Constitutional Deadline

Iraq’s Coordination Framework is set to meet on Friday, the final day of the constitutional deadline to name a prime minister-designate, as disputes persist…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets members of the Supreme Committee for People’s Assembly elections, July 2025 (Presidency page)

Will Syria’s Parliament Meet on Sharaa’s Timeline?

Holding the first session of Syria’s parliament, the People’s Assembly, on the timeline set by Ahmed al-Sharaa in Antalya will require faster efforts to select…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus )
Arab World Children stand on a pickup truck as they pass damaged buildings after an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese town of Mansouri (Reuters)

Gradual Escalation in South Lebanon Complicates Diplomatic Efforts

Diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in southern Lebanon are running up against a gradual escalation on the ground, as fighting expands beyond the border…

Soubhi Amhaz (Beirut)
Arab World Passersby near the United States Capitol (Reuters)

Washington Tightens Conditions on Lebanese Army, Unconditional Aid Ends

As US-brokered direct talks between Lebanon and Israel unfold in Washington, Congress is stepping up pressure of a different kind, pushing the Lebanese army to…

Rana Abtar (Washington)