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Israel Conducts Fresh Strike in Syria After US Criticism

UNDOF personnel visit the site of an Israeli drone strike in Beit Jinn, Damascus countryside, August 22, 2026. (SANA)
UNDOF personnel visit the site of an Israeli drone strike in Beit Jinn, Damascus countryside, August 22, 2026. (SANA)
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Israel Conducts Fresh Strike in Syria After US Criticism

UNDOF personnel visit the site of an Israeli drone strike in Beit Jinn, Damascus countryside, August 22, 2026. (SANA)
UNDOF personnel visit the site of an Israeli drone strike in Beit Jinn, Damascus countryside, August 22, 2026. (SANA)

Israel carried out a fresh strike in Syria on Saturday and lambasted US envoy Tom Barrack for criticizing an earlier attack on an air base in the northwest, which Israel has accused Türkiye of seeking to use. 

Barrack on Tuesday slammed Israel's attack on the disused military air base that day as an "unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability". 

On Friday, in an interview with influencer Mario Nawfal, Barrack said the strike may have been intended to provoke a conflict with Türkiye, prompting Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz to hit back on Saturday, calling the remarks "full of inaccuracies". 

Since the December 2024 overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria and has sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that for decades had separated Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan Heights. 

Katz wrote on X on Saturday that Israel had passed on "intelligence information to the authorized parties in the United States" before the strike on Tuesday. 

He added that Barrack's comments were "full of inaccuracies and positions that contradict the stance of US President (Donald) Trump himself regarding the Golan Heights", after Barrack called the territory "occupied". 

Israel captured most of the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and later annexed the areas under its control, in a move only recognized by the United States and, this month, also Colombia. 

- 'Flagrant violation' - 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, commenting on the Tuesday strike, said Türkiye, an ally of the new authorities in Damascus, had been looking to establish a military presence on the air base. 

Ankara has denied any visit to the site. 

Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have traded barbs since the incident, and Ankara announced it was seeking an Interpol red notice for Netanyahu, accusing him of "genocide" linked to the interception of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. 

Netanyahu's office called Erdogan an "antisemitic dictator" while Erdogan's office called the remarks "outrageous ravings" and accused Netanyahu's government of "seeking to evade accountability". 

Also on Saturday, Syrian state television said a man was wounded when an "Israeli occupation drone" targeted a vehicle in the village of Beit Jinn, located southwest of Damascus near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, with the foreign ministry calling it a "flagrant violation" of its sovereignty. 

Israel's military acknowledged the strike, saying that its forces "fired in southern Syria toward a terrorist who advanced terror attacks in the final stages of preparation", without identifying the target. 

Israel has carried out repeated incursions into Syrian territory and has vowed to keep troops in a so-called "security zone" in southern Syria, where it seeks a broader demilitarized area. 

This week Israeli army chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir told troops in southern Syria that "we are monitoring the changes on the Syrian front. We will not allow hostile forces to establish themselves on our borders." 

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Arab World

Yemeni Army Continues Strikes Against Houthis

Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Majid Al-Nazili (SABA)
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Majid Al-Nazili (SABA)
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Yemeni Army Continues Strikes Against Houthis

Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Majid Al-Nazili (SABA)
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Majid Al-Nazili (SABA)

Yemeni army spokesman Colonel Majid Al-Nazili said the Yemeni armed forces carried out 1,122 operations targeting the Houthi militias as part of a campaign to “liberate” the country, restore state institutions and end the Houthi coup.

In a statement posted on X he said that the armed forces were “continuing military operations across various fronts and battlefields in line with approved plans.”

He added that the Yemeni army carried out 1,122 precision strikes against Houthi targets, including weapons positions, fortifications, supply routes, reinforcements and command-and-control centers, across the Saada, Jawf, Taiz and coastal fronts.

He said the strikes involved fighter jets, drones, artillery, missiles, rocket launchers and snipers.

According to field figures, the operations resulted in the neutralization of 1,747 militia members and the destruction or disabling of 364 military vehicles, equipment, and transport and supply assets.

He said the armed forces would continue military operations to liberate state territory, restore state institutions, assert national sovereignty, and fulfil their assigned missions.

Arab World

Al-Zaidi Warns Coordination Framework Over Failure to Bring Arms Under State Control

A meeting of the Coordination Framework attended by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (Iraqi News Agency) 
A meeting of the Coordination Framework attended by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (Iraqi News Agency) 
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Al-Zaidi Warns Coordination Framework Over Failure to Bring Arms Under State Control

A meeting of the Coordination Framework attended by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (Iraqi News Agency) 
A meeting of the Coordination Framework attended by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (Iraqi News Agency) 

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has warned the Shiite Coordination Framework of the consequences of failing to meet agreed deadlines for bringing weapons under state control, as Washington reaffirmed that its economic partnership with Baghdad was moving forward.

Al-Zaidi hosted a meeting of Coordination Framework leaders late Saturday, stressing the need to resolve outstanding issues, including completing the formation of his Cabinet and regulating weapons in a way that strengthens state sovereignty and security in Iraq and the wider region.

An informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that al-Zaidi also stressed the need to support the work of a four-party committee negotiating with armed factions to reach a final agreement on handing over weapons to the Popular Mobilization Forces within agreed timelines.

The prime minister also briefed the meeting on key issues discussed with the US administration during his recent visit to Washington and the potential economic, political and security consequences for Iraq if the weapons issue remains unresolved, the source added.

The warning coincided with a message from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio marking Iraq’s National Day on Oct. 3.

Rubio pointed to al-Zaidi’s July visit to Washington and his meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House, noting that it reaffirmed the friendship between the two countries and their shared commitment to a strong and prosperous future.

He added that economic partnerships announced during the visit demonstrated the potential for trade and investment cooperation between US and Iraqi companies, while welcoming Iraq’s efforts to strengthen its sovereignty and contribute to regional security and stability.

Another informed source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington understood the difficulties al-Zaidi faced in dealing with armed groups and political forces, including some within the Coordination Framework, that appeared reluctant to embrace his plan.

According to the source, the Framework’s shift toward relatively longer deadlines for surrendering weapons followed a private meeting between al-Zaidi and Trump without other members of the Iraqi delegation. The source also cited Trump’s response to al-Zaidi’s request for an exemption allowing Iranian flights to land at Najaf airport.

In a National Day address, al-Zaidi described Iraq as a state that “makes its own decisions and protects its land and airspace,” with weapons subject to the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

He declared that Iraq had completed its sovereignty on Sept. 30, 2026, with the end of the international coalition’s military mission, adding that political instability had cost the country significant development opportunities and repeatedly forced it “back to square one.”

Al-Zaidi also highlighted his government’s efforts to protect Iraq’s interests, security, sovereignty and national decision-making from the repercussions of regional conflict while pursuing a balanced foreign policy based on national interests and mutual respect.

He outlined government efforts to diversify the economy, empower the private sector and link public spending to results. He also cited plans to provide one million residential land plots, establish a fund for future generations and economic cities, and implement the Development Road project to turn Iraq into a trade and energy corridor and investment hub linking East and West.

Political and strategic affairs researcher Hani Ashour told Asharq Al-Awsat that the departure of US and international coalition forces made restructuring Iraq’s security strategy increasingly necessary, particularly by bringing factional weapons under state control and strengthening the armed forces.

Ashour, however, pointed to major obstacles, including Iraq’s economic difficulties following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and political forces’ preference for dialogue with armed factions.

Such negotiations, he cautioned, could drag on and remain tied to the US-Iran conflict and its repercussions, potentially giving armed factions renewed justification to retain their weapons and reaffirm their allegiance to Iran.

A meeting of the Coordination Framework attended by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi (Iraqi News Agency)

Arab World

Strike on WFP Aid Trucks in Sudan Kills One

A collapsed mosque wall following a drone strike in Khartoum North, in Bahri city, Sudan on August 12, 2026. (Reuters) 
A collapsed mosque wall following a drone strike in Khartoum North, in Bahri city, Sudan on August 12, 2026. (Reuters) 
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Strike on WFP Aid Trucks in Sudan Kills One

A collapsed mosque wall following a drone strike in Khartoum North, in Bahri city, Sudan on August 12, 2026. (Reuters) 
A collapsed mosque wall following a drone strike in Khartoum North, in Bahri city, Sudan on August 12, 2026. (Reuters) 

One person was killed in an airstrike targeting a convoy carrying aid supplies in Sudan’s South Kordofan region on Saturday, the World Food Program (WFP) said.

Meanwhile, tensions gripped Port Sudan following a horrible murder that shocked the city.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the UN agency strongly condemned the aerial attack that hit two contracted trucks carrying WFP food commodities in South Kordofan.

The WFP trucks were travelling on Saturday between the two cities of Dilling and Kadugli when they came under attack, despite being “clearly marked as humanitarian vehicles,” WFP said, according to AFP.

“One driver was killed in the air strike,” it added, without specifying who was behind the attack.

Famine was confirmed last year in South Kordofan's Kadugli, and in El-Fasher in the western Darfur region, as fighting and access restrictions continue to hamper aid deliveries.

On Friday, a WFP truck had struck an explosive device in Dilling after delivering lifesaving food assistance.

The agency said it was assessing the damage and called for a prompt investigation into the incident.

Movement is difficult across much of western and southern Sudan due to damaged infrastructure, blocked roads and disrupted communications, as violence continues to escalate.

Both the army and the RSF have increasingly deployed drones in recent months, with the high-tech weapons killing more than 1,100 people in the first half of the year alone, according to UN figures.

Since the war began in April 2023, more than 200,000 people were killed, aid workers estimate, while more than 11 million are displaced, creating the world’s largest hunger and displacement crises.

Meanwhile, tension rose in Port Sudan on Sunday after the body of a resident was discovered near a hospital.

Sudanese newspaper Sout al-Umma (Voice of the Nation) quoted a local source as saying that the killing triggered anger among the victim’s relatives, who took to the streets, blocking some roads with stones and setting tyres on fire to prevent vehicles from passing.

The protestors asked authorities in the Red Sea city to make progress in identifying those responsible, according to dpa.

Several Sudanese states, including Khartoum, are facing growing security challenges, including widespread lawlessness, the proliferation of weapons, gang activity and rising crime rates, amid efforts to restore normal civilian life and basic services.

Observers say the war has severely degraded state institutions and triggered a surge in criminal activity across Sudan.