Arab World News

Israel’s Security Cabinet Approves 19 New Settlements in West Bank

Arab World  A helicopter flies over the Israeli settlement of Shilo in the occupied West Bank on December 14, 2025. (AFP)

Israel’s Security Cabinet Approves 19 New Settlements in West Bank

Israel's security cabinet approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move the country's far-right finance minister said on…

Arab World Cars drive through central Baghdad as a thick fog blankets the Iraqi capital on December 11, 2025. (AFP)

Iraq Top Judge Says Armed Factions to Cooperate on Weapons

The head of Iraq's highest judicial body said Saturday that the leaders of armed factions have agreed to cooperate on the sensitive issue of the state's…

Arab World A Palestinian flag flutters in front of Israeli soldiers standing near their military vehicle parked at the entrance of the Nur Shams Palestinian refugee camp, in the Israeli-occupied northern West Bank on December 15, 2025. (AFP)

Israeli Military Says Killed Two Palestinians in West Bank

Israel's military said it killed two Palestinians in the north of the occupied West Bank Saturday, accusing one of throwing "a block" and the other an…

Arab World US Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers in the ear of President Donald Trump during a roundtable about Antifa in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on October 8, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) / AFP PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2025

Rubio Says Immediate US Goal on Sudan is Cessation of Hostilities into New Year

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said Washington's immediate goal on Sudan is a cessation of hostilities going into the new year that allows…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Armed Hamas members are seen in Gaza. (Reuters file)

Armed Groups Opposed to Hamas in Gaza Seen with New Weapons

Images circulated on social media of armed groups opposed to Hamas in Gaza brandishing new weapons. The factions have been presenting themselves as…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)

Arab World Sudanese people who fled El-Fasher rest upon their arrival at the Al-Afad camp for displaced people in the town of Al-Dabba, northern Sudan, on November 19, 2025. (Photo by Ebrahim Hamid / AFP)

WHO Says over 100 Killed in Attacks on Sudan Kindergarten and Hospital

More than 100 people, including dozens of children, were killed in attacks on a kindergarten in Sudan that continued even as parents and caretakers rushed the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World People celebrate and wave Syrian flags as they wait for a parade by the new Syrian army marking the first anniversary of the ousting of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP)

Syria’s Sharaa Calls for United Efforts to Rebuild a Year After Assad’s Ouster 

Syrians marked the first anniversary of the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad and his iron-fisted rule on Monday with jubilant celebrations in major cities, as the…

Arab World People sit after receiving bread from Ecir Kapici, Turkish humanitarian NGO at Al-Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, after Syria's Bashar Al-Assad was ousted, in Damascus, Syria, December 20 , 2024. (Reuters)

Syrian Refugee Returns Set to Slow as Donor Support Fades

More than 3 million Syrians have returned home since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's rule a year ago but a decline in global funding could deter others, the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Syrians shout slogans and wave flags outside the Umayyad Mosque before a prayer held ahead of celebrations marking the first anniversary of the ousting of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP)

On Anniversary of the Fall of Bashar Assad, Syrians and Their Country Struggle to Heal 

A year ago, Mohammad Marwan found himself stumbling, barefoot and dazed, out of Syria’s notorious Saydnaya prison on the outskirts of Damascus as opposition…

Arab World Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz address a joint press conference in Jerusalem, 07 December 2025. (EPA)

Israel’s Netanyahu to Discuss Second Phase of Gaza Plan with Trump Later This Month

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the second phase of a US plan to end the war in Gaza was close, but cautioned several key issues…

Arab World Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa speaks during the 23rd annual Doha Forum (Reuters). 

Al-Sharaa: Israel’s Push for a Buffer Zone in Southern Syria Puts the Region at Risk

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa warned on Saturday that Israel’s effort to establish a demilitarized buffer zone in southern Syria risks pushing the country…

Asharq Al Awsat (Doha)
Arab World Arab Parliament Backs UNRWA Mandate Renewal, Reaffirms Support for Palestinian Rights

Arab Parliament Backs UNRWA Mandate Renewal, Reaffirms Support for Palestinian Rights

Speaker of the Arab Parliament Mohamed Alyammahi welcomed the UN General Assembly’s decision to renew the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World 28 November 2025, Palestinian Territories, Hebron: Israeli forces block Palestinian farmers trying to access to their agricultural fields in the town of Tarqumiyah. (dpa)

Israeli Soldiers Kill 55-Year-Old Palestinian and Teenager in West Bank

Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian teenager who was driving a car towards them as well as a Palestinian bystander in the West Bank on Saturday, according to…

Arab World Lebanese soldiers stand in front of a building targeted by an Israeli airstrike in the village of Deir Kifa in south Lebanon last month. (AFP file)

Reconstruction Delays in South Lebanon Fuel Anger against the State, Hezbollah

Mounting protests across frontline villages in south Lebanon are exposing deep frustration over stalled reconstruction efforts and long-delayed compensation…

Hanan Hamdan (Beirut)
Arab World A Palestinian gunman stands guard as Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters transport a white body bag believed to carry the remains of an Israeli hostage in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on December 3, 2025. (AFP)

Hamas Official Says the Group Ready to Discuss ‘Freezing or Storing’ Its Weapons

Hamas is ready to discuss “freezing or storing” its arsenal of weapons as part of its ceasefire with Israel, a senior official said Sunday, offering a possible…

Arab World A tattered Syrian flag and Assad poster in Aleppo on Dec. 5, 2024. (AFP via Getty Images)

Hezbollah Supporters Dismayed as Leaked Videos Show Assad Mocking Party

Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon expressed their dismay in the leaked videos of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his late media advisor Luna al-Shibl…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Bashar al-Assad was overthrown after 24 years in power. (EPA)

Assad Curses Ghouta, Mocks Syrian Troops in Leaked Videos

As Syrians gear up to mark the one-year anniversary of the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad's regime on Monday, Al Arabiya television released videos of the…

Souad Jarous (Damascus)
Arab World Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (dpa)

Abbas Calls on Hamas to Disarm, Israel to Withdraw from Gaza

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday that the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan in Gaza demands Israel’s withdrawal…

Kifah Zboun (Ramallah)
Arab World FILE - Sudanese soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces unit patrol during a rally for Dagalo, in Garawee town, north of Sudan, Saturday, June 15, 2019. (AP Photo)

Sudanese Paramilitary Drone Attack Kills 50, Including 33 Children in Kordofan

A drone attack by the Sudanese paramilitary forces hit a kindergarten in south-central Sudan, killing 50 people, including 33 children, a doctors’ group said. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks during an interview with Reuters at the 23rd edition of the annual Doha Forum, in Doha, Qatar, December 6, 2025. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

Türkiye FM Says SDF Showing No Intent to Honor Deal to Integrate into Syrian State

Türkiye's foreign minister said the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are signaling "no intention" of honoring their deal to integrate into Syrian…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A convoy carrying a UN Security Council delegation, tours the border with Israel close to the southern Lebanese area of Naqura on December 6, 2025. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)

UN Security Council Delegation Visits South Lebanon, Urges All Sides to Stick to Truce

A United Nations Security Council delegation on Saturday urged all parties to uphold a year-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, expressing support for…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the launch of the installation of the pressure vessel for the first reactor at the El-Dabaa nuclear plant last month (Egyptian presidency)

Egypt and Russia Discuss Developments in Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza

Egypt and Russia discussed developments in Sudan, Syria, Lebanon and Gaza on Friday during a phone call between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World Yemeni armed forces flash the V-sign for victory as they ride in the back of a lorry as they celebrate the 58th anniversary of National Independence Day, in the port city of Aden, November 30, 2025. (Photo by Saleh Al-OBEIDI / AFP)

Yemen Leader Warns against Unilateral Actions Undermining Unity, State Sovereignty

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council chief Rashad al-Alimi warned on Friday that unilateral actions and internal disputes within government-controlled areas…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri meets with UN Security Council Delegation in Beirut (Lebanese Parliament)

Lebanon’s Leaders Unite on Technical, Security Track in Talks with Israel

Cabinet sources said Lebanon’s three top leaders remain aligned as negotiations with Israel move into a new phase, marked by the appointment of a civilian…

Mohamed Choucair (Beirut)
Arab World Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani stands beside Nouri al-Maliki during a religious event in Baghdad (Government Media)

Iraq’s New Government Faces Unpredictable Prospects

Tension rippled through Iraq’s ruling Shiite alliance after authorities briefly listed Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi group as terrorist organizations,…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World Palestinians fill water containers at the Nuseirat camp for displaced families in central Gaza (AFP)

Trump’s Phase Two Remarks Revive Questions Over Gaza Article 17

A brief and cryptic remark by US President Donald Trump about modifying phase two of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, offered without any details, has stirred…

Mohamed Mahmoud (Cairo)
Arab World A photo of Yasser Abu Shabab published by Israel's Yedioth Ahronoth. (File photo)

Abu Shabab Successor Pledges to Keep Up Resistance to Hamas

Hamas was taken by surprise by news of the killing of Yasser Abu Shabab, the self-styled leader of armed groups operating east of Rafah in southern Gaza. …

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in front of the Lebanese flags (C), meets with a United Nations Security Council delegation at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon, 05 December 2025. (EPA)

Lebanon Tells a UN Team the Country Will Need a Back-up Force Once Peacekeepers’ Term Ends

The Lebanese prime minister on Friday told a visiting UN delegation that his country will need a follow-up force in southern Lebanon along the border with…

Arab World  Israeli military vehicles roll during a raid in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank on December 1, 2025. (AFP)

Palestinians Say Israeli Army Killed Man in Occupied West Bank

The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry said that Israeli forces killed a man in the northern occupied West Bank on Friday. "Bahaa Abdel-Rahman…