Latest World News

World Smoke from a drone launched from Lebanon toward targets in northern Israel and destroyed by Iron Dome interception pictured in the sky as seen from the upper Galilee on the Israel-Lebanon border, 04 March 2026  EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Azerbaijan Says Two People Injured by Iranian Drones

Azerbaijan's foreign ministry lodged an official protest with the Iranian embassy on Thursday after a pair of Iranian drones flew across the border into…

Asharq Al Awsat
World FILE -Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz makes statements with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias after their meeting in Athens, Greece, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis, File)

Katz Says US Defense Secretary Told him 'Keep Going to the End'

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said his US counterpart Pete Hegseth assured him of Washington's firm backing for their joint military campaign against…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World File photo: A view shows a large plume of smoke and fire rising from fuel depot in Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025. (Reuters)

Sudan Drone Strike Kills 18 People

A drone strike on a Sudanese city under paramilitary control killed 18 people, a medic working in the area told AFP on Thursday, while blaming the army for the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Smoke rises from the city of Khiam after an Israeli bombing targeted one of its neighborhoods, coinciding with the incursion of tanks (AFP)

Lebanese State Media Says Israeli Strike Kills Hamas Official

Lebanese state media said an Israeli strike killed a Hamas official on Thursday, the first reported targeted killing of a member of the Palestinian militant…

Asharq Al Awsat

Trump Says he Gives the US a 15/10 Grade for Iran War

World FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump speaks at the White House in Washington, D.C., US, March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo

Trump Says he Gives the US a 15/10 Grade for Iran War

The US president opened his remarks at a White House event on artificial intelligence that the US is “doing very well on the war front, to put it mildly.” …

Asharq Al Awsat

World Air defense systems intercept a drone near the US consulate and Erbil International Airport in Erbil early Wednesday (EPA)

Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Tehran Seeks Details on Trump's Call with Kurdish Leaders

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Ali Bagheri Kani, deputy secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, have asked Iraqi officials for…

Asharq Al Awsat (London) Asharq Al Awsat (Erbil)
Arab World Israeli tanks maneuver near the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Israeli Forces Enter Several Lebanese Villages after Evacuation Order

Israeli forces have advanced into a number of towns and villages in south Lebanon, a source from the UN peacekeeping force in the country, UNIFIL, told AFP on…

Asharq Al Awsat

Michelangelo’s Works Hidden in ‘Secret Room’, Researcher Says

Culture Pedestrians walk past the Basilica of Santa Agnese Outside the Walls as a marble bust is displayed inside after being identified as a work by Michelangelo Buonarroti after centuries without attribution, following a decade of archival research by Italian researcher Valentina Salerno in Rome on March 4, 2026. (AFP)

Michelangelo’s Works Hidden in ‘Secret Room’, Researcher Says

Renaissance artist Michelangelo ordered many of his artworks to be hidden by his pupils in a secret room to protect them for posterity, an Italian researcher…


Culture Following its inclusion in the project in 2022, the mosque's area was expanded to 293 square meters - SPA

Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project Restores Al-Hawza Mosque in Aseer

The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Project for the Development of Historical Mosques is rehabilitating Al-Hawza Mosque in Dhahran Al-Janoub, Aseer, as part of its…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture The people of AlUla in Saudi Arabia have long maintained a close relationship with nature, reflected in their careful observation of crescent moons. (SPA)

'Moon Spotter': AlUla's Enduring Tradition of Crescent Sighting

The people of Saudi Arabia’s AlUla have long maintained a close relationship with nature, reflected in their careful observation of crescent moons and the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture Poeple look at Rembrandt's famed Night Watch, which is back on display in what researchers say in its original size, with missing parts temporarily restored in an exhibition aided by artificial intelligence, at Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands June 23, 2021. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo

Dutch Museum Makes ‘Needle in a Haystack’ Confirmation of Rembrandt Painting

A painting that was once rejected as a work by Rembrandt van Rijn has now been acknowledged as a work by the Dutch master, thanks to two years of scrutiny in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Culture Plumes of smoke rise after a strike in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo)

UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran Damaged in Strikes

Iran's UNESCO-listed Golestan Palace in Tehran has been damaged in US and Israeli strikes, local media reported Monday. "Following the joint US-Israeli…

Asharq Al Awsat

Verstappen Says Too Late to Change Tack on New F1 Era

Sports Formula One F1 - Australian Grand Prix - Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit, Melbourne, Australia - March 5, 2026 Red Bull's Max Verstappen during the photoshoot ahead of the Australian Grand Prix REUTERS/Mark Peterson

Verstappen Says Too Late to Change Tack on New F1 Era

Four-times Formula One champion Max Verstappen is no fan of F1's technical reset but believes it is here to stay. During off-season testing, the Red Bull…

Asharq Al Awsat

Sports INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 04: Novak Djokovic of Serbia fields questions form the media during Day 1 of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 04, 2026 in Indian Wells, California.   Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

Djokovic Says he Will Keep Playing as Long as he Has 'Fire and Flair'

Novak Djokovic said he sees no reason to retire from tennis given that he is still motivated to compete and capable of beating the best players in the world. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports Mar 2, 2026; Indian Wells, CA, USA;  Mirra Andreeva (RUS) holds her dog Ressi during her practice session for the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Andreeva Ready for Role as Defending Indian Wells Champion

Russian teenager Mirra Andreeva said she will go into her Indian Wells title defense without worrying about the potential for dropping ranking points after…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports Iraq are favorites to win the playoff and become the ninth Asian team to qualify for the finals (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Travel Chaos Threatens Iraq's Participation in World Cup Playoffs

Iraq's participation in the inter-confederation playoffs in Mexico that will decide two berths at this year's World Cup is in doubt because of the travel chaos…

Asharq Al Awsat
Sports Iga Swiatek of Poland fields questions on media day during the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 03, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

WTA Players Divided on Five-Set Matches Proposal at Grand Slams

Players on the WTA Tour offered a range of opinions on Tuesday on the idea of women's matches becoming best-of-five sets from the quarter-finals onward at…


Tourism on Hold as Middle East War Casts Uncertainty

Varieties Tourism to the Middle East has boomed in recent years but war now threatens that success. Ryan Lim / AFP

Tourism on Hold as Middle East War Casts Uncertainty

Cancelled flights, postponed trips and a great deal of uncertainty: the war in the Middle East is casting a long shadow over the tourism outlook for a region…

Asharq Al Awsat

Varieties Punch, a Japanese macaque born on July 26, 2025, climbs on the back of another in the monkeys' playground at the Ichikawa city zoo in Tokyo's eastward neighboring city, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

Punch the Orphan Macaque is Outgrowing his Plushie and Making Friends

Punch the baby orphan macaque is outgrowing the orangutan plushie that comforted him through early rejection from his mother and other monkeys. Images of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Varieties The NCW says it is focused on enhancing wildlife management efficiency. SPA

Saudi Arabia: NCW Marks World Wildlife Day with Strategic Plan for Biodiversity Protection

The National Center for Wildlife (NCW) reaffirmed its commitment to protecting wildlife and preserving natural habitats, recognizing this responsibility as…

Asharq Al Awsat (Riyadh)
Varieties Contact binaries are made up of two connected spheres, reminiscent of a snowman (Shutterstock)

Student Solves Mystery of Icy ‘Snowmen’ in Solar System’s Outer Reaches

A student has unraveled a long-standing cosmic enigma concerning some of our solar system’s most peculiar objects: icy “snowmen” that populate its outer…

Asharq Al Awsat (Michigan)
Varieties 80% of the country's lanterns are still made by hand (Getty images)

80% of China’s Lanterns Are Made in One Little Town

In China, red lanterns could guide a traveler to safety in cold winter alleyways, be symbols of power outside an imperial hall, or act as a call to religious…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beijing)