Arab World News

Israeli Strike Kills Lebanese Forces Official, Widening Divisions Over Hezbollah

Arab World  The exterior of an apartment building hit by an Israeli strike amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the US-Israel conflict with Iran continues, in Ain Saadeh, Lebanon, April 6, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli Strike Kills Lebanese Forces Official, Widening Divisions Over Hezbollah

An Israeli strike on an apartment east of Beirut late on Sunday killed a local official from the Lebanese Forces, sharpening internal divides over Hezbollah as…

Arab World Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs, near Camille Chamoun Sports City stadium (R), on April 6, 2026. (AFP)

Raid Hits Beirut’s Southern Suburbs as Israel Says Striking Hezbollah

An Israeli strike hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Monday as Israel's army said it was targeting Hezbollah, with the raid sending a large plume of smoke…

Arab World  A Palestinian Christian woman attends a service at Saint Porphyrius Church in Gaza on Sunday (dpa). 

Gaza Factions Expect Intensified Israeli Attacks after Seeking Changes to Disarmament Plan

Major Palestinian factions in Gaza expect Israel to step up its military operations in the enclave after they, through Hamas, sought amendments to a proposed…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World A soldier of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)

UNIFIL Warns Israel, Hezbollah Attacks near Its Positions Risk Return Fire

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said attacks by Israel and Hezbollah near its positions "could potentially draw return fire". In a statement,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Smoke rises from Beirut's southern suburbs following an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the US-Israel conflict with Iran continues, Lebanon, April 5, 2026. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

After Gaza Devastation, Israeli Attacks on Lebanon's Health Care System Feel Familiar for Many

Two years ago, Dr. Mohammed Ziara watched Israel ravage Gaza's health care system, shelling hospitals, striking ambulances and forcing patients to evacuate. …

Asharq Al Awsat

Arab World Demonstrators carry a Syrian flag during a rally commemorating the15th anniversary of the Syrian uprising against the Bashar al-Assad regime in Daraa, southern Syria, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. (AP)

Iraq Arrests Four After Rocket Attack on Syria Base

Iraq arrested four people in connection with an earlier rocket attack launched against a military base in neighboring Syria, officials said late Tuesday. …

Arab World Members of Iraq’s PMF guard the streets during the funeral for members of the PMF in Baghdad on March 24, 2026. (AFP)

Iraq Summons US, Iran Representatives After Deadly Strikes

Iraq said late on Tuesday it would summon the US charge d'affaires and the Iranian ambassador after deadly strikes blamed on their countries, as Iraqi…

Arab World France's Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot attends an interview with AFP journalists at the Quai d'Orsay French Foreign ministry in Paris on March 24, 2026. (AFP)

France Urges Israel ‘to Refrain’ from Occupying South Lebanon Zone

Israel should "refrain" from sending in forces to take control of a zone in south Lebanon, France's foreign minister told AFP on Tuesday, warning that such a…

Arab World A photograph shows the damage after an Israeli strike targeted an apartment in Hazmieh, on the eastern outskirts of Beirut, on March 23, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli Army Says Strike Killed Lebanese Member of Iran’s Quds Force

Israel announced on Tuesday that a strike it carried out near Beirut the day before killed a member of Iran's Quds Force, who a Lebanese security source said…

Arab World RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, center, greets the crowd during a military-backed tribes' rally in the Nile River State of Sudan, July 13, 2019. (AP)

Sudan’s RSF Says Captured Strategic Town on Ethiopia Border

Sudanese paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces said on Tuesday that it and its allies had seized control of the town of Kurmuk on the border with…

Arab World 24 March 2026, Israel, Tel Aviv: Israeli security forces and rescue teams inspect the damage caused by an Iranian missile strike on Tel Aviv. Photo: Itai Ron/dpa

Iran Guards Threaten 'Heavy' Missile Fire on Israel in Support of Lebanese, Palestinians

Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened on Tuesday to conduct "heavy" missile and drone attacks on Israel in what it described as support for Lebanese and…

Arab World A flag of Iraq's pro-Iran paramilitary group Hezbollah Brigades (Kataib Hezbollah), flutters against the backdrop of people taking a swing ride at an amusement park during Eid al-Fitr celebrations, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, in Baghdad on March 21, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

Baghdad: An Intelligence Battleground in Iran’s Latest War

Within days of the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Quds Force officers began arriving in Iraq to oversee “attrition operations” and establish a support…

Ali Saray (London)
Arab World The Foreign Ministry said Tehran’s diplomatic representative in the country has to leave by Sunday. (NNA)

Lebanon Orders Iran’s Ambassador to Leave Country, Drawing Hezbollah Condemnation

Lebanon's foreign ministry said on Tuesday it had withdrawn its approval of the Iranian ambassador's accreditation, giving him until Sunday to leave the…

Arab World Damage at the site of an Israeli strike targeting the Qasmiye bridge near Tyre, southern Lebanon, 23 March 2026. (EPA)

Israel’s Military to Occupy Swathe of Southern Lebanon, Defense Chief Says

Israel's military will occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, defense minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, the first time Israel has clearly spelled…

Arab World  A billboard displays an image depicting a US Air Force airplane in flames, the name of the Iraqi deputy PMF leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis who was killed in a US strike in 2020, and words that read in Arabic, "They will no longer have safety. By God, we will not spare them", in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, March 23, 2026. (AP)

Airstrikes Target HQ and Leader of Iran-Backed PMF in Iraq

Apparent US-Israeli airstrikes hit a headquarters of Iraq's Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and a residence belonging to its leader on Tuesday,…

Arab World 23 March 2026, Lebanon, Chaat: A Hezbollah flag is seen fixed to the debris after an Israeli airstrike that targeted a residential home in Chaat. (dpa)

Hezbollah Escalates its Rhetoric, Threatens Lebanese Govt

Leading Hezbollah officials decided to escalate their rhetoric against the Lebanese government, threatening to take new political approaches after the war,…

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Arab World A soldier from the US-led coalition stands guard during a joint US- Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) patrol in the countryside of Qamishli in northeastern Syria February 8, 2024. (Reuters)

Syrian Army Says Base Targeted by Missiles from Iraq

Syria's army said on Monday that one of its bases in the northeast was targeted by a missile attack from neighboring Iraq, while an Iraqi official said a local…

Arab World Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area in Beirut's southern suburbs on March 24, 2026. (AFP)

Israeli Strike Near Beirut Kills 2 While Raids Target Southern Suburbs

An Israeli strike on Bshamoun, south of Beirut, killed two people on Tuesday, Lebanon's health ministry said, while strikes on the capital's southern suburbs…

Arab World  United Nations (UN) special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese presents her latest report before delegates at the UN Rights Council, in Geneva, on March 23, 2026. (AFP)

World Gave Israel ‘License to Torture Palestinians’, Says UN Expert

The world has given Israel "a license to torture Palestinians", a UN expert said Monday, with life in the occupied territories "a continuum of physical and…

Arab World President Joseph Aoun meets with parliament Speaker Nabih Berri at the Baabda presidential palace. (Lebanese Presidency)

Iran Pledges to its Allies in Lebanon to Include Them in Any Possible Deal to End the War

Widely informed Lebanese sources revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Iran has “clearly pledged” to leaderships in Beirut to include Lebanon in any possible deal…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Arab World United Nations peacekeepers with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) drive past a destroyed healthcare centre building in the aftermath of an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese town of Burj Qalawiya on March 14, 2026. Photo by Kawnat HAJU / AFP)

UN Force Says HQ Struck in South Lebanon

The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced Monday that its headquarters in Naqura had been hit by a projectile, probably launched by a "non-state…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A Middle East Airlines plane takes off from Rafik Hariri International Airport as smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Lebanon Says One Killed Near Beirut, as Israel Says Struck Iran Guards Member

An Israeli strike on Hazmieh east of Beirut killed at least one person, Lebanon's health ministry said, the second strike on the residential Christian area in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Israeli soldiers stand next to tanks near the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon, March 23, 2026. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

Israeli Minister Calls for Annexation of Southern Lebanon

Israel should extend its border with Lebanon up to the Litani River deep inside the country's south, Israel's finance minister said on Monday as Israeli troops…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Smoke and flames rise after an Israeli strike targeting the Qasmiyeh bridge near Tyre, in southern Lebanon, 22 March 2026. (EPA)

Israeli Airstrike Destroys Bridge on Litani River in South Lebanon

An Israeli airstrike destroyed on Monday another bridge on the Litai River in southern Lebanon. The strike on the bridge in the southern village of…

Arab World Smoke rises after an Israeli strike, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, as seen from Marjayoun, Lebanon, March 22, 2026. REUTERS/Karamallah Daher

First Israeli Civilian Killed in Lebanon Border War Was Hit by Israeli Fire

Israel said on Monday its own forces had misfired artillery that killed an Israeli farmer near the Lebanese frontier, the first Israeli civilian killed in a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World 13 January 2023, Berlin: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks during a press conference. (dpa)

Iraqi PM Says Accelerating Withdrawal of Anti-ISIS Coalition Forces

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said he would accelerate the dismantling of a US-led international anti-ISIS coalition, in an interview with an…

Arab World Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto attends the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026. (Reuters)

Indonesia Says No to $1bn Fee for Trump's 'Board of Peace' Seat

Indonesia's president, under fire at home for signing up to US counterpart Donald Trump's so-called "Board of Peace", has insisted his country would not pay…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A group photo during Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s reception in Damascus of a Kurdish delegation marking Eid al-Fitr and Nowruz. (Syrian Presidency)

Sharaa Receives Kurdish Delegation for Eid, Nowruz: Cultural Diversity Source of Syria’s Strength

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received in Damascus on Saturday a Kurdish delegation on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr and Nowruz. The event was attended by the…

Muwafaq Mohammed (Damascus)
Arab World The site of a displacement shelter under construction in the Karantina area near Beirut port (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Opposition to Beirut Displacement Center Rises over Security, Sectarian Concerns

Security and sectarian concerns are fueling opposition in Lebanon to plans for a displacement center in central Beirut, as ongoing conflict between Israel and…

Soubhi Amhaz (Beirut)