Arab World News

Terrorist Attack on Church in Jordan's Karak Leaves Dozens Dead, Wounded

Arab World Jordanian security personnel in the capital, Amman (Reuters/File Photo)

Terrorist Attack on Church in Jordan's Karak Leaves Dozens Dead, Wounded

Jordan's King Abdullah II vowed to impose the "harshest penalties" on those responsible for an attack on a church in Karak, southern Jordan, that left dozens…

Asharq Al Awsat (Amman)
Arab World Lebanon’s Military Court (National News Agency)

Lebanon: Judicial Warrants Target Suspects in Hezbollah Explosives Case

The investigation into a Hezbollah explosives shipment has widened, with Lebanese authorities issuing search notices for two people who went into hiding after…

Youssef Diab (Beirut)
Arab World Two Iraqi security personnel flash victory signs in Baghdad on September 30 to mark the withdrawal of US forces (EPA)

Baghdad Fears Armed Factions Could Join Potential US-Iran War

Iraq's push to bring armed factions under state control faces a critical test as fears mount of renewed war between the United States and Iran, raising the…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World Aden Governor Abdulrahman Sheikh tours Aden airport before the Houthi militia attack. (Saba)

Aden Governor After Escaping Airport Missile Attack: Hostilities Will Not Deter People of Yemen

Aden Governor Abdulrahman Sheikh narrowly escaped a ballistic missile strike on Wednesday when it landed near the city's international airport shortly after he…

Saeed al-Abyad (Jeddah)
Arab World A Palestinian woman picks olives during the harvest season in a Palestinian-owned olive grove in the village of Turmus Ayya, northeast of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on October 20, 2026. (AFP)

Emboldened Israeli Settlers Lead a Surge of Attacks on Palestinians’ Olive Harvest

Attacks by Jewish settlers have surged this year during the Palestinians’ annual olive harvest in the occupied West Bank. Scenes of Palestinians, journalists…


Arab World President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (Egyptian Presidency)

Sisi Says Egypt Ready for Any Measure to Protect Saudi Arabia

Egypt's parliament will meet on Sunday after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked lawmakers to authorize support for Saudi defenses. Speaking at a…

Fathiya al-Dakhakhni (Cairo)
Arab World Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (AP)

UN: Sudan’s Warring Parties Show No Serious Commitment to a Settlement

Rosemary DiCarlo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, said Friday that Sudan’s warring parties showed no serious commitment to…

Ali Barada (Washington)
Arab World Lebanese President Joseph Aoun welcomes Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Beirut (AFP/Lebanese Presidency). 

Qatar Offers Comprehensive Plan to Ease Lebanon’s Electricity Crisis

Lebanon and Qatar are close to reaching an agreement to overhaul Lebanon’s electricity sector, with Doha set to finance, develop and operate the project…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Morocco’s King Mohammed VI presides over the appointment ceremony for members of the new government at the Royal Palace in Rabat on Friday (MAP). 

Morocco Retains Key Ministers in New Government, Names Seven Women

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI appointed a new government on Friday, retaining several key ministers while naming the country’s first female head of government and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Rabat)
Arab World Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (AFP)

Lebanon Steps Up Diplomacy to Stay Out of Regional Escalation

Lebanon has stepped up diplomatic efforts to avoid being drawn into a wider regional conflict, amid fears of fresh Israeli military action and uncertainty over…

Nazir Rida (Beirut)
Arab World Ali Kayali (Mihrac Ural) in an undated file photo circulated on Syrian social media

Four Syrians, One Lebanese Involved in Capture of ‘Baniyas Butcher’ in Lebanon

Lebanese judicial and security authorities are investigating the abduction of former Syrian regime officer Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural, from Mount…

Youssef Diab (Beirut)
Arab World Israeli soldiers near the Litani River in southern Lebanon (File photo - Israeli military)

Is Israel Signaling a Wider Occupation of Southern Lebanon?

Israel has escalated threats to expand its occupation of southern Lebanon, with Defense Minister Israel Katz warning that the Nabatieh and Litani areas could…

Soubhi Amhaz (Beirut)
Arab World A gathering called for by the Houthi group in the southern suburbs of Sanaa (Houthi media)

Sanaa Tribes Hamper Houthi Push to Expand Recruitment

Houthi efforts to expand mobilization and recruitment around Yemen’s Houthi-held capital Sanaa are facing growing tribal resistance after the group failed to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Sanaa)
Arab World Fighters loyal to Yemen’s government on one of the front lines against the Houthis (AP)

17,000 Strikes on Houthis Since Launch of Operation Dawn of Yemen

Yemen’s armed forces said air and ground strikes carried out with support from the Coalition to Support Legitimacy had topped 17,000 since the launch of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World Commuters drive past Baghdad's Shorja market on October 13, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Iraq Says it Lost $60Bn Due to Mideast War

Iraq has lost around $60 billion during the Middle East war, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Thursday, with Iran blockading the Strait of Hormuz that is…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Arab World A Lebanese soldier inspects destruction in the city of Nabatieh caused by Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on June 21, 2026 (Reuters)

Hezbollah’s Support Base Dismayed Over Limited Compensation

The financial assistance Hezbollah said it would provide to people displaced from southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs because of the war with Israel…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Firefighters douse a burnt car with water after Israeli militant settlers attacked a group of Palestinians harvesting olives near Turmus Ayya in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, October 16, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Israeli Settlers Attack Palestinians During Olive Harvest

Israeli settlers attacked Palestinians in multiple villages across the occupied West Bank on Friday and trees and cars were set on fire, according to local…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A Sudanese farmer collects gum arabic in the western city of Al-Nuhud. The commodity is among the resources covered by the proposed US legislation (Reuters). 

US Bill Proposes Agricultural and Mining Partnership with Sudan

A Republican member of the US House of Representatives has introduced legislation proposing an economic partnership with Sudan that would exchange Sudanese…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Arab World A photo released by Iraq’s judiciary shows Judge Faiq Zidan (second from left) inspecting gold bars seized in connection with the case of detained suspect Adnan al-Jumaili. 

Iraqi Deputy Oil Minister Named as Witness in Corruption Trial

Iraq’s judiciary has scheduled the trial of Muthanna al-Samarrai, leader of the parliamentary Azm Alliance, for next week on corruption charges, with Deputy…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World The Banque du Liban headquarters in Beirut (Banque du Liban). 

Lebanon Revokes Bank Saderat Iran’s License amid US Pressure

Lebanon’s central bank has revoked the local license of Bank Saderat Iran, one of Iran’s largest banks, as Washington intensifies pressure on countries to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Cattle gather in an enclosure at a farm run by Israeli settlers near the Palestinian town of Duma in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on October 13, 2026. (Photo by Ilia YEFIMOVICH / AFP)

China Says Israel Should Stop Its 'Forced Establishment' of West Bank Settlements

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Israel should stop and reverse its "forced establishment" of West Bank settlements,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World File: Flames rise at Tishreen thermal power plant following an explosion, near Otaybah, Syria, September 30, 2026, in this screengrab from video obtained from social media. Social Media/via REUTERS

Jbessa Gas Export Pipeline Targeted in Northeastern Syria, Fire Erupts, SANA Reports

The Jbessa gas export pipeline in northeastern Syria was targeted in the al-Arabidi area, causing a fire, state news agency SANA reported on Thursday citing…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World People walk under a giant election billboard bearing a portrait of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party in Ramat Gan, on October 15, 2026. (AFP)

Netanyahu Says Spoke with Syria’s Sharaa on Sweida Unrest

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he had previously spoken with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa about violence towards the Druze…

Arab World  Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attends a parliamentary session to approve the remaining members of his cabinet, in Baghdad, Iraq, October 15, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office/Handout via Reuters)

Iraq Parliament Fills Cabinet Posts, Naming a US-Sanctioned Deputy Prime Minister

Iraq's parliament voted Thursday to appoint ministers to previously vacant Cabinet posts and complete the country's government, including a deputy prime…

Arab World A boat motors under Al-Maashiq Presidential Palace, at top, in Aden, Yemen, Aug. 20, 2024. (AP)

Houthis Launch Attack on Presidential Palace in Yemen’s Aden

At least six explosions struck Thursday near the palace used by Yemen's legitimate government in the port city of Aden, witnesses said. An official said at…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World People walk past a banner featuring Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) of the Likud party and country's former chief of the general staff and leader of the Yashar centrist political party Gadi Eisenkot in Ramat Gan on October 15, 2026. (AFP)

Netanyahu Rival Vows to End Hamas Rule within 18 Months if Elected

Israeli opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival in upcoming elections, vowed Thursday to end Hamas rule in Gaza if…

Arab World  Palestinians inspect a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike late Saturday in Zawaida, central Gaza Strip, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026. (AP)

Israel Says Commercial Goods Not Entering Gaza Over Hamas Tax Dispute

Israel on Thursday said commercial goods usually delivered into Gaza by private merchants had not entered the beleaguered territory for days because of Hamas…

Arab World Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during an interview with AFP at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on September 15, 2026. (AFP)

Aoun Urges Rubio to Pressure Israel to Halt Attacks on Southern Lebanon

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun received a phone call on Thursday from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during which they discussed the general situation in…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki speaks during a news conference in Riyadh on Thursday (AP)

Al-Malki Warns Houthis to Read Coalition Statement Carefully

Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, spokesman for the Arab Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, warned the Houthis against targeting civilians and civilian…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)