Arab World News

Egypt Says GERD Lacks Legally Binding Agreement

Arab World This grab taken from video shows Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)

Egypt Says GERD Lacks Legally Binding Agreement

Egypt said Friday that Ethiopia has consistently lacked the political will to reach a binding agreement on its now-complete dam, an issue that involves Nile…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World US envoy to Beirut Tom Barrack in Lebanon last week (Reuters)

Lebanon to Seek US Guarantees in Response to Proposal

Lebanon plans to seek assurances from Washington on the implementation of any future deal involving Hezbollah’s disarmament, Lebanese political sources told…

Nazir Rida (Beirut)
Arab World Lebanese soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a vehicle south of Beirut (AFP)

Israel Targets Suspected Arms Smuggler in Airstrike Near Beirut

An Israeli airstrike killed a suspected arms smuggler south of Beirut on Thursday, in a sharp escalation in Lebanon that coincided with internal talks over…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Palestinians perform funeral prayers over the bodies of victims killed in an Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza, Thursday (AFP)

Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hamas Likely to Accept Two-Month Gaza Truce Proposal

Hamas is leaning toward accepting a US-backed proposal for a two-month ceasefire in Gaza, with a formal response expected within hours, sources from the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Hezbollah supporters hold portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Hezbollah flags as they gather outside the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, to honor Iran for what organizers described as "breaking American and Israeli aggression." (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Under Pressure, Hezbollah Weighs Scaling Back its Arsenal

Hezbollah has begun a major strategic review in the wake of its devastating war with Israel, including considering scaling back its role as an armed movement…

Asharq Al Awsat

Arab World Smoke billows after an Israeli strike in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on June 19, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

Gaza Rescuers Say 72 Killed by Israeli Fire

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli fire killed at least 72 people in the Palestinian territory on Thursday, including 21 who had gathered to receive aid…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Syrian migrants wait at the Cilvegozu border gate to cross into Syria, after Syrian rebels announced that they ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in the Turkish town of Reyhanli in Hatay province, Türkiye, - Reuters

Two Million Syrians Returned Home Since Assad's Fall, Says UN

Over two million Syrians who had fled their homes during their country's war have returned since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, UN refugee agency chief…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A handout photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office on June 19, 2025 shows Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (R) welcoming US negotiator Thomas Barrack at the presidential palace of Baabda east of Beirut. (Photo by Lebanese Presidency / AFP)

Barrack Says Hezbollah Involvement in Iran-Israel War Would Be 'Very Bad Decision'

The US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack on Thursday warned Hezbollah against getting involved in the war between its main backer Iran and Israel. "I can…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Passengers wait at Beirut airport amid disruptions caused by Israeli-Iranian conflict (EPA)

War Shakes Middle East Airports, Passengers Held Hostage

The Israeli-Iranian war has severely disrupted air traffic across the Middle East, causing widespread airport closures and forcing the cancellation of hundreds…

Youssef Diab (Beirut)
Arab World Iraqi citizens wait outside Iraqi Airways office in Beirut (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Iraqis Stranded in Beirut Face Black Market for Return Tickets

The Iraqi Airways office in Beirut has become a daily destination for stranded Iraqi citizens desperately seeking tickets and empty seats on flights home,…

Caroline Akoum (Beirut)
Arab World Emergency personnel walk near damaged vehicles at an impact site following a missile strike from Iran on Israel, in Holon, Tel Aviv, Israel June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura

Egyptian FM Pushes for ‘De-escalation’ Dialogue in Call with European Diplomats

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot and British National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell on Thursday…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World FILE PHOTO: A view of the Syrian central bank, after the ouster of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, January 12, 2025. REUTERS/Firas Makdesi/File Photo

Syria Expects First Transfer with US Bank 'Within Weeks'

Syria expects to have its first transaction with a US bank "in a matter of weeks", Syrian central bank governor Abdelkader Husriyeh said on Thursday, a day…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov (File photo – Reuters)

Moscow Reaffirms Dialogue with Damascus, Expects Respect for Russian Interests

Russia has reaffirmed its ongoing diplomatic and military dialogue with the Syrian government, stressing the importance of safeguarding its national interests,…

Raed Jaber (Moscow)
Arab World An Iraqi man bakes traditional bread at a bakery in Baghdad (EPA). 

Iraq Braces for Economic Fallout from Heavy Reliance on Iran amid Escalating Conflict

As tensions escalate between Iran and Israel, Iraq is nervously eyeing the potential fallout from a conflict that could have deep and lasting consequences for…

Fadhel al-Nashmi
Arab World  Houthi supporters chant slogans during a weekly anti-US and anti-Israel rally in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Houthis in Yemen Say They Won’t End Support for Gaza

A top leader of the Iran-backed-Houthi militias in Yemen said they will keep up their support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip until Israeli “aggression…

Arab World Palestinians carry sacks and boxes of food and humanitarian aid unloaded from a World Food Program convoy that had been heading to Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip, Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP)

Israeli Fire Kills 30 in Gaza, Medics Say, as Attention Shifts to Iran 

Israeli gunfire and strikes killed at least 30 people across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, local health authorities said, as some Palestinians there said their…

Arab World Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Waleed Bukhari and Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian meet at Dar al-Fatwa. (Markazia)

Lebanon Braces for Repercussions of Iran-Israel Conflict

Lebanon remained on high political alert amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, as officials worked to assess and contain the potential…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles during an Iranian attack over Tel Aviv, Israel, early Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (AP)

Missile Exchanges between Iran, Israel Turn Lebanese Skies into Aerial Frontline

Lebanese skies have turned into a daily theater of missiles streaking across between Iran and Israel, with the country’s geography making it a frontline in…

Nazeer Rida (Beirut)
Arab World Weapons that were seized in the campaign. (Deir Ezzor Governorate)

Damascus Disarms Regime Loyalist Sleeper Cells in Deir Ezzor

The internal security command in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province has banned remnants of the former regime from owning or carrying weapons, following the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus)
Arab World Palestinians carry bodies of relatives killed in Israeli strike in Khan Younis on Tuesday. (AP)

Where Do the Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Talks Stand?

Israeli media has intensified coverage of a potential breakthrough in negotiations with Hamas aimed at securing a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Egyptian Foreign Badr Abdelatty speaks during a press conference with his German counterpart Johann Wadephul, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, June 13, 2025. (AP)

Egypt FM Urges Immediate Ceasefire in Iran-Israel War

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty urged an immediate ceasefire on Tuesday in the war between Iran and Israel during two separate phone calls with US…

Arab World SDF forces in Syria. (AFP file)

US Pulls Out of Two More Bases in Syria, Worrying Kurdish Forces

US forces have pulled out of two more bases in northeastern Syria, visiting Reuters reporters found, accelerating a troop drawdown that the commander of US…

Arab World In this file photo, Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital who has since been detained, supervises the treatment of a Palestinian man injured in an Israeli strike - AFP

WHO Says Gaza Health Care at Breaking Point as Fuel Runs Out

The World Health Organization on Tuesday pleaded for fuel to be allowed into Gaza to keep its remaining hospitals running, warning the Palestinian territory's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Palestinian holds a Palestinian flag during a protest over tensions in Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque, at Huwara checkpoint, near Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank May 29, 2022. REUTERS/Raneen Sawafta

Co-Chairs of the UN 2-State Solution Conference Say It was Suspended Amid Regional Escalation

A statement was issued by the Co-Chairs of the United Nations High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A projectile crosses the sky above Jerusalem, 17 June 2025. (EPA)

Egypt, Jordan and Others Call for a Halt to Israeli-Iranian Conflict 

Twenty countries denounced in a joint statement the escalating tensions in the Middle East caused by what they term Israel’s aggression against Iran and called…

Arab World Smoke billows amid reported building detonations by Israeli forces to the east and north of Jabalia city in the northern Gaza Strip at dawn on June 17, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli Tanks Kill 59 People in Gaza Crowd Trying to Get Food Aid, Medics Say

Israeli tanks fired into a crowd trying to get aid from trucks in Gaza on Tuesday, killing at least 59 people, according to medics, in one of the bloodiest…

Arab World A house in rural Daraa is damaged by debris from Israeli-Iranian crossfire. (SANA)

Debris from Iranian Drones, Missiles Hits Homes in Southern Syria

Israeli air defenses shot down several Iranian drones over Syria’s southern Daraa province on Monday, causing material damage to residential areas, but no…

Muwafaq Mohammed (Daraa)
Arab World Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attending a meeting for the Coordination Framework (INA)

Iraqis Urged to Protest Israel as Militias Warn US Against Intervention

Iraq’s public support for Iran in its escalating missile standoff with Israel has triggered concern that the country could be drawn into a wider conflict…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World Security forces during the ongoing security sweep in Al-Mayadeen in Syria’s Deir Ezzor.

Syria Launches Border Security Sweep amid Fears of Iranian Activity

Damascus has launched a security operation in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border in what sources described as a preemptive move, amid warnings that Iran could…