Arab World News

Israeli Settlers Impeded Firefighting Near West Bank Village, Palestinians Say

Arab World Smoke rises after Israeli settlers reportedly set fire to agricultural fields surrounding the village of Taybeh, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on June 10, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli Settlers Impeded Firefighting Near West Bank Village, Palestinians Say

Israeli settlers obstructed Palestinians putting out a large blaze near a Christian village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank late on Tuesday, a local priest…

Arab World Palestinians are seen at a school sheltering displaced people in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Tuesday. (AFP)

Asharq Al-Awsat Publishes Palestinian Factions’ Amendment to 8th Clause of Gaza Agreement

Mediators of Gaza’s fragile ceasefire, along with Palestinian factions, are counting on US President Donald Trump’s administration to press Israel to accept…

Arab World Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during his meeting with his Iranian counterpart in Cairo in December 2024 (Egyptian Presidency)

Attacks on Gulf States...an Obstacle to Egypt-Iran Rapprochement

After two years of steadily improving ties that appeared to be moving toward the restoration of full diplomatic relations, Egypt and Iran now seem to be facing…

Hisham Elmayany
Arab World A French peacekeeper with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) stands on a hill overlooking Kfarkela, a Lebanese border village near Israel in southern Lebanon, on August 20, 2025. (AP)

UN Rights Chief Sending Lebanon Mission to Collect Evidence on Abuses since War Erupted

The UN rights chief said Wednesday he would send a mission to Lebanon to collect evidence on alleged rights abuses since the war began between Hezbollah and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty during his participation in the Korea-Africa Summit earlier this month (Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs).

Egypt Moves to Postpone African Summit in El Alamein Over Ebola Concerns

An Egyptian official source said there is a move toward postponing the African Union's Mid-Year Coordination Summit, which had been scheduled for the end of…

Asharq Al Awsat

Arab World AP file photo shows Jordanian soldiers

Jordan Says Shot Down Drone in its Airspace

The Jordanian military announced it had shot down a drone of unknown origin in its airspace on Wednesday. No casualties were reported. "This morning, the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World  Israeli soldiers are seen on a vessel bearing symbols of the Global Sumud Flotilla, with an Israeli military ship behind it, as seen from Ashdod, southern Israel, May 19, 2026. (Reuters)

First of Hundreds of Detained Gaza Flotilla Activists Arrive in Israel

Israeli authorities have begun detaining hundreds of activists seized from a Gaza-bound flotilla at the southern port of Ashdod on Wednesday, a rights group…

Arab World An Iraqi shepherd leads a flock of sheep at sunset in the town of Mishkhab, south of Najaf, Iraq. (AFP)

Authorities Deny Existence of a Second Israeli Base in Iraq

Iraqi authorities on Tuesday denied reports of a second Israeli military base in western Iraq, while acknowledging that an Israeli force had been stationed…

Fadhel al-Nashmi (Baghdad)
Arab World Displaced people return to Beirut’s southern suburbs carrying the party’s flag and a picture of its Secretary-General (AP)

Hezbollah Rejects Lebanon-Israel Talks While Backing Negotiations Between Iran and the US

Hezbollah’s position on negotiations tied to the war in Lebanon has exposed a growing contradiction - the group fiercely opposes direct talks between the…

Caroline Akoum (Beirut)
Arab World Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announces the recovery of funds linked to the “Heist of the Century” scandal. (AFP)

Iraq’s ‘Heist of the Century’ Returns to Spotlight with $5 Billion Figure

Iraq’s massive tax embezzlement scandal - widely known as the “Heist of the Century” - has resurfaced with a dramatically higher estimated value of 8 trillion…

Fadhel al-Nashmi (Baghdad)
Arab World Lebanese Army troops deployed in central Beirut last week. (EPA)

Lebanon Limits Security Delegation’s Role to ‘Technical’ Talks with Israel

Hezbollah threatened on Tuesday to attack any armed force that coordinates with Israel if such a force were ever created. The warning came ahead of a planned…

Nazeer Rida (Beirut)
Arab World The front gate of the east Jerusalem compound of UNRWA is seen in east Jerusalem, May 10, 2024. (AP)

UN Considers Response to Israeli Move to Build a Military Compound on Site of Relief Agency

The United Nations is considering how to respond to Israel's announcement that it will build a military complex on the former headquarters of the UN relief…

Arab World This handout picture released by the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on October 30, 2025, shows RSF members reportedly detaining a fighter known as Abu Lulu (L) in al-Fashir in war-torn Sudan's western Darfur region. (RSF / AFP)

Sudan's RSF Denies Reports of Abu Lulu's Release

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) denied on Tuesday reports about the release of RSF Brigadier General al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, known as Abu Lulu…

Mohammed Amin Yassin (Nairobi)
Arab World Hamas leaders, from right: Rawhi Mushtaha, Saleh al-Arouri and Ismail Haniyeh, all of whom were assassinated, Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya. Hamas media)

Blank Ballots Impede Vote for New Hamas Leader

While many were waiting to learn who would become the new head of Hamas’s political bureau, the movement issued a rare and surprising statement last Saturday…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in southern Lebanon on May 19, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli Strikes on Southern Lebanon Kill 19, Including Children and Women

Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed at least 19 people, including four women and three children, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said, the…

Arab World  Israeli soldiers stand guard during a weekly settlers' tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 16, 2026. (Reuters)

UN Expert Condemns ‘Torture’ of Palestinian Prisoners in Israel

A United Nations expert on Tuesday raised alarm over the alleged "torture" of Palestinian prisoners and "potentially unlawful deaths" in Israeli prisons since…

Arab World A Palestinian boy stands next to plastic containers on a trolley, as he and others collect portable drinking water for their displaced family living in shelters after homes were destroyed in Israeli bombardment, in the Bureij refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on May 18, 2026. (AFP)

Board of Peace Will Ask the UN Security Council to Press Hamas to Disarm

The body overseeing the US-brokered ceasefire in Gaza will ask the United Nations Security Council to press the Hamas group to disarm, according to a report…

Arab World Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Burj el-Shmali on on May 19, 2026. (AFP)

Israel Military Issues Fresh Evacuation Warnings for South Lebanon

The Israeli military on Tuesday warned residents of 12 towns and villages in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate ahead of expected attacks against…

Arab World Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house that was pre-warned by the Israeli military to evacuate before the strike was carried out late on Monday, in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip May 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Palestinians in Gaza Mark Anniversary of Nakba, Say Today’s Catastrophe Is Worse

Blink and you might miss the few stone walls that are all that’s left of the village that Yusuf Abu Hamam’s family was forced to flee when he was an infant in…

Arab World  Syrian security personnel inspect the site of an explosion outside a Defense Ministry building in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP)

Syrian Soldier Killed, 18 People Wounded by Car Bomb in Damascus

One Syrian soldier was killed and at least 18 people were wounded by a car bomb that exploded on Tuesday outside a Defense ‌Ministry building in &zwnj…

Arab World FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo

MSF Warns Aid Used for 'Military Objectives' in S.Sudan

Medical charity Doctors Without Borders warned Tuesday that aid in South Sudan was being "instrumentalized" for military and political objectives, despite the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World RSF Brigadier General al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, known as Abu Lulu, was reportedly seen on the battlefield in Kordofan in March. (AFP file)

Report: ‘Abu Lulu’, RSF Commander Who Was Filmed Killing Civilians in Sudan, Is Back in Combat

A Sudanese paramilitary commander who was arrested late last year following global outrage over videos of him executing unarmed people in al-Fashir has been…

Arab World Boats taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which aims to reach Gaza and break Israel’s naval blockade, set sail from a port in the southern Turkish resort of Marmaris, Türkiye, May 14, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli Forces Intercept 6 More Activist Flotilla Vessels Headed for Gaza

Israeli forces on Tuesday intercepted six remaining vessels from a much larger activist flotilla attempting to challenge Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza. Two…

Arab World Syrians roast wheat in the town of Binnish, in the countryside of Idlib province in northwestern Syria (file photo - AFP) 

Govt's ‘Wheat Pricing’ Fuels Farmer Protests across Syrian Provinces

Hundreds of farmers staged protests for a second consecutive day across several Syrian provinces over the government’s wheat purchase price for the current…

Souad Jarous (Damascus)
Arab World Mourners attend the funeral of two Lebanese Civil Defense members killed in an Israeli strike on the city of Nabatieh on May 13, 2026. (Reuters) 

Lebanon Between Two Truces: More Than 100 Evacuation Warnings, 970 Homes Destroyed

Field data gathered since the Lebanon-Israel ceasefire took effect on April 17 shows the truce has brought little calm on the ground. Southern areas have…

Soubhi Amhaz (Beirut)
Arab World A photograph shows a fire at the site of a drone strike in Iraq's northeastern city of Sulaymaniyah in the autonomous Kurdistan region late on March 3, 2026. (AFP)

Erbil Stresses it Does Not Want to Get Involved in Conflict with Tehran

A prominent Kurdish security official denied on Monday the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) repeated claims that the Iraqi Kurdistan Region had…

Fadhel al-Nashmi (Baghdad)
Arab World Yasser Abbas, newly-elected member of Fatah's central committee, poses for a picture at his office in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on May 18, 2026. (AFP)

Palestinian President's Son Vows to Put 'Gaza First'

The son of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas on Monday said Fatah would prioritize Gaza and return it "to the fold of Palestinian legitimacy", the day after…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World People ride a vehicle driving past a digital billboard featuring Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi in Sanaa, Yemen, 14 May 2026. (EPA)

Houthis Sentence 19 to Death for Fighting for Yemen’s Legitimate Govt

A Houthi-controlled court in Yemen has sentenced 19 people to death after their conviction for fighting for the legitimate government. Sunday's verdict,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World  Judge Sarah Netburn presides as Mohammad Al-Saadi, accused of planning an attack on a synagogue, appears in federal court in Manhattan, New York, US, May 15, 2026 in this courtroom sketch. (Reuters)

Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah Denies Link to Man Charged in US

The Iran-backed Iraqi group Kataib Hezbollah, denied on Monday that a man accused of plotting attacks in the United States and Europe was a member of the group…