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Arab World

Sudan's Army Rejects US Call to Return to Peace Talks

War-torn Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visits casualties receiving treatment at a hospital in the southeastern Gedaref state, on the first day of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan on April 10, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
War-torn Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visits casualties receiving treatment at a hospital in the southeastern Gedaref state, on the first day of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan on April 10, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Sudan's Army Rejects US Call to Return to Peace Talks

War-torn Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visits casualties receiving treatment at a hospital in the southeastern Gedaref state, on the first day of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan on April 10, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
War-torn Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan visits casualties receiving treatment at a hospital in the southeastern Gedaref state, on the first day of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan on April 10, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

Sudan's army on Wednesday rejected a call to return to peace talks with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces following a conversation between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Thousands of people have been killed and more than 9 million have fled their homes in the war between the army and RSF that erupted in April 2023 over a transition to free elections, said Reuters.
"We will not go to Jeddah (venue for talks in Saudi Arabia) and whoever wants us to should kill us in our country and take our bodies there," said Malik Agar, a former rebel leader and Burhan's number two on the country's Transitional Sovereign Council.
Intense fighting continued in northern areas of the capital Khartoum on Wednesday, with residents reporting heavy aerial bombing and artillery fire.
On Tuesday, the State Department said Blinken discussed with Burhan the need to end the war and to resume talks sponsored by the US and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, which have been stalled for months after failing to achieve a sustained ceasefire.
On Wednesday, Sudan's army-aligned foreign ministry welcomed an Egyptian invitation for a summit of civilian political groups, but placed conditions on the types of groups and foreign actors invited.
In his statement, Agar suggested that a separate summit for civilian political parties taking place in Addis Ababa was a distraction from the aim of ending the war.
The RSF has said previously it is open to talks, though neither side has abided by commitments made in prior rounds.
In Tuesday's call, Blinken also discussed the need to defuse hostilities in al-Fashir, the North Darfur capital where fighting has escalated since May 10, killing at least 145 people and displacing over 3,600 families, most of them this week, according to UN and Medecins Sans Frontieres aid group reports.
The RSF has surrounded al-Fashir and raided civilian neighborhoods, while the army, fighting to maintain its presence in its last stronghold in the Darfur region, has carried out costly air strikes in the area.
Residents say projectiles from either side have fallen and destroyed homes, while few people are able to reach hospitals and water and electricity services have been cut off.

 

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Arab World

Jordan Says Air Defenses Intercepted 18 out of 20 Missiles Launched from Iran

Projectiles streak across the sky in this screengrab taken from footage published by Iranian authorities purporting to show missiles launched at US military targets in Jordan from an unknown location, released on August 31, 2026. Wana News Agency via REUTERS
Projectiles streak across the sky in this screengrab taken from footage published by Iranian authorities purporting to show missiles launched at US military targets in Jordan from an unknown location, released on August 31, 2026. Wana News Agency via REUTERS
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Jordan Says Air Defenses Intercepted 18 out of 20 Missiles Launched from Iran

Projectiles streak across the sky in this screengrab taken from footage published by Iranian authorities purporting to show missiles launched at US military targets in Jordan from an unknown location, released on August 31, 2026. Wana News Agency via REUTERS
Projectiles streak across the sky in this screengrab taken from footage published by Iranian authorities purporting to show missiles launched at US military targets in Jordan from an unknown location, released on August 31, 2026. Wana News Agency via REUTERS

The Jordanian Army said in a statement on Wednesday that its air defenses intercepted 18 out of 20 ballistic missiles originating from Iran while two other missiles fell in a remote area confirming that there were no casualties.

The statement quoted the army’s official spokesman as saying that “Jordanian air defense systems had dealt with 20 ballistic missiles launched toward Jordanian territory from Iran. Eighteen of the missiles were successfully intercepted and destroyed, while two fell in areas away from populated areas”, he said, adding that there were no casualties.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard had earlier said that it fired ballistic missiles at a base in Jordan used by the US military and attacked 10 ships on Wednesday, after the US said it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers, in a sharp escalation of the six-month-old war.

Iran has also threatened oil tankers in Kuwaiti and ‌Bahraini ports, according to a statement carried by state media.

IRNA quoted a message by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as saying: “In light of the hostile actions being carried out by the terrorist US military, including its targeting of several oil tankers belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran, we warn all crews of oil tankers in the vicinity of the ports of Kuwait and Bahrain, which host these terrorists and participate in their hostile actions, and urge them to leave their vessels immediately, whether they are in waiting areas or at the docks, as they will be subject to attack.”

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers on Sept. 8 after Iran’s Revolutionary Guards twice targeted a US Navy warship with ballistic missiles. The warship evaded the attacks and continued its patrols without any US casualties.

Arab World

Lebanese Contacts with Washington Curb Israeli Escalation in South

Mourners carry pictures of victims killed in an Israeli airstrike on Kafr Rumman in southern Lebanon during their funeral. (AP)
Mourners carry pictures of victims killed in an Israeli airstrike on Kafr Rumman in southern Lebanon during their funeral. (AP)
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Lebanese Contacts with Washington Curb Israeli Escalation in South

Mourners carry pictures of victims killed in an Israeli airstrike on Kafr Rumman in southern Lebanon during their funeral. (AP)
Mourners carry pictures of victims killed in an Israeli airstrike on Kafr Rumman in southern Lebanon during their funeral. (AP)

Intensive contacts between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US officials helped curb Israeli attacks that had escalated since Saturday, as Lebanon awaits Washington’s confirmation of a date for an eighth round of negotiations with Israel, expected to be set this week and held later this month.

Israeli attacks in South Lebanon subsided on Tuesday after three days of airstrikes and artillery shelling that killed at least 28 people, wounded dozens and displaced hundreds from Nabatieh and surrounding villages. Residents began returning on Tuesday morning.

Unlike the heavy strikes on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, no Israeli airstrikes were reported by Tuesday afternoon, although drones flew over Beirut, its southern suburbs and other areas in the south.

Israeli forces carried out a demolition in the town of Mansouri, south of Tyre, while an Israeli unit entered the outskirts of Kfar Shouba overnight and raised an Israeli flag on a hill.

Intensive contacts

Ministerial sources close to the Lebanese presidency told Asharq Al-Awsat that Aoun had “conducted intensive contacts with the US side to press Israel to halt its military campaign,” adding that US officials had, in turn, contacted Israel.

The contacts included US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, while Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, also held talks with US officials aimed at containing the escalation in the south.

On Monday, Aoun warned that Israel’s attacks “will not bring security to civilians along the border” and were targeting the path of the “framework agreement” and undermining efforts to halt escalation in the south and across the region.

“The question today is: Does Israel want peace or war? If it wants war, let that be made clear,” he added.

Lebanon has little leverage to halt Israeli attacks other than through Washington, which it sees as the only available diplomatic channel capable of pressing Israel to cease fire and halt the growing bulldozing and demolition operations in South Lebanon.

Beirut expects a definitive answer from the US by the end of the week on the eighth negotiating session with Israel. Lebanon’s demands in the talks include a ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory and the return of prisoners.

US ambassador visits Shiite council

Issa visited the Higher Islamic Shiite Council on Tuesday and met its vice president, Sheikh Ali al-Khatib.

Sources following the visit described it as part of Issa’s protocol meetings with Lebanon’s religious leaders, including Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian and Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Sami Abi al-Muna over the past two weeks. Others pointed to its timing following al-Khatib’s meetings in Iran and Iraq.

After the meeting, Issa stressed that the United States wanted what was best for the Shiite community and for southerners to return to their land.

On Israeli attacks, Issa noted that his understanding from the Israeli side was that any fire directed at Israel would be met with a response 10 times greater.

Asked about prisoners, he replied that he will keep up his efforts until they are released, saying it was his responsibility.

Condemnation

Lebanese Minister of State for Administrative Reform Fadi Makki condemned the Israeli attacks after meeting Aoun, calling for intensified efforts to halt them and protect Lebanon.

He also stressed support for the Lebanese army and the need for all sides to rally around the state and its legitimate institutions to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed more than 4,300 people since Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel on March 2, two days after US and Israeli strikes on Iran began, prompting an Israeli air and ground offensive against Lebanon.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports that the dead include more than 250 children, around 400 women and more than 130 paramedics.

A ceasefire sharply reduced the violence, but Israeli forces occupying large parts of South Lebanon have continued destroying villages inside a unilaterally declared “security zone.” The Israeli military also continues to carry out strikes within the zone and north of it, often without issuing evacuation warnings.

Arab World

Tunisian Journalists Protest Over Media Crackdown

Protesters chant against President Kais Saied, in Tunis, Tunisia, August 20, 2026, demanding the restoration of democracy and calling for the release of jailed activists and journalists amid a worsening economic and social crisis (Jihed Abidellaoui/Reuters)
Protesters chant against President Kais Saied, in Tunis, Tunisia, August 20, 2026, demanding the restoration of democracy and calling for the release of jailed activists and journalists amid a worsening economic and social crisis (Jihed Abidellaoui/Reuters)
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Tunisian Journalists Protest Over Media Crackdown

Protesters chant against President Kais Saied, in Tunis, Tunisia, August 20, 2026, demanding the restoration of democracy and calling for the release of jailed activists and journalists amid a worsening economic and social crisis (Jihed Abidellaoui/Reuters)
Protesters chant against President Kais Saied, in Tunis, Tunisia, August 20, 2026, demanding the restoration of democracy and calling for the release of jailed activists and journalists amid a worsening economic and social crisis (Jihed Abidellaoui/Reuters)

Tunisian journalists protested on Tuesday to demand the release of prominent journalist Mohamed Yousfi, whose arrest has become a new flashpoint amid accusations that President Kais Saied is cracking down on the country's ‌remaining independent voices.

 

The protesters, who also included activists, gathered outside a court where a judge was questioning Yousfi over illicit enrichment and money laundering charges, which critics say were fabricated to punish him for his outspoken journalism.

 

Yousfi, a fierce critic of Saied and the editor-in-chief of investigative news website ⁠Al-Qatiba, was arrested last Friday as he was preparing to enter Express FM Radio to take part in a radio program.

 

His arrest prompted widespread condemnation of Saied’s government, with rights groups saying the case was aimed at increasing a climate of fear among journalists.

 

“The situation is dark and difficult. Journalists who disturb the authorities are facing legal persecution and fabricated charges,” Zied Dabbar, the head of journalists' syndicate SNJT, told Reuters.

 

“Today journalists either end up in exile or in ‌prison... ⁠But we will resist,” he added.

 

Several media figures have been jailed this year, including Zied Heni, Mourad Zghidi and Borhen Bsaies, while Khaoula Boukrim was sentenced in absentia in June to four years.

 

Free speech initially flourished following the 2011 uprising that toppled Zine El Abidine ⁠Ben Ali and ignited pro-democracy protests known as the “Arab Spring.”

 

But critics say Saied's accumulation of power in 2021 and decrees he has issued since then have dismantled democratic safeguards ⁠and enabled the authorities to pursue many journalists.

 

The leaders of Tunisia's main opposition parties have been jailed in the last three years, along with dozens of ⁠politicians, activists, journalists and businessmen, on charges of conspiring against state security, of money laundering and corruption.

 

Saied says he will not be a dictator and that freedoms are guaranteed in Tunisia.