Arab World News

Al-Hijri Renews Call for Sweida’s ‘Independence’ from Syria

Arab World Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, flanked by supporters from the so-called National Guard. (Suwayda24)

Al-Hijri Renews Call for Sweida’s ‘Independence’ from Syria

The spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, renewed calls Monday for what he described as Sweida’s “independence,” saying the…

Muwafaq Mohammed (Damascus)
Arab World An artisanal miner operates an ore-processing machine used to separate gold-bearing material at a mining site in Dalago Mahas, Sudan’s Northern State, Thursday, May 7, 2026.(AP Photo/Mohnd Blal)

EU Announces Restrictions on Trading Sudanese Gold

The European Union announced on Monday new sanctions against Sudan by targeting the country's gold trade, which it said was being used ‌to finance &zwnj…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Smoke rises following airstrikes on Sanaa airport in Sanaa, Yemen, 13 July 2026. (EPA)

Iran Further Undermines Yemen’s Sovereignty as Houthis Violate the Truce

Yemen's legitimate government said it struck Houthi-controlled Sanaa airport on Monday, its biggest flare-up in years with the militants. The government said…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez talks to media during a visit in the area of a wildfire that killed at least 13 people, at the command post set in Turre, Almeria Province, on July 13, 2026. (AFP)

Spanish PM to Visit Algeria in Bid to Mend Ties

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will travel to Algeria next week for an official visit aimed at ending years of tensions between the two countries over…

Arab World  An Israeli military vehicle covered with netting to protect against FPV drones patrols on the Lebanese side of the border, as seen from an undisclosed location along the border, 13 July 2026. (EPA)

New Round of Lebanon-Israel Talks to Begin on Tuesday

The sixth round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel are to begin on Tuesday in Rome, a Lebanese official told AFP on Monday. The two-day talks will…


Arab World First responders inspect the wreckage of a car reportedly targeted by an Israeli strike in Nabatieh on July 6, 2026. (AFP)

US-Iran Escalation Revives Lebanese Fears of War

Renewed escalation between the United States and Iran has raised fears in Lebanon that conflict could spread to its southern border, as implementation of a…

Soubhi Amhaz (Beirut)
Arab World Palestinians carry the body of Mohammed Odeh, a commander in Hamas’ military wing, during his funeral in Gaza City on May 27, 2026. (AFP)

Israel Hunts Hamas Figures as Gaza Killings Continue

Israel tried on Thursday to kill Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem, the only senior figure from the group to have appeared publicly in Gaza in recent weeks, as it…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women lie in beds as they receive treatment for dengue fever at Omdurman Hospital, as Sudan grapples with outbreaks of dengue and cholera amid the annual rainy season and a collapsed healthcare and infrastructure system, in Khartoum, Sudan, September 23, 2025. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo

WHO: Sudan's Cholera Outbreak May Get Worse Due to Conflict and Rains

A cholera outbreak in Sudan could get worse as war, displacement and the onset of the rainy season threaten to exacerbate a humanitarian crisis in the country,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A photograph taken from the southern city of Nabatieh shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli airstrike on the village of Nabatieh al-Fawqa on July 5, 2026. (AFP)

One Killed in Israeli Strike on South Lebanon

An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed a young motorcyclist on Friday, Lebanese state media reported, the latest attack despite a truce in the Israel…

Arab World Iraqi security personnel patrol a street in Baghdad on June 28. (AFP)

Iraq’s ‘Oil Network’ Arrests Reach Another Official

An Iraqi security force on Thursday arrested Hussein Talib, director general of the state-run Oil Products Distribution Company, on suspicion of involvement in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Syrian security personnel inspect a burned vehicle near the Four Seasons Hotel after two explosions rocked the area earlier in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Albam)

Syrian Authorities Say Captured ISIS-linked Cell Behind Blasts

Syrian officials said late Thursday the country had captured an ISIS-linked cell responsible for two bomb blasts during French President Emmanuel Macron's…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus)
Arab World Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan meets a Hamas delegation led by Khalil al-Hayya in Istanbul. (Hamas)

Hamas Shifts Its Center of Gravity to Türkiye, Seeks Rapprochement with Syria

Hamas has shifted much of its organizational center of gravity toward Türkiye in recent months, according to meetings, activities and public positions by the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. (Reuters)

Iraq Moves to Mend Gulf Ties, Al-Zaidi Proposes New Partnership

The Iraqi government is intensifying diplomatic engagement with its Arab neighbors, especially Gulf Arab states, ahead of an expected visit by Iraqi Prime…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World  An Iraqi man walks past shops in the Jamila food market in Sadr City, east Baghdad on April 13, 2026. (AFP)

US Resumed Cash Shipments to Baghdad, Says Iraq Govt Spokesperson

The United States has resumed cash shipments to Iraq after a delay, signaling its support for Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's administration, with the premier…

Arab World FILE PHOTO: The logo of the state energy company Sonatrach is pictured at the headquarters in Algiers, Algeria November 25, 2019.  REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina/File Photo

Algeria's Sonatrach Says Incident Occurred at Arzew Refinery, Brought Under Control

Algeria's state-owned energy company Sonatrach said an incident occurred at 2:30 a.m. local time (0130 GMT) on Thursday at the Arzew refinery, which was…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A Palestinian man votes during the municipal election at a polling station in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip April 25, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

Palestinian Legislative Vote Set for Nov 28: Presidential Decree

Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on Thursday setting legislative elections for November 28, which if they take place, would mark the first…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World The logo of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is seen during a special session in the Hague, Netherlands June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo

Chemical Weapons Watchdog Reinstates Syria’s Voting Rights

The global chemical weapons watchdog on Thursday reinstated Syria's voting rights at the body, rewarding Damascus for “constructive engagement” with the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Members of United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) drive through the southern Lebanese area of Al-Mansouri on July 2, 2026.  (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)

Lebanon Says US Delegation will Oversee Israeli Withdrawal from 'Pilot Zones'

A US delegation was expected to arrive in Lebanon soon to oversee the implementation of Israel's withdrawal from "pilot zones" in the south, the Lebanese…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (AP)

Lebanon's President to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Chose Negotiation to Limit the Occupation and the Suffering of Southerners

With increasing military tension between the US and Iran in and around the Strait of Hormuz, Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun is trying to hold onto hope…

Ghassan Charbel (Beirut)
Arab World US President Donald Trump meets Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (L) on the sidelines of the NATO Summit at Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, on July 8, 2026. (AFP)

US to Remove Syria from Terror Blacklist

The United States said Wednesday it will delist Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, a decades-old designation that severely impeded investment, in a new…

Arab World This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel shows Israeli military vehicles driving past houses destroyed in Israeli strikes in the southern Lebanese village near the Israel-Lebanon border, on July 1, 2026. (AFP)

Amnesty Urges Investigating Israeli Attacks on Lebanon as ‘War Crimes’

Amnesty International on Thursday accused Israel of wiping out families in its strikes on Lebanon during its war with Hezbollah, calling for these attacks to…

Arab World  Jawaher Foqahaa walks past the tall metal fencing installed by the Israeli military that closed off four of the five entrances to their town and runs directly past the family home, in Sinjil, near Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, June 26, 2026. (Reuters)

How a Palestinian Town Is Defending Itself from Israeli Settler Attacks

On a cool night in June, some 15 Palestinians from the town of Sinjil in the occupied West Bank gathered on a hilltop to watch the shadowed valleys below for…

Arab World  Egyptian and Turkish forces participating in the "Golden Eagle" exercise on Wednesday. (Egyptian Military Spokesperson on Facebook)

Drill Boosts Military Ties between Egypt and Türkiye

The joint Egyptian-Turkish military drill "Golden Eagle" kicked off on Wednesday with the participation of the Egyptian Airborne Forces, Egyptian Thunderbolt…

Waleed Abdulrahman (Cairo)
Arab World 24 June 2026, Sudan, Juba: Children gather at the Renk Returnees Camp during a Caritas press trip in Renk, Upper Nile State. Photo: Martin Hanser/APA/dpa

Study Says 93% of Sudanese Want Peace

A comprehensive Sudanese study has revealed that 93.2% of Sudanese support peace negotiations, a finding that participants described as “digital evidence…

Asharq Al Awsat (Khartoum)
Arab World According to the latest WFP-FAO Hunger Hotspots report, rates of severe food deprivation increased for the second consecutive month (UN)

Hunger Worsens in Yemen’s Houthi-Controlled Areas, Ports Lose $1.4 Billion

A recent report by the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization has said that household food consumption in Yemen continued to…

Mohammed Nasser (Aden)
Arab World US Central Command commander Admiral Brad Cooper visits Israel on Sunday at the invitation of Israeli military Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir to strengthen military coordination and the defense partnership between the two sides. (Israeli military/X)

Israel Tells Washington It Is Ready to Join War Against Iran Immediately

A military spokesperson in Tel Aviv said on Wednesday that the Israeli army was on high alert and ready to join the war alongside the US military against Iran…

Nazir Magally (Tel Aviv)
Arab World A still image taken from a video shows Esmail Qaani, right, believed to be at Najaf airport in Iraq. (Shafaq News)

Could Qaani’s Brief Appearance Affect Al-Zaidi’s Washington Visit?

The limited appearance of Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force, during the funeral procession for Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the Iraqi city of…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World  Smoke rises in Lebanon as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, in northern Israel, July 5, 2026. (Reuters)

Israel Army Says Troops Capture Hezbollah Fighter, Strike Kills 2 in Lebanon

The Israeli military on Wednesday said its troops had seized a Hezbollah fighter during an encounter in southern Lebanon a day earlier and transferred him to…

Arab World Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy. (Arab League)

Arab League Chief Says Blocked by Israel from Visiting West Bank

The new secretary-general of the Arab League, Nabil Fahmy, said Wednesday Israel had blocked him from visiting Ramallah, in what would have been his first…