Arab World News

Former Syrian Regime Officer Arrested

Arab World Syrian Ministry of Interior in Damascus (Official Website)

Former Syrian Regime Officer Arrested

Syria's Interior Ministry announced on Saturday the arrest of a former officer in Bashar al-Assad's regime holding the rank of major general and accused of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus )
Arab World Displaced residents wave Hezbollah flags, including one bearing a picture of its leader, Naim Qassem, as they pass rubble of destroyed buildings in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Friday, April 17, 2026, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Hezbollah Says Message from Iran Shows it 'Will Not Give up' on Group

Hezbollah said Saturday that a message from Tehran showed that Iran would not abandon the Lebanese militant group and that the Islamic republic's latest…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Volunteers from the Lebanese Red Cross rescue a woman in the city of Nabatieh in South Lebanon (AFP)

South Lebanon Hospital Damaged in Israeli Strikes

Israel kept up strikes on Lebanon on Saturday, hours after overnight raids on the country's south and east, including one that damaged a hospital, its chief…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Palestinians inspect the rubble of a building that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike at al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Israeli Strike Kills Five Gaza Police Officers

An Israeli strike killed five police officers in the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday, said a hospital and the Palestinian territory's police force, which…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World This picture taken on May 21, 2026 shows smoke rising from the site of an Israeli strike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Mayfadoun. (Photo by AFP)

Israel Warns of Imminent Strikes on 10 Lebanese Villages

Israel warned the residents of 10 villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately to avoid planned air strikes against alleged Hezbollah…

Asharq Al Awsat

Arab World President Joseph Aoun awards Ambassador Waleed Al-Bukhari the National Order of the Cedar (Lebanese Presidency)

Aoun Awards Al-Bukhari the National Order of the Cedar: Saudi Arabia Remains a Steadfast Supporter of Lebanon

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun affirmed that Saudi Arabia remains a steadfast supporter of Lebanon, praising the role of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World An Israeli military vehicle moves inside Lebanese territory (Reuters)

Israel Crosses Litani by Fire, Tests New Border Strip

Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon has entered a new phase after the Israeli army announced operations north of the Litani River, as heavy vehicles crossed…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces are seen during their operation in the Karbala desert on May 12, 2026. (PMF)

Iraqi Authorities Make Late Admission of Makeshift Israeli Base in Desert

Iraqi authorities are still trying to contain the embarrassment caused by reports that an Israeli force was stationed in a desert area between Najaf and…

Fadhel al-Nashmi (Baghdad)
Arab World FILE PHOTO: Guard standing near an image of Syria's Bashar al-Assad at the fourth division headquarters in Damascus, Syria, January 23, 2025 REUTERS/Yamam Al Shaar/File Photo

Syria Arrests Former Assad-era Air Force Chief of Staff

Syrian authorities said Tuesday that they had arrested a former air force chief of staff under Bashar al-Assad who was sanctioned by the European Union…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Syrian security forces in Aleppo (File/Reuters)

ISIS Claims Deadly Attack on Syrian Government Forces 

ISIS claimed responsibility on Tuesday for an attack in eastern Syria that killed two Syrian army soldiers, the militant group's first deadly operation against…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Smoke rises from Israeli bombardment on the outskirts of the village of el-Qatrani as seen from nearby Marjayoun (Marjeyoun) in southern Lebanon on May 11, 2026.. (Photo by AFP)

Lebanon Says Israeli Strike Kills Two Civil Defense Personnel

Lebanon's civil defense agency said two of its personnel were killed in an Israeli strike on Tuesday while they were on duty in the country's south. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Palestinians carry a giant Palestinian flag as they take part in a rally to mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 12, 2026. (Reuters)

UN Condemns Child Death Toll from Israel’s West Bank Operations

The United Nations condemned on Tuesday the toll from "escalating" Israeli military operations and settler attacks in the occupied West Bank on children, with…

Arab World Asaad al-Shaibani (L), Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian transitional government, shakes hand with Kaja Kallas, European High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, at the first EU-Syria High-level Political Dialogue in Brussels, Belgium, 11 May 2026. (EPA)

EU Approves Full Restoration of Trade Relations with Syria

The European Council announced on Monday that it had adopted a decision ending the partial suspension of the Cooperation Agreement between the European…

Asharq Al Awsat (Brussels)
Arab World 17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyyeh: A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyyeh area. (dpa)

Hezbollah Leader Urges Lebanon to Quit Direct Talks with Israel

The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group called on the government Tuesday to withdraw from direct talks with Israel, calling them a concession and urging …

Arab World A Knesset vote is held on a bill concerning the prosecution of suspects in the 7 October attack during the opening summer session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, in Jerusalem, 11 May 2026. (EPA)

Israeli MPs Set Up Special Tribunal and Allow Death Penalty for Hamas-Led 2023 Attackers

Israeli lawmakers approved a bill on Monday setting up a special tribunal that would try and have the authority to sentence to death Palestinians convicted of…

Arab World Iraq's parliamentary security and defense committee meets on Sunday. (Iraqi parliament)

Iran Reacts with Concern to Reports of Clandestine Israeli Base in Iraq

Iran has reacted with concern to media reports of a clandestine makeshift Israeli military that was used during the recent war on Iran. Iranian Foreign…

Fadhel al-Nashmi (Baghdad)
Arab World Palestinian workers rest during the demolition of shops before the arrival of an Israeli army demolition team in the occupied Palestinian West Bank town of Al-Eizariya adjacent to East Jerusalem on Sunday (AFP) 

Land Registration in East Jerusalem Israeli ‘Tool’ to Expel Palestinians

Initial data from a land registration drive launched in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem point to a “deeply alarming” trend of land appropriation by the Israeli…

Asharq Al Awsat (Ramallah)
Arab World A billboard of Hamas' slain leader Yahya Sinwar is displayed at the Palestine square in Tehran, Iran, 19 October 2024. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Hamas Nears Final Step in Choosing New Political Chief

Hamas is close to electing a new head of its political bureau, who will oversee the movement until the end of this year or early next year, pending broader…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Rescuers work at the site of an Israeli strike in Kfar Jouz, Lebanon, May 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli Strikes Kill Six in South Lebanon

Israeli strikes on a town in southern Lebanon killed six people and wounded seven others, state media said Tuesday, as fighting continued despite a ceasefire…

Arab World Smoke rises following an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon as seen from Marjeyoun, May 11, 2026. (Reuters)

Israel Increases Pressure, Widens Ambitions in Lebanon by Carrying Strikes Beyond Litani

The ceasefire in southern Lebanon has not really ended the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel has continued its raids on southern villages and the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Funding shortfall in Yemen has increased the risk of food insecurity (EPA) 

International, Local Bodies Warn of Impending Famine in Yemen

A number of UN, international and local bodies said Yemen is again on the brink of widespread humanitarian disaster, characterized by accelerated hunger,…

Waddah Aljaleel (Aden)
Arab World The EU added seven Syrian ministers to its sanctions list. (Reuters)

EU Ministers Agree to Lift the Sanctions on Syria's Interior and Defense Ministers

European Union foreign ministers reached an agreement on Monday to lift the sanctions on ‌Syria's ‌interior and ‌defense ⁠ministers, EU's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World The crossing, which lies just over the border from Tal Abyad in northern Syria, was closed by Türkiye in 2014. (AP)

Türkiye-Syria Border Gate to Reopen After 12-Year Closure

One of the border crossings between Türkiye and Syria is to reopen on Tuesday, ending a 12-year closure, local officials said Monday. The reopening of the…

Arab World Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli strike on a southern Lebanon village as seen from the Upper Galilee on the Israel-Lebanon border, 11 May 2026. (EPA)

Lebanon Urges US Ambassador to Push Israel to Halt Bombardments

Lebanese leaders urged the US ambassador to Beirut to pressure Israel to halt its attacks as it pounded the country with airstrikes on Monday despite a…

Arab World Israeli troops maneuver on the Lebanese side of the border, as seen from the Upper Galilee on the Israel-Lebanon border, 11 May 2026. (EPA)

Israel Sentences 2 Soldiers to Military Prison for Desecration of Christian Statue in Lebanon

Israel’s military said Monday that two soldiers will spend weeks in military prison for the desecration of a Christian statue in southern Lebanon. One…

Arab World A member of Syria's security forces stands under a sign in the predominantly Druze city of Sweida on July 15, 2025. (AFP)

Syria Says Two Soldiers Killed in Attack in Northeast

Syria said two soldiers were killed in an attack by unidentified assailants in the country's northeast on Monday, while a military source told AFP…

Arab World Sudanese Army elements celebrate after seizing control of an area in northern Khartoum Bahri on January 25, 2025 (Reuters)

UN: Sudan Drone Strikes Killed at Least 880 Civilians between January and April

At least 880 civilians were killed in drone strikes in Sudan between January and April this year, the UN said Monday, warning such strikes were pushing the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World This photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Tyre shows smoke rising from the site of Israeli bombardment that targeted the village of Tair Harfa on May 11, 2026. (AFP)

Israel Says Soldier Killed Near Border with Lebanon

Israel's military said Monday that one of its soldiers had died in fighting near the border with Lebanon, bringing its losses to 18 personnel since the war…

Arab World From right to left: Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, Coordination Framework member Hadi al-Amiri, and caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. (Coordination Framework)

Sudden ‘Veto’ from Iran Thwarts Govt Formation Efforts in Iraq

Two Iraqi officials revealed on Sunday that a sudden “veto” from Iran has thwarted efforts to form a new Iraqi government. Iran has expressed its objection to…

Ali Saray (London)