Arab World News

Atef Najib’s Fifth Closed-Door Hearing Held Amid Public Pressure on His Lawyer

Arab World  Former security official Atef Najib is questioned during a fifth closed-door hearing on Tuesday (Syrian Justice Ministry)

Atef Najib’s Fifth Closed-Door Hearing Held Amid Public Pressure on His Lawyer

Atef Najib denied all charges against him during the fifth closed-door session of his trial before Damascus’ Fourth Criminal Court, which adjourned proceedings…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus )
Arab World Prominent Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti appears in court in Jerusalem. (AP file)

Barghouti’s Son to Asharq Al-Awsat: Father Shot, Denied Treatment as Incitement Continues

Arab Barghouti, the son of detained prominent Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti, 67, said an Israeli prison guard fired a rubber bullet at his father last…

Kifah Zboun (Ramallah)
Arab World Mourners gather during the funeral of Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr, who was killed in an Israeli strike, in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon August 1, 2024. (Reuters)

Lebanon Arrests ‘Israeli Agent’ Whose Intel Led to Assassination of Top Hezbollah Officials

Lebanese security and judicial authorities have opened a new espionage case involving Israel after arresting a Lebanese man suspected of links to Israel’s…

Youssef Diab (Beirut)
Arab World Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks at a press conference regarding settlements expansion for the long-frozen E1 settlement, that would split East Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank, near the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 14, 2025. (Reuters)

Israel Allocates $434 Million for 34 New West Bank Settlements

Israel's security cabinet approved ‌a budget of 1.3 billion shekels ($434 million) for establishing 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, right…

Arab World A Sudanese woman peels beans inside a shelter in the al-Rahmaniya camp for displaced people near the city of al-Obeid in the southern Kordofan region on July 9, 2026. (AFP)

Sudan Risks Deeper Hunger Crisis Due to War, Aid Cuts and Hormuz Disruption, Says WFP

Sudan risks sliding backwards into deeper hunger as conflict, aid funding cuts and rising agricultural costs driven by disruption linked to the Iran war…


Arab World A woman and a child, displaced from North Darfur's capital, al-Fashiar or other conflict-affected areas walk in the newly established el-Afadh camp in al-Dabbah, in Sudan's Northern State, Sudan, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP)

More Than 300 Children Killed in Sudan War in 6 Months, Mostly in Drone Strikes, UNICEF Says

More than 300 children have been killed in the last six months in the war in Sudan, mostly from drone strikes, the UN children's agency said Monday. Sudan…

Arab World A circulating image shows Iraqi vehicles at an entrance to the Green Zone at dawn on June 28, 2026

Baghdad Rejects Iranian ‘Protection’ for Suspects Placed on Corruption Lists

The Iraqi government has rejected Iranian requests to exempt individuals facing judicial arrest warrants as part of corruption investigations and has urged…

Ali Saray (London)
Arab World Migrants rescued after their boat, which departed from the coast of Libya towards Europe, sank (AP file photo)

Alarm Phone: 12 Migrants Missing Since Leaving Algerian Coast a Week Ago

Twelve migrants are missing since last week in the western Mediterranean, according to Alarm Phone, a Tunisian platform specialized in tracking migrants in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Defense Minister Lieutenant General Tahir Al-Aqili meets forces deployed in Shabwa. (Shabwa press office)

Majly to Asharq Al-Awsat: Armed Forces Ready for Any Houthi Escalation, to Protect Yemen

Yemen Armed Forces Spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdu Majly stressed that the forces are ready to handle ay field development or military escalation by the Iran-backed…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Arab World  Palestinians make their way past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive as displaced people shelter in tents, in Gaza City, July 4, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli Strike Kills Two People in Gaza, Medics Say

An ‌Israeli airstrike killed at least two Palestinians in Gaza City on Sunday, health officials said. Medics said the two people were killed when an…

Arab World The Crusader-period Beaufort Castle (rear) in southern Lebanon at sunset, as seen from the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, 29 June 2026, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. (EPA)

In South Lebanon, Israel Army Chief Vows to Act ‘Decisively’ Against Hezbollah

Israel's military chief visited forces deployed around Beaufort castle in southern Lebanon on Sunday, vowing to push ahead with the campaign against Hezbollah…

Arab World A woman holds a sign that reads "Free Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, Free Gaza" during a protest in front of the Shin Bet offices, calling for his release, in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Jan. 1, 2025. (AP)

Lawyer Warns Detained Palestinian Doctor Hussam Abu Safiya Is in Critical Condition

The lawyer for a prominent Palestinian doctor who was seized by Israeli forces 18 months ago said his client has been abused in captivity and is in critical…

Arab World  France's President Emmanuel Macron chairs the fifth follow-up meeting on combating drug trafficking, at the Elysee presidential Palace in Paris, Thursday July 2, 2026. (Simon Wohlfahrt/Pool Photo via AP)

Syria Expecting Macron in First Post-Assad Visit by Western Head of State

Syria said on Sunday it was expecting a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, the first by a Western European head of state since Syria's new leader Ahmed…

Arab World This photograph shows the Syrian parliament building in Damascus on July 1, 2026. (AFP)

Syria Postpones First Session of New Parliament

Syrian authorities have postponed the first meeting of the country's new transitional parliament, days after announcing the inaugural session had been…

Arab World An image circulated on social media shows an Iranian aircraft at Sanaa airport, which is under the control of the Houthis (X).

Yemen Faces New Phase of Iranian Threat

Yemen’s internationally recognized government said it has entered a new phase in its confrontation with the Iran-backed Houthi movement after Iran operated a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Sadrist Movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr. (Reuters file)

Is a New Showdown Looming Between al-Sadr and the Coordination Framework in Iraq?

The decision by influential cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Sadrist Movement, to break his prolonged silence and publicly back Prime Minister Ali al…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World This picture taken from a position in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel shows Israeli army tanks positioned along the Israel-Lebanon border, on July 1, 2026. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP) /

Israeli Military Says Killed Armed Militant in South Lebanon

The Israeli military said on Saturday that it killed an armed militant in the "security zone" under its control in south Lebanon. The military said in a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Palestinian Hamas militants stand guard on the day of the release of Keith Siegel,  a US-Israeli dual national hostage held in Gaza since the deadly October 7, 2023 attack, as part of a ceasefire and a hostages-prisoners swap deal between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City, February 1, 2025. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

Why Is Hamas Once Again Displaying Its Flags and Threatening a 'New October 7'?

The reappearance of Hamas flags and those of its military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, during the funeral of a field commander killed by Israel after he was…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World FILED - 17 January 2025, Lebanon, Baabda: FILE PHOTO - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a press conference at Baabda Palace. Photo: Marwan Naamani/dpa

Lebanese President Urges US to 'Keep Standing' by Country

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday urged the United States to stand by his country after a recent US-backed framework deal with Israel aiming to…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World 04 June 2026, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Palestinians inspect a damaged house following an Israeli airstrike that targeted an apartment belonging to the Labad family in Gaza City. Photo: Hadi Daoud/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Fate of Gaza Strip Eclipsed by Middle East War

The Gaza war was the spark that touched off years of Middle East conflict culminating in the US-Israeli war with Iran, but as Washington and Tehran wrangle…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A child amid the rubble of a building destroyed by Israel in Al-Shati camp, west of Gaza City, last Wednesday. (AFP)

Gaza War Reaches 1,000 Days: A Tragedy in Numbers

A thousand days have passed since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack carried out by Hamas against Israeli military sites and settlements along the Gaza border, and since…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World FILE PHOTO: Displaced women from South Kordofan sit on the ground in El Obeid, North Kordofan State, Sudan, January 15, 2026. REUTERS/El Tayeb Siddig/File Photo

Egypt Calls for Urgent Humanitarian Truce in Sudan

Egypt renewed its call for “an urgent and immediate humanitarian truce in Sudan” and stressed the need for “a comprehensive and complete ceasefire across all…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World This picture shows the destruction in the southern Lebanese village of Froun on June 30, 2026. (Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)

Demolitions in South Lebanon as Israel Redraws Border Strip

Israel has revived its policy of wide-scale demolitions in southern Lebanon, with the Israeli army blowing up sites on Thursday and Friday in the towns of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi (AP)

Wave of Apologies Prompts Reappraisal of Kadhimi's Government in Iraq

After years of facing political and media accusations of corruption, former Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is witnessing an unusual development in…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World  A UNIFIL patrol in Mansouri, southern Lebanon (AFP)

Israeli Army Measures in South Lebanon Restrict UNIFIL Movement

Restrictions are tightening on the movement of UNIFIL peacekeepers still deployed in southern Lebanon, as their mandate is set to end at the close of this year…

Paul Astih (Beirut)
Arab World An Iraqi security personnel stands guard along a street in Baghdad on June 28, 2026. (AFP)

Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Force Clashes with Faction in Baghdad, Oil Smugglers Arrested

An Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service force carried out a pre-dawn operation on Friday in Dora, south of Baghdad, targeting a farm believed to be under the…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World A general view of a concrete block (back) marking the "yellow line" drawn by the Israeli military in Bureij, central Gaza Strip, on November 4, 2025. (AFP)

After 1,000 Days, Israel Shifts ‘Yellow Line’ to Expand Control in Gaza

Recent remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his forces intended to expand their control inside Gaza to 70% of the territory, in a bid to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World  Relatives of missing victims weep, as they gather at the site of destroyed buildings that were hit in an Israeli airstrike in Qannarit village, southern Lebanon, Saturday, June 20, 2026. (AP)

Over 600,000 Displaced Lebanese Return Home Amid Ceasefire, Says IOM

More than 640,000 displaced people in Lebanon have returned home, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), as clashes between Hezbollah…

Arab World Prosecutors said al-Salem was part of a Syrian Air Force Intelligence group that suppressed demonstrations in the Damascus suburb of Jobar when the government carried out a bloody crackdown during the 2011 uprising against former President Bashar al-Assad’s authoritarian leadership. (AFP)

Former Syrian Colonel Unfit for Trial in Landmark UK Crimes Against Humanity Murder Case

A former Syrian air force colonel is unfit to stand trial in a landmark British case charging him with three counts of murder as crimes against humanity for…