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 Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri receives Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh in Beirut (EPA)

Araghchi Aide in Beirut Assesses Concerns of Shiite Duo

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s call with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun coincided with the arrival in Beirut of his aide, Saeed Khatibzadeh, as…

Mohamed Choucair (Beirut)
Arab World Morocco’s new parliament speaker, Ahmed Touizi (AFP)

Morocco’s New Parliament Speaker: Ahmed Touizi’s Rise to the Top of the Legislature

Ahmed Touizi’s rise to become Morocco’s parliament speaker in October 2026 marks the opening of a new political phase after a reshaping of the country’s…

Kawtar Wakil (London)
Arab World Yemeni government forces move near the Jabal Han front west of Taiz city (AFP)

Fighting Deepens Pressure on Taiz as Houthi Leaders Captured

Fighting between Yemeni government forces and the Houthi group intensified on several fronts as Operation “Dawn of Yemen” entered its 10th day, with the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Taiz)
Arab World Hezbollah members take part in a military exercise during a media tour organized for the occasion of Resistance and Liberation Day, in Aaramta, Lebanon. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File photo

Hezbollah Says Explosives Shipment Seized by Authorities Belongs to Group

A Hezbollah MP acknowledged Thursday that a 500-kilogram shipment of explosives seized last week by Lebanese authorities belonged to the group, a rare…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A Syrian army officer puts on his blast suit during a demining operation, by the Syrian Ministry of Defense's military engineering department, to clear land mines in Qarah in the Damascus countryside on August 23, 2026. (Photo by Bakr ALkasem / AFP)

Ali Kayali, Main Suspect in 2013 Baniyas Massacre, Arrested

Syria's General Intelligence Service has arrested Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural, the main suspect in the 2013 Baniyas massacre, as he attempted to flee…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A gas station in Damascus displays fuel prices following the latest increase, which sparked protests in several Syrian cities (Reuters). 

Contaminated Gasoline Sparks Fears Over Diesel Quality in Syria

A video of a young girl collecting animal dung for heating in northeastern Syria has revived memories of bitter winters during the war, as rising fuel prices,…

Souad Jarous (Damascus)
Arab World A woman and her daughter, displaced from their home in the South Lebanon village of Aita al-Shaab in 2023, live in a rented apartment in the southern town of Maarakeh (EPA). 

Hezbollah Aid to Displaced Families Raises Questions Over Funding Sources

Hezbollah’s announcement of financial assistance for displaced Lebanese families and those affected by the fighting with Israel has raised questions about…

Caroline Akoum (Beirut)
Arab World A Sudanese farmer plants seeds in an agricultural field in Gedaref State, eastern Sudan, on July 18, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Sudan's Famine Risk Worsened by Conflict, Drought and Funding Shortages

Conflict and drought are worsening food insecurity across parts of Sudan’s Darfur and Kordofan regions, a global food crisis monitor warned on Monday. There…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A session of the UN Security Council on Libya (UN Security Council)

Tetteh Affirms ‘Broad Support' For Libyan Agreement … Warns of Disrupting Elections

UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya (UNSMIL), Hanna Tetteh, told Security Council members on Wednesday that a deal she brokered to…

Ali Barada (Washington)
Arab World Tunisian journalists participate in a rally called by the Tunisian journalists' union to demand the release of journalist Mohamed Yousfi, a vocal critic of President Kais Saied, in Tunis, Tunisia. September 8, 2026. REUTERS/ Jihed Abidellaoui

Tunisian Journalists Fear Jail Again as Freedoms Erode

In the garden of the independent outlet ‘Nawaat,’ about half a dozen journalists sit smoking, trading jokes and discussing investigations they plan to publish…

Asharq Al Awsat (Tunis)
Arab World File photo of Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz in the Tulkarm refugee camp in the northern West Bank (Israeli Army)

Israeli Threat to Expand Lebanon’s Occupation, Displace More Than a Million Lebanese

Defense Minister Israel Katz has ⁠warned Hezbollah against attacking Israel, saying the Israeli army was capable of occupying more Lebanese territories and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World  United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix in Beirut, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, in Beirut, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)

UN Peacekeeping Chief Says Talks on Future of Lebanon Mission Must Begin Soon

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix on Wednesday urged the UN Security Council to begin negotiations on the future of peacekeepers deployed in Lebanon,…

Arab World  Palestinians walk along a street lined with buildings destroyed during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza City Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2026. (AP)

Gaza Officials Say Israeli Strikes Kill Four

Palestinian officials said Israeli strikes killed four people in Gaza on Wednesday, days after the anniversary of the declaration of a US-mediated ceasefire. …

Arab World A boy sits amid belongings next to a structure used as a living room after it was demolished by Israeli authorities, who said it had been built without a permit, in the Palestinian village of Umm al-Khair, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on October 14, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

Palestinian Factions Hold Preliminary Talks in Cairo Ahead of Broader Dialogue

A new round of Palestinian diplomatic activity is underway in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, for the second time in less than a week, aimed at paving the way for…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Items seized during an Egyptian military operation on June 22 (Egyptian Military Spokesman)

Gold Miners on Egypt-Sudan Border: Security Risks, Tangled Ties

Egypt’s military rolled out a three-phase crackdown on illegal gold mining along the Sudanese border between June and October as the practice spread, before…

Mohamed Mahmoud (Cairo)
Arab World A woman prepares food to be distributed to people in need in Khartoum, Sudan, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)

Local Official: More Than 500 Die of Hunger in Darfur

A local official at a displacement camp in Sudan's western Darfur region said more than 500 people had died from hunger and malnutrition recently, appealing…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Troops from the Southern Giants Brigades on their way to reinforce front lines in western Lahj (Military Media)

Operation Dawn of Yemen Intensifies Air and Ground Strikes to Weaken Houthi Capabilities

The Yemeni military's Operation Dawn of Yemen entered its tenth day on Wednesday, with some of the fiercest fighting continuing on the front lines in Taiz…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World The Iraqi army during operations against ISIS (Ministry of Defense)

Roadside Bomb Kills Iraqi Army Brigadier, Soldier Near Kirkuk

A roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army vehicle killed an Iraqi army brigadier and a soldier near the northern city of Kirkuk on Wednesday, the military said,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World FILE - Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella speaks during a bilateral agreements signing ceremony with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Barranquilla, Colombia, on Sept. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, Pool, File)

Colombia Opens Embassy in Jerusalem, Restores Free Trade Deal with Israel

Colombia opened its embassy in Jerusalem on Wednesday, becoming the 10th country to do so, as new President Abelardo de la Espriella reversed his predecessor's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World US envoy to Iraq Tom Barrack speaks to the media at United Nations headquarters in New York on September 24, 2026 (Reuters)

Barrack, al-Zaidi Discuss Iraq’s Difficult Path to Stability

Iraqi sources have indicated that the issue of weapons held by armed factions was likely among the topics discussed in Baghdad between Iraq’s prime minister,…

Fadhel al-Nashmi (Baghdad)
Arab World Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam meets Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal (Prime Minister’s Office)

Lebanon Steps Up Probe into Seized Explosives, Smuggling Networks

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar have stressed the need to continue investigations into recently seized explosives to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Yemeni government forces repel intensified Houthi attacks on the Taiz fronts (Military Media)

Yemeni Forces Repel Fierce Houthi Attacks on Taiz Fronts

Yemeni government forces and Popular Resistance fighters battled intensified Houthi attacks across Taiz province on Tuesday as Operation Dawn of Yemen entered…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Reuters)

Australia, Canada, France and United Kingdom Regret Postponement of Palestinian Elections

The foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, France and the United Kingdom on Tuesday expressed deep “regret” over the Palestinian President's decision to…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Arab World Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani (R) and OPCW Director General Dallafior (L) attend a joint press conference at the Tishreen Palace in Damascus, Syria, 13 October 2026. (EPA)

Watchdog Chief Says Urgent to Find Remaining Assad-Era Chemical Weapons

The head of the world's chemical weapons watchdog on a visit Tuesday to Syrian capital Damascus said the remaining chemical weapons from the era of ousted…