Jordan Parliament Passes Law Reinstating Conscription

 A general view taken from Jabal Al Qala district shows a Jordanian flag fluttering above the Jordanian capital Amman. (AFP)
A general view taken from Jabal Al Qala district shows a Jordanian flag fluttering above the Jordanian capital Amman. (AFP)
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Jordan Parliament Passes Law Reinstating Conscription

 A general view taken from Jabal Al Qala district shows a Jordanian flag fluttering above the Jordanian capital Amman. (AFP)
A general view taken from Jabal Al Qala district shows a Jordanian flag fluttering above the Jordanian capital Amman. (AFP)

Jordan's parliament on Monday voted in favor of a law reinstating conscription for men from early next year, decades after compulsory military service ended, state media reported.

Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II in August announced the reinstatement of conscription -- repealed in 1991 -- to "prepare young men to be ready to serve the country and defend it".

The government then referred the law to parliament for a vote.

Following approval, it is now set to be ratified by the Senate and then sent to the king for approval.

The official Petra news agency reported that the House of Representatives overwhelmingly "approved an amended law for national and reserve service" during its session on Monday.

The session was attended by Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, who was quoted as saying that the law "will be among the government's priorities in the upcoming period, in preparation for its implementation at the beginning of February next year".

Government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani had previously said the conscription program targeted the recruitment of 6,000 men who would have completed 18 years of age by next February.

He added that the penalty for failing to report for military service would be between three months and one year in prison.

The government ultimately aims to conscript 10,000 men annually.

Jordan ended conscription in 1991, just three years before it signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.

Momani denied that the conscription law was related to remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in August in which he appeared to voice support for the idea of a "Greater Israel".

The term Greater Israel refers to a biblical interpretation of the nation's territory during the time of King Solomon, encompassing not only the present-day Palestinian territories of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, but also parts of other countries including Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.



Sudan Army Breaks Siege on Key Southern City of Kadugli

A volunteer fills water containers at a free distribution point, due to water outages in Khartoum, Sudan, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
A volunteer fills water containers at a free distribution point, due to water outages in Khartoum, Sudan, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
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Sudan Army Breaks Siege on Key Southern City of Kadugli

A volunteer fills water containers at a free distribution point, due to water outages in Khartoum, Sudan, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)
A volunteer fills water containers at a free distribution point, due to water outages in Khartoum, Sudan, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)

Sudanese army forces broke Tuesday a siege by the Rapid Support Forces on the South Kordofan state capital Kadugli, two army sources told AFP.

"Our forces have entered Kadugli and lifted the siege," one said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Famine-hit Kadugli was long besieged by the RSF and their local allies, at war with Sudan's regular army since April 2023.


Dozen People Entered Egypt from Gaza on First Day of Rafah Opening

02 February 2026, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinian patients wait in the grounds of the Red Crescent Hospital to be evacuated from the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt for treatment abroad. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
02 February 2026, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinian patients wait in the grounds of the Red Crescent Hospital to be evacuated from the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt for treatment abroad. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
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Dozen People Entered Egypt from Gaza on First Day of Rafah Opening

02 February 2026, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinian patients wait in the grounds of the Red Crescent Hospital to be evacuated from the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt for treatment abroad. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa
02 February 2026, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinian patients wait in the grounds of the Red Crescent Hospital to be evacuated from the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt for treatment abroad. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa

A handful of injured Palestinians and their companions entered Egypt from Gaza on Monday, the first day of a limited reopening of the Rafah border crossing, a source at the border told AFP.

"Five injured people and seven companions" crossed the border, the source said on Tuesday.

The number of patients allowed to enter Egypt through the crossing was limited to 50 on Monday, each accompanied by two companions, according to three officials at the Egyptian border.


Paris Calls on 50 Countries to Support Lebanese Army

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Élysée Palace in Paris on January 23 during the latter’s official visit to France (AFP) 
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Élysée Palace in Paris on January 23 during the latter’s official visit to France (AFP) 
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Paris Calls on 50 Countries to Support Lebanese Army

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Élysée Palace in Paris on January 23 during the latter’s official visit to France (AFP) 
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Élysée Palace in Paris on January 23 during the latter’s official visit to France (AFP) 

Less than a month before it convenes, Paris is betting on the success of a conference to support the Lebanese Armed Forces, scheduled for March 5 and chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron.

French officials expect the meeting to draw representatives from around 50 countries and some 10 international and regional organizations. The numbers, if confirmed, would underscore the scale of international investment in the role of the Lebanese army and the priority given to bolstering its capabilities.

The conference coincides with the launch of the second phase of Lebanon’s plan to bring all weapons under the state’s control, beginning north of the Litani River in southern Lebanon and extending to the Awali River. Preparations are underway for a preliminary meeting to be held in two weeks. Paris says the conference itself will take place either in Riyadh or Doha.

France has asked the Lebanese army to update its projected needs in arms, equipment and funding for the coming years, enabling participating states to respond with targeted support.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot will discuss preparations for the conference and Lebanon’s complex domestic and regional context during his visit to Beirut this week, part of a regional tour that also includes Baghdad, Erbil and Damascus. This is Barrot’s third visit to Lebanon, but the first since President Joseph Aoun took office and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam formed a new government.

At the forefront of Barrot’s meetings with Lebanon’s senior leadership will be the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons. French officials point to the group’s continued refusal to disarm and to statements by its secretary-general, Naim Qassem, expressing readiness to join a war against Iran should Tehran be targeted by the United States or Israel.

Paris warns that Iran - amid strained relations with France and other European countries - may seek to draw its allies into such a conflict, a scenario that would directly implicate Hezbollah. According to officials who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat, Paris insists that Lebanon’s national interest lies in remaining outside any Iranian–American–Israeli confrontation, in order to preserve its stability, sovereignty and internal security.

While France assesses that Hezbollah’s military and financial capabilities have been weakened following what it describes as its “defeat” in the war with Israel, it believes the group still retains the capacity to resist disarmament by force if it chooses, despite having accepted the handover of weapons south of the Litani.

Paris argues, however, that outright refusal would exact a “heavy price,” both on Hezbollah and on Lebanon as a whole, while providing Israel - already accusing the group of violating the Nov. 2024 ceasefire - with further justification for escalation. French officials also noted signs of unease within Hezbollah’s support base, even if dissenting voices remain muted.

Moreover, officials said that Paris views positively the Lebanese army’s performance in the first phase south of the Litani and insists on completing the plan.

Economically, France takes a cautiously positive view of the government’s draft law addressing the financial gap, seeing it as an essential step toward an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, without which international aid and reconstruction support will not materialize.

French officials have called on parliament to pass the bill swiftly, saying it would protect around 85 percent of small depositors. France also anticipates a technical postponement of parliamentary elections for several months, most likely until next summer.