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Arab League Calls for Immediate, Permanent End to Israeli War on Gaza 

Israeli army tanks drive in an area of Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on June 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Israeli army tanks drive in an area of Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on June 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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Arab League Calls for Immediate, Permanent End to Israeli War on Gaza 

Israeli army tanks drive in an area of Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on June 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Israeli army tanks drive in an area of Israel's southern border with the Gaza Strip on June 4, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

The Arab League called on Wednesday for the immediate and permanent cessation of Israeli war on Gaza, ensuring the entry of humanitarian aid, immediately starting efforts to rebuild the coastal enclave, and creating an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

On the 57th anniversary of the Naksa, the General Secretariat of the Arab League (Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories Sector) said this year's commemoration comes amid a destructive war by Israel on the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, where more than 2.3 million people are “subjected to war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, in full view of the world.”

It noted the “unceasing settlement policies, killings, arrests, house demolitions, and desecration of religious sanctities in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” It condemned “Israel's refusal to comply with international law and resolutions that ask it to end the occupation and withdraw from all occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories, and allow the creation of an independent Palestinian state” in accordance with international resolutions and the 2002 Arab peace initiative.

The Arab League called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to assume its responsibility and enforce its relevant resolutions.

It welcomed “the positive and constructive stances of all peace-loving countries and peoples, especially those that have recognized the State of Palestine” as a prerequisite to implementing the two-state solution. It urged countries that have not yet taken this decision to follow suit, “as it is a step toward security, peace, and stability in the region.”

The Arab League stressed “its solidarity with and support for the Palestinian people’s struggle to defend their land, homeland, and sanctities,” reiterating the “continued commitment of Arab nations and peoples to the Palestinian cause.”

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Arab World

Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria Discuss Ways to Secure Shared Borders

Libyans from various regions, along with organizations and activists, gather in front of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to demand that they take action to resettle irregular migrants and refugees, in the capital Tripoli on June 16, 2026. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia / AFP)
Libyans from various regions, along with organizations and activists, gather in front of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to demand that they take action to resettle irregular migrants and refugees, in the capital Tripoli on June 16, 2026. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia / AFP)
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Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria Discuss Ways to Secure Shared Borders

Libyans from various regions, along with organizations and activists, gather in front of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to demand that they take action to resettle irregular migrants and refugees, in the capital Tripoli on June 16, 2026. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia / AFP)
Libyans from various regions, along with organizations and activists, gather in front of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to demand that they take action to resettle irregular migrants and refugees, in the capital Tripoli on June 16, 2026. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia / AFP)

Security officials from Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria have held talks in Tripoli on strengthening cooperation to secure their shared borders.

According to Libya’s Interior Ministry of the Tripoli-based government, Tuesday’s meeting discussed ways to enhance cooperation in border security, combat cross-border organized crime, tackle terrorism, and curb illegal migration.

Security authorities in the three countries are working along their shared borders to counter irregular migration from sub-Saharan African countries, as well as smuggling operations and the risks of militant infiltration.

The Libyan ministry said in a statement that the three countries are keen to strengthen joint security cooperation and to develop operational mechanisms to be highly ready in confronting cross-border security threats and challenges, thus contributing to enhanced security and stability and protecting the shared interests of the region’s peoples.

The ministry explained on its Facebook page that the meeting “addressed ways to enhance cooperation among the three countries in securing borders and combating cross-border organized crime, in a way that strengthens security and stability in the region.”

It stressed that the meeting comes within the framework of ongoing efforts by the three countries to consolidate security and stability, strengthen partnership and security integration, and help protect shared borders while combating various forms of organized crime.

The joint Libyan-Algerian-Tunisian task force responsible for securing the shared borders was established in January 2025.

Its formation came as part of an agreement between the interior ministers of the three states to raise the level of security coordination, unify efforts to control the borders, combat cross-border organized crime, and address illegal migration.

Arab World

Egyptian Program to Develop Abrams Tanks Alarms Israel

The M1A1 Abrams tank. (Egyptian Ministry of Military Production)
The M1A1 Abrams tank. (Egyptian Ministry of Military Production)
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Egyptian Program to Develop Abrams Tanks Alarms Israel

The M1A1 Abrams tank. (Egyptian Ministry of Military Production)
The M1A1 Abrams tank. (Egyptian Ministry of Military Production)

Former military officers have confirmed that Egypt is working with the United States to boost its armored forces by introducing technological upgrades and modern combat specifications to a large number of M1A1 Abrams tanks, raising alarm in Israel.

According to Israel’s Nziv.net platform, there are major Israeli concerns about a shift in the regional balance of power after Washington recently approved a huge deal to upgrade 555 Abrams tanks out of 1,130 American tanks in the Egyptian army.

The military factory in the Abu Zaabal area north of Cairo, the only facility authorized outside the United States to produce components of this model, will oversee the development project at a cost of around $4.69 billion.

The M1A1 Abrams tank is the Egyptian army’s main battle tank, with a top speed of 20 miles, according to data from the Egyptian Ministry of Military Production.

National security expert Mohamed Abdel Wahed told Asharq Al-Awsat that this was not the first time Egypt develops these tanks. It did so in the 1980s through a joint military production agreement with the United States.

The latest agreement to develop the tanks was signed in 2024. It called for refurbishing the existing vehicles instead of replacing them with new ones that would have come at a higher cost.

“Egypt is developing this tank and capitalizing on its global reputation. The development involves incorporating modern technology to boost its capabilities,” Abdel Wahed explained.

Former Egyptian intelligence official Gen. Mohammed Rashad told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The upgrades include installing a higher-caliber gun to increase the firing range to 105 mm, upgrading the aiming and targeting systems to use lasers, reinforcing the tank’s armor against close-quarters combat and anti-tank weapons, installing a recoil suppressor on the tank’s gun to maintain stability and aiming accuracy, and fitting the tank with a high-powered engine to boost speed and maneuverability.”

“These capabilities make the Egyptian Armored Corps one of the most advanced and lethal armies in the region, with high combat capabilities in all circumstances, which is a direct cause for concern in Tel Aviv,” he explained.

Abdul Wahed added: “Egypt is manufacturing 90 percent of the components for this tank. Localizing military technology and industries in Egypt is very important.”

Israeli media has over the past two years frequently reported about Tel Aviv’s concern over what it described as “the detection of the construction of massive logistical infrastructure and fuel depots in the Sinai Peninsula.”

They alleged that these measures would allow Egyptian forces to move rapidly and extensively eastward, forcing Israel to maintain close and continuous monitoring of the deployment and movement of Egyptian forces despite the peace treaty between them.

Egypt has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying its work in Sinai has development purposes and any deployment of the military aims to protect the border and national security.

Rashad said the Israeli concerns over the Egyptian military’s upgrades and tanks program stem from its “fear that the Egyptian armored forces will become capable of matching Israel’s.”

Tel Aviv constantly boasts about its capabilities that are a result of continuous upgrades to weapons and combat equipment, he added, noting that its military ranks seventh globally in the manufacture and export of weapons and combat equipment.

Arab World

Several Israeli Strikes Hit South Lebanon

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 16 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 16 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
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Several Israeli Strikes Hit South Lebanon

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 16 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 16 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Israeli forces on Wednesday carried out airstrikes on several areas in south Lebanon, state media reported, despite a peace deal in the Middle East war that includes Lebanon.

Lebanon's National News Agency said Israeli warplanes launched raids targeting the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area and the eastern outskirts of neighboring town Kfar Tebnit.

The Israelis also launched a drone strike on the town of Ansariyeh in the Zahrani area, NNA reported.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a rare public rebuke of Israel's military tactics in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment buildings to hunt militants.

Trump, who in recent days had expressed his displeasure over Israeli attacks in Beirut that he said could have endangered his peace deal with Iran, said Israel has been fighting Hezbollah for "too long.”

"Too many people have been killed. You don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they're not all Hezbollah," Trump said at the G7 summit ⁠in France.

His complaint comes ⁠at a moment of rising tensions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has remained a key political ally despite occasional ups and downs between the two leaders over the years.