Arab World News

Gaza Administration Committee Meets in Cairo Amid Cautious Optimism

Arab World Palestinians salvage belongings from a home after an Israeli military attack west of Deir al Balah in central Gaza (AFP)

Gaza Administration Committee Meets in Cairo Amid Cautious Optimism

The Gaza ceasefire agreement entered a new phase on Friday with the first meeting in Cairo of a technocrat committee tasked with administering the enclave,…

Mohamed Mahmoud (Cairo)
Arab World Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teen in West Bank

Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teen in West Bank

Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian hurling a rock at them in the occupied West Bank, the military said on Friday, and the Palestinian health ministry…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)

Israeli Strikes in South Lebanon Kill Two

An Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed one person on Friday, the health ministry in Beirut said a day after raids that Israel said had targeted Hezbollah. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Syria's Leader Sharaa in Berlin on Tuesday, Says German Presidency

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa will be visiting Berlin next Tuesday and meet his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German presidency said. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Iraqis burn pictures of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outside the Iranian consulate in Basra, January 13, 2026 (Reuters). 

US Envoy Opens File on Funds Smuggled from Iraq

Iraqi politicians and observers warn of the potential fallout from a comprehensive review of suspicious financial transactions in Iraq as promised by US envoy…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)

Arab World Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, International President of Doctors Without Borders (AFP) 

Doctors Without Borders: Humanitarian Work in Sudan Hampered by Bureaucratic Hurdles

The health system in Sudan is suffering, with massive shortage of medical staff and supplies, said Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, International President of Doctors…

Asharq Al Awsat (Port Sudan)
Arab World A US flag and a US H-1B Visa application form are seen in this illustration taken, September 22, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration 

Egypt Appeased after US Limits Suspension of Visas to ‘Immigrants’

Egyptian experts and tourism workers expressed satisfaction on Friday after the administration of President Donald Trump said its decision to place new…

Ahmad Jamal
Arab World  A previous trial of Muslim Brotherhood members convicted on terrorism charges in Egypt (AFP)

Muslim Brotherhood Faces Growing Int’l Isolation after Trump Decision

The Muslim Brotherhood is facing growing international isolation after US President Donald Trump moved to designate its branches in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Sami Nasman (X)

Sami Nasman, a Hamas Foe, Returns to Run Gaza Security

Even the most optimistic advocates of change in Gaza’s system of governance did not expect the list for the proposed Gaza Administration Committee to include…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Tents sheltering displaced Palestinian families line Gaza City’s coastline as strong winter winds sweep the enclave (AFP)

Hamas Rejects Exclusion from Gaza Political Scene

A US announcement launched the second phase of a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, as questions swirl over the future of Hamas after nearly two years of…

Mohamed Mahmoud (Cairo)
Arab World Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council meeting in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Yemen’s Presidential Council Fills Vacancies in Council Membership

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) on Thursday approved a package of measures to fill membership vacancies and improve public services and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World  Palestinians walk amid buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)

Gaza Ceasefire Enters Phase Two Despite Unresolved Issues

A US-backed plan to end the war in Gaza has entered its second phase despite unresolved disputes between Israel and Hamas over alleged ceasefire violations and…

Arab World A handout photo from Israeli television made available on July 13, 2008, shows a photograph of Ron Arad, an Israeli Air Force navigator who was captured after his fighter jet was shot down in Lebanon in 1986. (Handout / AFP)

Lebanon Charges Four Accused of Kidnapping for Israel’s Mossad

Four people accused of a kidnapping in Lebanon for Israel's Mossad spy agency last month have been charged, a judicial official said on Thursday, after a…

Arab World  Makeshift tents shelter displaced Palestinians stand among buildings destroyed by Israeli air and ground operations in Gaza City Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)

Israeli Strikes Kill Five in Gaza, Say Local Health Authorities

Two Israeli airstrikes killed five people, including a 16-year-old, in Deir al-Balah on Thursday, said local health authorities. The Israeli military did not…

Arab World  Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan answers questions from reporters during a news conference in Istanbul, Türkiye, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP)

Türkiye Says Syrian Government Could Use Force Against Kurds

The Syrian government army could use further force against Kurdish militants after a flare-up in violence in northern Syria, the foreign minister of…

Arab World According to the UN, more than 21 million people are now facing acute food insecurity, with two-thirds in urgent need of assistance. (AFP)

Sudan Food Aid Could Run Out as Peace Efforts Stall

Food aid in Sudan is set to run out by the end of March unless new funding is secured, the United Nations said Thursday, raising fears for millions caught up…

Arab World Lebanese President Joseph Aoun chairs a meeting with representatives of the “Quintet” at the Presidential Palace in Beirut (AFP). 

Int’l Momentum Builds for Paris Conference to Support Lebanese Army, Enforce Arms Monopoly

The announcement of a conference to support the Lebanese Army, scheduled to be held in Paris on March 5, has gathered notable international momentum, bolstered…

Nazir Reda (Beirut)

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Arab World Palestinian Ali Shaath, the leading candidate for the chairmanship of the Gaza Administration Committee (photo released by his family). 

Ali Shaath Appointed Head of Gaza Administration Committee: What Do We Know About Him?

Mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye announced on Wednesday the formation of a Palestinian technocratic committee to administer the Gaza Strip, headed by…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Members of Israel’s special reserve unit “Alpine Mountains” during training on Mount Hermon in Syria (Israeli army) 

Israel Seeks to Cement Status Quo of Its New Occupation in Syria

A senior Israeli official has acknowledged that disagreements with Syria remain “very deep,” dismissing what the United States has described as a positive…

Asharq Al Awsat (Tel Aviv)
Arab World Hezbollah members take an oath in front of a monument to Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Beirut in 2022 (AP file photo)

Hezbollah Raises Civil War Threat Over Disarmament Plan

Hezbollah escalated its response to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam over plans to press ahead with restricting weapons to the…

Paul Astih (Beirut)
Arab World Palestinian Ali Shaath, a leading candidate to head the Gaza Administration Committee, in a photo released by his family.

Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Gaza Committee Members to Meet Mladenov at US Embassy in Cairo

Palestinian sources reported that figures nominated to lead a temporary Gaza Administration Committee are scheduled to meet on Thursday with Bulgarian diplomat…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World  A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches across the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP)

US Says Gaza ‘Phase Two’ Beginning with Goal of Hamas Demilitarization

President Donald Trump's envoy said Wednesday that a plan to end the Gaza war was now moving to Phase Two with a goal of disarming Hamas, despite a number of…

Arab World A damaged portrait of Syria's ousted President Bashar al-Assad lies on the ground in the western Syrian port city of Latakia on Dec. 15, 2024. (AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon Arrests Syrian Citizen Suspected of Funding Pro-Assad Fighters

Lebanese authorities have arrested a Syrian citizen who is suspected of sending money to fighters loyal to former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syria,…

Arab World Displaced women fill water at displaced persons camp in El Obeid, North Kordofan State, Sudan, January 12, 2026. (Reuters)

Sudan Peace Talks Resume in Cairo as War Nears 3-Year Mark

Sudan peace efforts resumed in Cairo on Wednesday as Egypt, the United Nations and the United States called for the warring parties to agree to a nationwide…

Arab World Mourners hold anti-US and anti-Israeli placards during a funeral ceremony for security personnel killed during anti-government protests, in Tehran, Iran, 14 January 2026. (EPA)

Diplomats Sought Guarantees from Hezbollah That It Will Hold Fire if Iran Is Attacked, Source Says

Diplomats have sought guarantees from Lebanese armed group Hezbollah that it would not take military action if the United ‌States ‌or ‌Israel …

Arab World A handout photo made available by Egyptian State Press Office shows Egyptian authorities holding talks with a Hamas delegation and representatives of various Palestinian factions, in Cairo, Egypt, 14 January 2026, to select a technical committee for Gaza. (EPA/Egyptian State Press Office)

Egypt Says All Parties Agree on Gaza Technocratic Committee Members

Egypt said Wednesday that all the members of a 15-person Palestinian technocratic committee meant to administer post-war Gaza had been agreed upon by all…

Arab World Military vehicles drive along a road as the last Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters left the Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday, state-run Ekhbariya TV said, following a ceasefire deal that allowed evacuations after days of deadly clashes, in Latakia, Syria, January 14, 2026. (Reuters)

Syrian Military Tells Civilians to Evacuate Contested Area East of Aleppo Amid Rising Tensions

Syria’s military said it would open a corridor Thursday for civilians to evacuate an area of Aleppo province that has seen a military buildup following intense…

Arab World French Special Presidential Envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian looks on during a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (not pictured) at the Government Palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 14 January 2026. (EPA)

Lebanon Says France to Host Conference to Support Army

Lebanon said Wednesday that a conference in support of the country's army as it seeks to disarm Hezbollah would take place in Paris on March 5. The…

Arab World Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the arrested man, Kazem Hamad, was a threat to national security. (Getty Images file)

Iraqi Officials Arrest Man Wanted by Australian Police as 'Number One Priority'

Iraqi officials have arrested a man wanted by Australian Federal Police as a person of interest in ​the investigation into a spate of firebombings, including…