Arab World News

France Says Sending Envoy Back to Algeria to Ease Relations

Arab World File Photo: Algeria has suspended its 20-year-old treaty of friendship, good neighborliness and cooperation with Spain. (AFP)

France Says Sending Envoy Back to Algeria to Ease Relations

Paris will return its ambassador to Algeria and send a senior envoy to ceremonies marking a colonial-era massacre in its former colony to improve frayed…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Smoke rises following Israeli bombardment in southern Lebanon as seen from a position across the border in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel on May 7, 2026. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

Lebanon Civil Defense Says Israeli Strike Kills Rescuer in South

An Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed a member of Lebanon's civil defense, the rescue organization said Friday, a day after another strike killed a rescuer…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World President Joseph Aoun meets with Lebanese chief negotiator Ambassador Simon Karam (File photo: Lebanese Presidency)

Lebanon, Israel to Hold First Direct Talks Next Week

Lebanon and Israel are set to hold their first round of direct talks in Washington next week aimed at establishing a framework for bilateral negotiations,…

Nazeer Rida (Beirut)
Arab World Massad Boulos during his participation in the Munich Security Conference in mid-February, from his account on X

Trump Senior Adviser to Asharq Al-Awsat: No Military Solution in Sudan

Despite the complexity of the situation on the ground in Sudan, Washington still believes the de-escalation effort has a chance of succeeding. Massad…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World Mourners attend the funeral of Azzam Al-Hayya, the son of Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas' chief negotiator in US-mediated talks over Gaza's future, in Gaza City May 7, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

Hamas Considers Temporarily Suspending Ceasefire Negotiations

Two Hamas sources told Asharq Al-Awsat the group’s leadership is weighing a temporary suspension of negotiations, citing what one source called “Israel’s lack…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)

Arab World A bulldozer clears the rubble of a partially damaged building targeted by an Israeli strike in the Haret Hreik neighborhood, a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, 07 May 2026. EPA/STRINGER

Israel Strikes across Southern Lebanon despite Truce

Israel pummeled southern Lebanon on Thursday, state media and AFP correspondents said, a day after it targeted a Hezbollah commander in its first strike on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World FILE PHOTO: Hamas officials, Khalil Al-Hayya and Osama Hamdan, attend a press conference in Beirut, Lebanon, November 21, 2023. REUTERS/Esa Alexander/File Photo

Israeli Attack Kills Son of Hamas’ Khalil Al-Hayya

Azzam Al-Hayya, the son of Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas' exiled Gaza chief who had been leading indirect talks with Israel over the Palestinian enclave's future,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World South Sudan's President Salva Kiir (archive - Reuters)

South Sudan's President Kiir Sacks Army Chief, Finance Minister in Latest Reshuffle

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has dismissed the country's military chief and a finance minister who had been in post for less than three months, state…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meets with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. NNA

Lebanese President Stresses National Unity, PM Says No Normalization with Israel

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has stressed the importance of “national unity” as Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said it was premature to talk of any high-level…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Syrian security forces in Aleppo on May 27 (Reuters)

Syrian Forces Detain Uzbek Fighters in Security Sweep

Syrian forces have arrested Uzbek fighters during a security sweep in the northwest, after a dispute involving one of them escalated into protests outside a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Egypt Steps Up Regional De-escalation Contacts

Egypt Steps Up Regional De-escalation Contacts

Egyptian contacts with regional leaders and officials continue as part of de-escalation efforts to calm tensions between Washington and Tehran and positive…

Mohamed Mahmoud (Cairo)
Arab World A photo released by the Iraqi presidency on April 27, 2026, shows President Nizar Amedi, center, shaking hands with Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, right, in Baghdad

Iraqi PM-Designate Offers Baghdad’s Mediation Between Iran, US

Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi has affirmed Baghdad’s readiness to mediate between Iran and the United States during contacts with Iranian…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World The scene following an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh, Beirut, Lebanon, 06 May 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Senior Hezbollah Commander Reportedly Killed by Israel in Beirut Suburbs Strike

A senior commander from Hezbollah's elite force was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs on Wednesday, the first on the area in nearly a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World  Brazilian Activist Thiago Avila, who was detained aboard the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters, appears at a court in Beersheba, southern Israel May 6, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli Court Rejects Flotilla Activists’ Appeal Challenging Detention

An Israeli court on Wednesday rejected an appeal contesting the detention of two foreign activists seized by Israeli forces from a Gaza-bound flotilla, with…

Arab World  Palestinians carry the body of Naseem al-Kalazani, who was killed in an Israeli strike, during his funeral at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (AP)

Israeli Airstrike Kills Colonel in Hamas-Led Gaza Police Force, Medics Say

An Israeli ‌airstrike killed a senior officer in the Hamas-run Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip, health officials and Hamas sources said on Wednesday. …

Arab World This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun shows smoke as it rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Arnoun on May 6, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli Strikes on Lebanon Kill 4 Despite Ceasefire

An Israeli strike in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa valley killed four people on Wednesday, while the Israeli army said it struck Hezbollah targets in the south,…

Arab World Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli strike in the south of Lebanon, as seen from the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, 06 May 2026, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. (EPA)

Lebanese PM Says Premature to Talk of Any High-Level Meeting with Israel

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said it is premature to talk of any high-level meeting between Lebanon and Israel, comments underlining the dim chances of…

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Arab World The Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya (foreground) and the Israeli settlement of Shilo (background), north of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, are pictured on May 6, 2026. (Photo by Zain JAAFAR / AFP)

EU Urged to 'Act Now' on West Bank Settlement Project

More than 400 former diplomats, ministers, and senior officials on Wednesday urged the European Union to "act now" against Israel's "illegal" settlements in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World An Israeli soldier gestures next to a tank, on the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon, May 3, 2026. REUTERS/Shir Torem

Israel Army Says Striking Hezbollah Targets across Lebanon

Israel's army said Wednesday it had begun striking Hezbollah infrastructure in several areas of Lebanon, despite a truce with the neighboring country intended…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Members of Iraq's pro-Iran paramilitary group Kataeb Hezbollah mourn a comrade who was killed in a strike in Basra, during the funeral in Baghdad on April 8, 2026. AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP/File

US Wants 'Concrete Actions' on Iran from Next Iraqi PM

The United States is looking for "concrete actions" by Iraq's next prime minister to distance the state from pro-Iran armed groups before resuming financial…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Protest by families of SDF detainees held by the Syrian government outside the Democratic Union Party building in Qamishli (Ronahi)

Syria: Pending Issues, Including Arrests Delay SDF Integration

The exchange of prisoners and detainees between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has stalled since mid-April after becoming tied to…

Souad Jarous (Damascus)
Arab World Mourners attend the funeral of members of the Iraqi armed group Kataib Hezbollah who were killed in an airstrike that targeted a PMF headquarters near the western al‑Qaim district on the Syrian border, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Suda

Factions Tighten Grip on Iraq Gov’t Formation Talks

Despite the favorable conditions surrounding Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi’s efforts to form a new government, including backing from local and…

Fadhel al-Nashmi (Baghdad)
Arab World Damage to buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs (Reuters)

Lebanon Tests ‘Arms Monopoly’ in Beirut Suburbs Crackdown

Lebanese security forces are intensifying a crackdown on gunfire during funerals held by Hezbollah for its members, in a move that signals an official push to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (R) and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar shake hands as they attend a news conference after their talks in Berlin, Germany, 05 May 2026. (EPA)

Germany’s Wadephul Says Aid to Gaza Must Be Improved

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Tuesday aid deliveries to Gaza had to be improved and he repeated Berlin's ‌position that ‌any de …

Arab World  First responders inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a police station in Gaza City on May 5, 2026. (AFP)

Gaza Factions Prepare Defensive Plans as Fears of War Rise

Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip have raised their level of alert among fighters as Israeli threats grow over a possible return to war. Field sources…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World  Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that targeted a police post, in Gaza City, May 5, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli Strikes Kill Three Palestinians, Including a Child, in Gaza, Medics Say

Israeli strikes killed at least three Palestinians, including a child, and wounded several others in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, health officials said. Medics…

Arab World  Brazil's activist Thiago Avila is escorted into court in the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon on May 5, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli Court Extends Detention of Two Gaza Flotilla Activists Until May 10

An Israeli court has extended by another six days the detention of two activists arrested aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli forces…

Arab World  Palestinian carpenter Mohammed Wafi builds furniture from recycled wooden pallets in his workshop amid shortages of materials in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)

With Wood Scarce, Gaza Carpenters Make Simple Beds from Pallets

As Israeli restrictions continue to curb the entry of goods into Gaza, local carpenters are turning to scrap wood and shipping pallets to make much-needed…

Arab World Smoke rises, following a drone attack in Khartoum airport, in Khartoum, Sudan, in this screengrab taken from social media video released on May 4, 2026. (Social media/Reuters TV via Reuters)

Sudan Recalls Ambassador to Ethiopia Over Drone Attack on Khartoum Airport

The Sudanese government accused Ethiopia of being behind recent drone attacks on sites including Khartoum airport and recalled its ambassador on Tuesday. In…