Arab World News

Hamas Armed Wing Says Disarmament Calls Are Unacceptable

Arab World 25 March 2026, Palestinian Territories, Deir al-Balah: Smoke and flames rise after an Israeli military strike on a target in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. (dpa)

Hamas Armed Wing Says Disarmament Calls Are Unacceptable

Hamas' armed wing said on Sunday discussing the group's disarmament before Israel fully implements the first phase of the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire was an…

Arab World This handout photograph taken and released by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Service on April 5, 2026 shows Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa shaking hands during their meeting in Damascus. (Handout / Ukrainian Presidential Press Service / AFP)

Zelenskyy in Syria to Discuss Security Cooperation with Sharaa

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pledged to work for enhanced security in talks on Sunday with his Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa, as Kyiv seeks to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs, on April 5, 2026. (AFP)

Israel Renews Lebanon Strikes, Forces Syria Border Crossing Closed

Israeli strikes on south Beirut and its suburbs killed at least four people on Sunday, a day after Israel threatened to hit Lebanon's main border crossing with…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Palestinians inspect a vehicle targeted by an Israeli strike in Maghazi camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on April 4, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli Fire Kills Four Palestinians in Gaza, Medics Say

An Israeli airstrike ‌killed four Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday, local health authorities said, in the latest violence to overshadow a…

Arab World  Members of the clergy make their way to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for prayers on Palm Sunday, following restrictions on gatherings in large groups, amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem's Old City April 5, 2026. (Reuters)

Easter in Jerusalem Disrupted by War and Restrictions at Holy Sepulchre

In the usually lively alleyways of Jerusalem's Old City, silence reigned on Easter Sunday, with the holiday overshadowed by war and restrictions on access to…


Arab World Yemeni students attend morning assembly at a school in Sanaa (EPA)

Houthi Schools in Yemen Turned into Early Recruitment Camps

Since rising to power in 2014, Yemen’s Houthi movement, Ansar Allah, has systematically entrenched itself within the education system, rewriting curricula,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Jeddah)
Arab World A woman reacts as mourners gather on March 29, 2026, in the Choueifat area on the outskirts of Beirut during the funeral of journalists killed the previous day in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon. (Photo by ibrahim AMRO / AFP)

Khamenei Message to Hezbollah Chief Reaffirms Ties, Sends Political Signals

A message from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, to Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem, thanking him for condolences over the death of his father, …

Caroline Akoum (Beirut)
Arab World Firefighters extinguish blazes in cars hit by an Israeli strike in Beirut’s Jnah area at dawn Wednesday, killing Hezbollah commander Youssef Hashem (AP)

‘Iran Data’ Guides Israel to Hezbollah Leaders in Lebanon

The assassination of senior Hezbollah commander Youssef Hashem at dawn on Wednesday has laid bare signs of security breaches the group had previously said it…

Nazeer Rida (Beirut)
Arab World Smoke billows from an oil warehouse in the Kani Qirzhala area on the outskirts of Erbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, following a suspected drone strike, on April 1, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Huge Fire after Drone Attack Hits Engine Oil Warehouse in Iraqi Kurdistan

A drone strike caused a massive fire at the storage facilities of an engine oil firm in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan on Wednesday, the regional government and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World OIC-IPHRC Denounces Israeli Violations of Religious Freedom in Occupied Jerusalem

OIC-IPHRC Denounces Israeli Violations of Religious Freedom in Occupied Jerusalem

The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has unequivocally condemned the continued…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World  Wreaths as people visit to offer condolences for Praka Farizal Rhomadhon, a United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeper killed following an Israeli strike on Sunday in southern Lebanon, in Kulon Progo regency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, April 1, 2026. (Reuters)

Indonesia Calls for Investigation into Peacekeeper Deaths in Lebanon

Indonesia has called on the United Nations to investigate the deaths of three of its UNIFIL peacekeepers following Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, a…

Arab World Arabian Sea ports poised to become global logistics hubs (Arabian Sea Ports Authority)

Official: Yemen’s Arabian Sea Ports Poised to Become Global Logistics Hubs

A Yemeni maritime official said ports along the Arabian Sea are capable of becoming global logistics hubs, citing their competitive advantages and capacity to…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Arab World People ride in a vehicle past a digital billboard featuring Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in Sanaa, Yemen, 31 March 2026. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

Yemen's Houthis Claim 3rd Missile Attack Targeting Israel

Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday claimed a missile attack against Israel that they said was launched jointly with their backer Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah group -…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) welcomes the President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa (R), to Downing Street in London, Britain, 31 March 2026. (EPA)

Syria Will Stay Out of Iran Conflict Unless It Faces Aggression, Sharaa Says from London

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said on Tuesday that his country will stay out of the US-Israeli war against Iran unless Syria is subject to aggression and…

Arab World Rescue workers inspect the scene of Israeli airstrikes, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Israeli Strike in Beirut Kills Hezbollah Commander for Iraq

The Lebanese health ministry said Wednesday that Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and a nearby town killed at least seven people, as Israel's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World American freelancer Shelly Kittleson. (Facebook)

US and Iraqi Officials Say Kidnapped Journalist Had Been Warned of Threats

An American journalist who was kidnapped in Baghdad had tried to cross from Syria into Iraq three weeks earlier and was initially turned back, an Iraqi…

Arab World Gunmen from Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, February 2025 (EPA)

Hamas Sources Acknowledge Differences with Mediators on Disarmament Plan

At a time when Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye helped draft a plan submitted by the Board of Peace to disarm factions…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Palestinians walk through a flooded area in a temporary tent camp after heavy rainfall in Gaza City, Thursday, March 26, 2026 (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

Israeli Strikes Kill 5 in the Gaza Strip

Israeli strikes killed at least five people in the Gaza Strip in two separate attacks on Tuesday, health officials said, in the latest violence overshadowing a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Israeli heavy machinery operates in the southern Lebanese village of Adeisseh, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 30 March 2026. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Israel's Katz on Lebanon: to Maintain Control Over Entire Area Up to Litani River

Israel will establish a buffer zone inside southern Lebanon and maintain control over the entire area up to the Litani River once the conflict with Hezbollah…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini attends a press conference on the last day of his mandate at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 31, 2026. (Reuters)

UNRWA Head Seeks Investigation into Killing of Staff in Gaza War

Discussions are ‌under way for a UN investigation into the killing of more than 390 employees in the two-year Gaza war, the head of the UN Palestinian…

Arab World People inspect damage at a building whose windows were shattered following air defenses' interception of a projectile or drone over a residential neighborhood in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish region, on March 4, 2026. (Photo by Safin HAMID / AFP)

Explosion Heard near Iraq's Erbil Airport

An explosion was heard Tuesday morning near the international airport of Erbil, a city in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, an AFP journalist said. Erbil…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Israeli forces raid the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza in November 2023. (AFP)

Palestinian Factions Uncover Israeli Espionage Devices in Gaza

Palestinian armed factions in Gaza are intensifying their operations in search of Israeli espionage devices that were planted in the enclave during the latest…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Israeli army soldiers stand next to a self-propelled Howitzer artillery gun positioned in the upper Galilee in northern Israel near the border with southern Lebanon on March 29, 2026. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) /

Israel Military Says Four Soldiers Killed in South Lebanon

The Israeli military said on Tuesday four soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon where its forces are clashing with Iran-backed Hezbollah. A…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World United Nations peacekeepers with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) drive past a Lebanese army outpost in the area of Naqoura in southern Lebanon on March 27, 2026. (AFP)

Indonesia Urges Respect for International Law After Peacekeepers Killed in Lebanon

Indonesia urged warring parties in the Middle East "to respect international humanitarian law" after three of its peacekeepers were killed in Lebanon. "The…

Arab World Israel's Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, center, and lawmakers celebrate after Israel's parliament passed a law approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, at the Knesset in Jerusalem Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP)

Israel’s Parliament Approves Death Penalty for Palestinians Convicted of Murdering Israelis

Israel’s parliament on Monday passed a law approving the death penalty for Palestinians convicted of murdering Israelis, a measure that has been harshly…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Interim Syria President Ahmed al-Sharaa smiles during the Concordia Annual Summit in New York, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. (AP)

Syrian Leader Pledges to Work with Germany on Migration, Recovery

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Monday pledged to work with Germany to enable more Syrians to return home and rebuild their country after its devastating…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A view shows the partially collapsed grain silos, damaged in the August 4, 2020 Beirut port blast as Lebanon marks third anniversary of the explosion on Friday, in Beirut Lebanon August 2, 2023. REUTERS/Issam Abdallah

Lebanon Judge Completes Investigation into Port Blast

Lebanese judge Tarek Bitar has completed his investigation into the 2020 Beirut port blast, a years-long case that involves possible charges against dozens of…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a bilateral meeting at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026. (Reuters)

Egypt Says Only Trump Can Stop War, Warns Oil Could Top $200

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged US President Donald Trump on Monday to stop the Iran war and said fears of the oil price going above $200 were not…

Arab World Iraqi soldiers inspect the site of a destroyed healthcare center in the Habbaniyah military base, which was targeted by in an airstrike killing seven security personnel and wounding 13 others, in Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad on March 26, 2026. (AFP)

Rocket Attack Targets Baghdad Army Base

Rockets fired overnight targeted an Iraqi military base inside the Baghdad airport complex, which also houses a support center for the US embassy, Iraq's…