Arab World News

Syrian Authorities Say Killed Assad-Era Officer After Clash

Arab World A member of Syria's internal security forces in Tartus city. (SANA)

Syrian Authorities Say Killed Assad-Era Officer After Clash

Syrian security forces said on Sunday that they killed an army commander who served under ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad, after he opened fire on them as they…

Arab World The sun sets behind apartment buildings in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP)

Iraq Sentences US-Sanctioned Oil Official to Prison

Iraq sentenced a US-sanctioned oil official to seven years in prison after he was arrested as part of a government-led anti-corruption campaign, the country's…

Arab World  Israeli settlers look out through a metal fence, as an Israeli flag flutters nearby, on the day of their weekly tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 29, 2026. (Reuters)

US News Agency Says Crew Attacked by Israeli Settlers in West Bank

Israeli settlers attacked an NBC crew in the central West Bank Saturday, as they were interviewing a Palestinian woman who said she’d been driven out of her…

Arab World People wave Libyan flags during a demonstration in Benghazi February 7, 2014. (Reuters)

Libya Rivals Agree Roadmap for Elections Within 24 Months at UN-Led Talks

Representatives of ‌Libya's rival political parties on Sunday signed an agreement on holding long-delayed national elections within two years to resolve…

Arab World Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attends an event at which new weapons are distributed to Israel's police volunteer security teams in Ashkelon, Israel, October 27, 2023. (Reuters)

Far-Right Israeli Minister Boasts of Worse Prison Conditions for Palestinians

Israel's far-right national security minister on Sunday boasted of worsening conditions for Palestinian prisoners as he visited female inmates. Two months…


Arab World African migrants rescued by the Tunisian coast guard in October (AFP)

Bodies of Three Presumed Migrants Found off Tunisia

Three decomposing bodies were spotted off Tunisia by a migrant charity boat, Italy's coast guard said Wednesday, in what are presumed to be the latest migrant…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World  Israeli settlers, holding sticks, arrive to confront left-wing activists at an Israeli outpost in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian village of Jannatah, south of Bethlehem, on August 25, 2026. (AFP)

Netanyahu Vows More West Bank Settlements, Defying International Pressure

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep establishing settlements in the West Bank despite mounting international pressure, promising a major…

Arab World Smoke rises from fires ignited by Israeli shelling that targeted the plain of Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon on August 25, 2026. (AFP)

Lebanon Accuses Israel of Burning Forest, Farmland in South

As extreme heat fuels wildfires worldwide this summer, Lebanese officials and residents have accused Israel's military of systematically sparking blazes that…

Arab World Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa attends a meeting with his foreign minister and the leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), at the People's Palace in Damascus on August 25, 2026. (AFP)

Syria President, Putin Discuss Deepening Ties in Call

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday discussed strengthening ties, the Syrian presidency said, their first…

Arab World Late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad during a visit to Moscow in 1999. (AFP)

Khaddam: Syria’s $12 Billion Reserve Was Registered Under Hafez Al-Assad's Name

Former Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam’s recent memoirs revealed sensitive information about wealth and power in the country, notably that the Syrian…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Arab World Israeli forces detain a Palestinian man during a raid on the UNRWA Vocational Training Center, located between the Kafr Aqab neighborhood and the Qalandiya refugee camp, south of the West Bank city of Ramallah, on August 25, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli Officials Fuel Tensions in West Bank ahead of October Elections

Israeli politicians are increasingly turning to the West Bank as a stage for electoral maneuvering amid fierce competition two months before elections…

Kifah Zboun (Ramallah)
Arab World Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty receives Palestinian Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh on Tuesday. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Abdelatty Receives Al-Sheikh as Egypt Steps Up Efforts for Palestinian Reconciliation

Egypt is pressing ahead with intensive diplomatic efforts to achieve Palestinian reconciliation through a series of meetings with the Palestinian Authority (PA…

Mohamed Mahmoud (Cairo)
Arab World Syrian Transport Minister Yarub Badr and Lebanese Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny speak at a press conference at the Syrian Transport Ministry. (SANA)

Syria, Lebanon Revive Rail Link Plans, Eye Connections to Iraq, Gulf and Türkiye

Lebanese Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamny announced Tuesday that Lebanon and Syria had set the broad outlines for rail connectivity between…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus)
Arab World 25 June 2024, Jerusalem: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz is pictured in Jerusalem. (dpa)

Israel Defense Minister Vows to Keep Troops in Syria During Visit

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz made a rare visit to troops in southern Syria on Tuesday, reiterating a pledge to keep forces in the area as long as there…

Arab World  Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, meets with the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, center left, at the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. (AP)

Kurdish-Led SDF Says It Has Dissolved After Merging with Syrian Army

The commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on Tuesday announced the official dissolution of the group, which once controlled a de facto…

Arab World Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei receives Iraq’s top judge Faiq Zidan in Tehran on Tuesday (Mehr)

Iraq’s Ruling Coalition Discusses Arrests of Armed Faction Members

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on Tuesday that regional countries would shape their own future and that the United…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Arab World Civilians from Christian villages in southern Lebanon travel south along the coastal road in a convoy, as an Israeli flag is seen at the entrance to Naqoura in July 2026. (File photo/AFP)

Israel Restricts Movement in Three Christian Towns in Southern Lebanon

The Israeli military has restricted movement in and out of three beseigned Christian towns in southern Lebanon, forcing residents to travel in prearranged…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Palestinians make a kite at a tent camp sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, August 25, 2026. (Reuters)

Gaza Parents Urged to Stop Kids Flying Kites After Israel Warning to Hamas

Gaza parents have been warned to stop their children flying kites in the war-ravaged enclave, after Israel threatened a forceful response if the Hamas group…

Arab World A Palestinian inspects the old Abu Salim mosque a day after it was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on August 25, 2026. (AFP)

Strikes in Gaza Kill 4, Including 2 Children, a Week After US Asked Israel to Curb Attacks

Palestinian residents of war-battered Gaza fled homes and businesses as Israeli strikes and tank fire killed at least four people Monday, including two…

Arab World Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi delivers his speech at the event in Baghdad. (INA)

Al-Zaidi: Iraq Will Not Become a Platform to Harm Others

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi stressed on Monday that his government is forging ahead in building a “free” and “sovereign” Iraq, adding that international…

Arab World FILE PHOTO: US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during a bilateral meeting alongside the NATO leaders summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Türkiye, July 8, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo

Sharaa Says Syria 'Shakes Off Dark Stain' with Removal from US Terror List

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa hailed early on Tuesday the United States' removal of his country from the state sponsors of terror list, a major sanctions…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus)
Arab World  Iranian Ambassador to Syria Mohammad Reza Sheibani, shows his ink-stained finger as he votes in the first round of the Iranian presidential election on June 14, 2013 at the Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus. (AFP)

Lebanese Authorities Extend Residency of Iran’s Ambassador

Lebanese authorities extended on Monday the residency of former Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Sheibani, who defied the country’s expulsion order earlier…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and top SDF official Ilham Ahmed at the People's Palace in Damascus, Aug. 4, 2026. (SANA)

Abdi, Ahmed in Damascus Hoping to Complete Integration Talks Before the End of August

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi and top SDF official Ilham Ahmed held talks with Syrian government officials in Damascus on Monday as the…

Souad Jarous (Damascus)
Arab World A photo taken from the southern Lebanese area of Marjeyoun, shows UNIFIL forces driving towards an Israeli army position in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Shouba on February 15, 2025. (AFP)

Guarantees Demanded from Israel, Hezbollah over Proposed Int’l Force in South Lebanon

Countries being considered for a possible international mission to replace the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), or as members in a…

Nazeer Rida (Beirut)
Arab World China's President Xi Jinping, right, and King Abdullah II of Jordan shake hands after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool Photo via AP)

China, Jordan Call for Maintaining US-Iran Ceasefire

China and Jordan on Monday said the ceasefire between the US and Iran should be maintained, and that the normal passage through the Strait of ⁠Hormuz should be…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World This handout photograph taken and released by the Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office on August 19, 2026 shows Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) shaking hands with Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi before their meeting in Baghdad. (Iraq's Prime Minister Media Office / AFP)

Iraq Pushes Back Deadline for Factions to Disarm

A senior Iraqi official pushed back a September 30 deadline for pro-Iran factions to hand over their weapons, without offering an explanation for the move or…

Arab World Ahmed Hassoun during proceedings before the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus. (SANA file photo)

Syria Sentences Assad-Era Top Muslim Cleric to Life Imprisonment

A Syrian court on Monday handed a life sentence to Ahmed Hassoun, the country's former grand mufti under ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, convicting him of…

Arab World 23 August 2026, Palestinian Territories, Gaza Strip: People check the damage after an Israeli airstrike on a house belonging to the Al-Awwar family, damaging several neighboring homes in the Al-Maghazi camp. Photo: Moiz salhi/dpa

Uganda and Burundi Military Officials Visit Israel to Discuss Gaza Troop Deployment

Military officials from Uganda and Burundi visited Israel last week to discuss deploying troops to Gaza as part of an international security force envisioned…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World  Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Damascus, Syria, August 22, 2026. (Reuters)

Syria, Israel Hold US-Mediated Talks to Ease Tensions

Syria and Israel held high-level, US-mediated talks in Jordan on Sunday aimed at easing tensions following recent Israeli strikes on Syrian territory, Syria's…