Arab World News

Australia Won’t Repatriate 34 Women and Children from Syria 

Arab World Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stands outside the entrance to his office at Parliament House in Canberra on February 11, 2026. (AFP)

Australia Won’t Repatriate 34 Women and Children from Syria 

The Australian government will not repatriate from Syria a group of 34 women and children with alleged ties to the ISIS group, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese…

Arab World The Neve Yaakov settlement north of East Jerusalem, with the Israeli wall visible separating the Palestinian neighborhood of al-Ram in the West Bank (AFP). 

‘Jerusalem After the West Bank’: Israel Effectively Erases the Land of a Palestinian State

A day after an unprecedented Israeli decision allowing the seizure of land in the occupied West Bank, Hebrew-language reports revealed a settlement plan that…

Kifah Zboun
Arab World LNA commander Khalifa Haftar meets with Egypt’s chief of intelligence Hassan Rashad on Sunday. (LNA General Command)

Will Libya’s Haftar Sever Alleged Association with Sudan’s RSF? 

Senior Egyptian officials have been flocking to eastern Libya, the stronghold of the Libyan National Army (LNA), in what observers have said was increasing…

Jamal Jawhar (Cairo)
Arab World Italy's Minister for Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani speaks to the press during the EPP Leaders’ meeting, in Zagreb, Croatia, 30 January 2026. (EPA)

Italy Says It Stands Ready to Train Police in Gaza

Italy stands ready to help train police forces in Gaza and elsewhere in the Palestinian territories, its foreign minister said on Monday, as ‌Rome aims to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A damaged excavator sits on the rubble of a building that was hit in January by an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Qannarit, on February 16, 2026. (AFP)

Lebanon Says Army to Take at Least 4 Months for Next Stage of Hezbollah Disarmament Plan 

Lebanon's government said Monday that the army would need at least four months to implement the second phase of the military's plan to disarm Hezbollah in the…


Arab World Displaced Sudanese people who left el-Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila amid the remains of a fire that broke out in the camp on February 11, 2026. (AFP)

At Least 6,000 Killed Over 3 Days During RSF Attack on Sudan’s El-Fasher, UN Says

More than 6,000 people were killed in over three days when a Sudanese paramilitary group unleashed “a wave of intense violence ... shocking in its scale and…

Arab World FILE PHOTO: A view of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., US, November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier//File Photo

IMF Mission in Lebanon Discussed Improving Draft Funding Shortfall Law

An International Monetary Fund mission to Lebanon this week ​discussed improvements needed to a draft law aimed at addressing huge losses in the country's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. (EPA)

Israeli FM Saar to Attend Trump’s First Board of Peace Meeting on Thursday, Officials Say

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar will attend U.S. President Donald Trump's first formal Board of Peace meeting on February 19, two Israeli officials said…

Arab World Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. SANA

Rubio Meets with Shaibani, Abdi in Munich to Consolidate Damascus-SDF Ties

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Commander-in-Chief of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi at…

Souad Jarous (Damascus)
Arab World A Palestinian war-wounded man waits at the entrance, hoping to receive medical treatment, at a clinic run by medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), amid shortages of medical supplies, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, December 31, 2025. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

MSF Suspends Some Work at Gaza's Nasser Hospital due to Presence of Armed Men

Doctors Without Borders has announced the suspension of some operations at one of Gaza 's largest functioning hospitals after patients and staff reported…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World US soldiers patrol the countryside of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on June 7, 2023. (AFP)

US Military Says Struck More than 30 ISIS Targets in Syria

The US military said Saturday that its forces had struck more than 30 ISIS group targets in Syria this month, maintaining pressure on the militants after a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A photograph shows tents and makeshift shelters at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on a foggy day on February 14, 2026. (Photo by Bashar Taleb / AFP)

Abbas Urges Removal of Israeli 'Obstacles' on Gaza Ceasefire

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas called on Saturday for the removal of "all obstacles" he said Israel has imposed on the implementation of the second phase…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Zubayar al-Bakoush before arriving in the US last week. Photo: FBI Director Kash Patel on X

US Moves to Pursue Benghazi Consulate Attack Suspects

Many Libyan figures have begun looking over their shoulders after their names were cited in a US indictment accusing them of involvement in the 2012 attack on…

Jamal Jawhar (Cairo)
Arab World A Hamas banner reading “We Are the Flood… We Are the Day After” during the handover of a group of Israeli hostages (file photo – AFP)

After Two Years of War, Tally of Israel-Hamas Prisoner Swaps

Israel’s military on Friday released new footage of the rescue of two hostages, Fernando Simon Marman and Norberto Louis Har, Israeli nationals who also hold…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Syrian Democratic Forces members stand by vehicles, as they withdraw from the front lines, following an agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Hasakah, Syria, February 10, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman

European Parliament Says Parties Encouraged to Uphold Existing Ceasefire Deal in Northeast Syria

The European Parliament on Friday strongly condemned all acts of violence against civilians in northeast Syria and called upon the government and the Syrian…

Asharq Al Awsat (Strasbourg)
Arab World Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaks as Mahmoud Ali Youssouf (R), Chairperson of the African Union Commission listens on during the closing press conference of the Second Italy-Africa Summit at the Addis International Convention Center (AICC) in Addis Ababa on February 13, 2026. (Photo by Marco Simoncelli / AFP)

African Union Chair: ‘Extermination' of Palestinians Must Stop

The "extermination" of the Palestinian people must end, the chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said on Saturday as he launched the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Saudi support for Yemen as part of the economic stability programs (X)

International Report Sees Improvement in Yemeni Liberated Areas Thanks to Saudi Support

The food insecurity crisis in Yemen continues to worsen, especially in Houthi controlled areas, despite relative stabilized conditions in regions controlled by…

Mohammed Nasser (Aden)
Arab World People fill water tanks from a mobile tanker in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza (AFP)

Hamas Bid to Join Gaza Administration Faces Rejection

Hamas has repeatedly declared its readiness to hand over authority to the Gaza Administration Committee immediately. However, the transfer has yet to…

Mohamed Mahmoud (Cairo)
Arab World Members of Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces during earlier security measures at the start of the year (File Photo– ISF)

Lebanon Moves to Curb Illegal Weapons Sources

Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) said on Friday they carried out a raid as part of efforts to combat the illicit trade in military-grade weapons,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World  Flames rise from a building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Ain Qana village, south Lebanon, on Feb. 2, 2026. (AP)

Lebanon Detains 41 Since War on Suspicion of Collaborating with Israel

Lebanon’s State Security agency has arrested a Syrian national suspected of communicating with Israelis for commercial purposes, just two days after entering…

Youssef Diab (Beirut)
Arab World Trump and leaders and representatives of participating states sign the founding charter of the Board of Peace in Davos on Jan. 22, 2026. (AFP)

Egypt Rallies Support on Gaza Before ‘Board of Peace’ Meeting

Egypt intensified contacts with Arab and Islamic countries to align positions on Gaza ahead of a planned Board of Peace meeting, pressing for the “full and non…

Waleed Abdulrahman (Cairo)
Arab World Remnants of a shell that targeted the refugee center, in El Fasher, Sudan, October 7, 2025. REUTERS/Mohyaldeen M Abdallah

War crimes committed in Sudan's El-Fasher: UN report

The UN rights office on Friday accused Sudan's Rapid Support Forces of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the capture of El-Fasher, saying…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World US military vehicles move ahead of buses transporting ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq, according to a security source from the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Qamishli, Syria. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman

US Military Completes Transfer of 5,700 ISIS Detainees from Syria to Iraq

The US military has completed the transfer of thousands of ISIS group detainees from Syria to Iraq, where they are expected to stand trial in the future, the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Farmers in the North African kingdom have for the past few years endured severe drought © - / AFP

Floods Wreak Havoc in Morocco Farmlands after Severe Drought

In the Moroccan village of Ouled Salama, 63-year-old farmer Mohamed Reouani waded through his crops, now submerged by floodwaters after days of heavy downpours…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A street in Moroccan capital Rabat (File photo/AFP)

Maroc Telecom Reports $760 Million Profit in 2025

Maroc Telecom, Morocco's largest telecoms operator, said on Friday its net profit soared to 6.969 billion dirhams ($760 million) in 2025, distorted by a very…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and members of the Lebanese government attend a parliament session in Beirut, Lebanon July 15, 2025. REUTERS/Emilie Madi

Lebanon's Berri Says Parliamentary Election Must be Held on Time

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Friday he was committed to holding a parliamentary election as scheduled on May 10, despite calls from some…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese listens to a journalist during an interview ahead of the conference on "A Cartography of Genocide: Israel's Conduct in Gaza since October 2023", an investigative project on Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the Roma Tre University, in Rome, Italy, October 6, 2025. (Reuters)

UN Voices Concern Over Criticism of Expert on Palestinian Rights 

A UN human rights spokesperson said on Friday she was very worried about attacks on independent UN experts after European governments criticized the…

Arab World Two Lebanese army soldiers at a military border post with Israel in the village of Alma El Chaab in southern Lebanon (Archive - AP)

Lebanese Army Support Hinges on Disarmament Plan North of Litani

The Qatari capital is set to host a preparatory meeting on Sunday ahead of an international conference in Paris aimed at supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces…

Michel Abou Najm (Paris)
Arab World UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg addresses the Security Council. (Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen/ Abdel Rahman Alzorgan)

Grundberg Warns Against Reversal of Gains in Yemen, Broader Conflict 

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg noted on Thursday a relative improvement in conditions in areas held by the legitimate government, warning, however,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)