Arab World News

Under Israeli Cover, Gaza Gangs Kill and Abduct Palestinians in Hamas-Controlled Areas 

Arab World A group of women wait for news as Palestinian civil defense teams work to recover the remains of 67 members of the Abu Nasr family from beneath the rubble of their home after it was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahiya, north of Gaza City, 15 February 2026. (EPA)

Under Israeli Cover, Gaza Gangs Kill and Abduct Palestinians in Hamas-Controlled Areas 

Amid heavy Israeli airstrikes across Gaza, armed gangs carried out kidnappings and executions of Palestinians on Monday in areas controlled by Hamas, west of…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Part of previous consultative meetings for Yemeni lawyers in Sanaa (Facebook)

Lawyers in Sanaa Under Houthi Repression

In areas controlled by the Houthi group in Yemen, there is an increasing number of violations targeting lawyers, raising widespread concerns about the future…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stands outside the entrance to his office at Parliament House in Canberra on February 11, 2026. (AFP)

Australia Won’t Repatriate 34 Women and Children from Syria 

The Australian government will not repatriate from Syria a group of 34 women and children with alleged ties to the ISIS group, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese…

Arab World The Neve Yaakov settlement north of East Jerusalem, with the Israeli wall visible separating the Palestinian neighborhood of al-Ram in the West Bank (AFP). 

‘Jerusalem After the West Bank’: Israel Effectively Erases the Land of a Palestinian State

A day after an unprecedented Israeli decision allowing the seizure of land in the occupied West Bank, Hebrew-language reports revealed a settlement plan that…

Kifah Zboun
Arab World LNA commander Khalifa Haftar meets with Egypt’s chief of intelligence Hassan Rashad on Sunday. (LNA General Command)

Will Libya’s Haftar Sever Alleged Association with Sudan’s RSF? 

Senior Egyptian officials have been flocking to eastern Libya, the stronghold of the Libyan National Army (LNA), in what observers have said was increasing…

Jamal Jawhar (Cairo)

Arab World South African member of parliament and Nelson Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela joins a press conference held by the Global Sumud Flotilla about its upcoming Spring 2026 mission Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg, South Africa. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Organizers Say New Civilian-led Aid Flotilla with over 100 Boats will Sail to Gaza in March

Organizers of an international flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on Thursday announced plans for another mission with more than 100 boats in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World People sit in a truck after being evacuated out of the last territory held by ISIS militants, outside Baghouz, Syria, Monday, March 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrea Rosa)

France Tells Syria Anti-ISIS Fight is Its 'Absolute Priority'

France's foreign minister said Thursday that sustaining the fight against the ISIS group is an "absolute priority" for Paris, after meeting his Syrian…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Lebanese army soldiers inspect the site of an Israeli strike in Kfardounine, southern Lebanon (EPA)

Lebanon: Israel Sprayed Glyphosate Along Southern Border

Laboratory tests have identified the chemical sprayed by Israeli aircraft in southern Lebanon as glyphosate, a widely used herbicide that can destroy…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World People who fled the Zamzam camp for the internally displaced walk in a makeshift encampment in an open field near the town of Tawila in war-torn Sudan's western Darfur region on April 13, 2025. © AFP

Famine Spreads to More Towns in Sudan’s Darfur Region, Hunger Experts Warn as War Rages on

Famine is spreading in war-torn Sudan's western Darfur region and has now engulfed two more towns there, a global hunger monitoring group said Thursday. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World US soldiers patrol the countryside of Rumaylan in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on June 7, 2023. (AFP) 

US Troops to Leave Al-Shaddadi Base in Syria

US troops at Al-Shaddadi base in Syria's northeastern Al-Hasakah province are preparing to withdraw completely in the coming hours. “The US forces at the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Direct Jeddah-Socotra flights aim to revive Yemen archipelago economy (X)

Saudi Support Puts Yemen’s Socotra Back on Global Tourism Map

Saudi Arabia has taken a new step to restore Yemen’s Socotra Archipelago to international air traffic by launching a direct flight linking the island with…

Mohammed Nasser (Aden)
Arab World Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, with Nouri al-Maliki to his left in the picture (AFP)

Maliki Nears Exit From Race to Form Iraqi Gov’t

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is seeing his bid for a third term unravel, undermined by rising US pressure and deepening splits within the Shiite…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad ) Fadhel al-Nashmi
Arab World A handout photo made available by the Turkish Presidential press office shows Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) posing before their meeting in Cairo, Egypt, 04 February 2026. (EPA/ Turkish Presidential Press Office Handout)

Egypt’s Sisi, Türkiye’s Erdogan Ink Partnership Deals

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo on Wednesday, sealing a raft of new partnership deals and signaling…

Arab World  Rubble from destroyed buildings lies in the north of Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border in Israel, February 4, 2026. (Reuters)

Red Cross ‘Outraged’ as On-Duty Paramedic Killed in Gaza

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was "outraged" by the killing of an on-duty colleague on Wednesday in Gaza, where…

Arab World Israeli National Security Minister and head of Jewish Power party Itamar Ben-Gvir gives a statement to members of the press, ahead of a possible ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, January 16, 2025. REUTERS/Oren Ben Hakoon/File Photo

UN Experts Slam Israeli 'Terrorist' Death Penalty Bill

United Nations experts on Wednesday called on Israel to withdraw a bill proposing the mandatory death penalty for terrorist acts, warning it would violate the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets with a delegation from the Kurdish National Council on Tuesday (Syrian Presidency)

Syrian President Meets Kurdish National Council Delegation, Reaffirms Commitment to Kurdish Rights

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Tuesday received a delegation from the Kurdish National Council, reaffirming the state’s commitment to guaranteeing the…

Muwafaq Mohammed (Damascus)
Arab World Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with members of the Sovereignty Front. (Lebanese Presidency)

Aoun Calls for Rationally Implementing Lebanon's Commitments as Hezbollah Eases Rhetoric

Hezbollah has softened its confrontational tone toward Lebanon’s president and government, without showing clear flexibility on the issue of the state's…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World In this Feb. 25, 2011, file photo, Seif al-Islam al-Gadhafi speaks to the media at a press conference in a hotel in Tripoli, Libya. (AP)

Libya Opens Investigation into Killing of Seif al-Islam Gadhafi

Libyan prosecutors said Wednesday they were investigating the killing of Seif al-Islam al-Gadhafi, son of slain ruler Moammar Gadhafi, in the city of Zintan. …

Arab World Children walk past tents and makeshift shelters in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on February 3, 2026. (Photo by Eyad BABA / AFP)

Gaza Health Officials Say Strikes Kill 24 After Israel Says Officer Wounded

Gazan health officials said Israeli air strikes on Wednesday killed 24 people, with Israel's military saying the attacks were in response to one of its…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Tens of thousands of illegal migrants are reaching Yemen through dangerous routes. (UN)

Yemen: Route for Illegal Migration

Yemen's coastlines witnessed one of the highest waves of illegal migrants during the last three months of 2025, highlighting the country's role as the main…

Mohammed Nasser (Aden)
Arab World Fighters from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, in Khan Younis, February 20, 2025. (dpa)

Israel Sets Up Points Across ‘Yellow Line’ to Collect Hamas Arms

The Israeli army had recently set up collection points across the Yellow Line, where Hamas is supposed to hand over its weapons to international stabilization…

Kifah Zboun (Ramallah)
Arab World Nouh Zaiter in an undated photo circulating on social media

Lebanon Launches Trials of ‘Drug Kingpin’ with Lenient Rulings

Lebanon’s military court on Tuesday wrapped up, in just one hour, the trial of Nouh Zaiter, known as the “drug emperor,” ruling on 40 security cases involving…

Youssef Diab (Beirut)
Arab World Seif al-Islam Gadhafi. (Reuters file)

Seif al-Islam Gadhafi Shot Dead in Zintan

The most prominent son of late Libyan leader ​Moammar al-Gadhafi, Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, has been killed, sources close to the family, his lawyer Khaled el…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World  Huda Abu Abed, 56, cries as she is embraced by her sister inside a tent after returning to Gaza through the Rafah crossing, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, February 3, 2026. (Reuters)

Women Returning to Gaza Say Israeli Troops Bound and Interrogated Them After Rafah Crossing

Many hoped the reopening of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza would bring relief to the war-battered territory, but for the first few Palestinians…

Arab World Smoke and flames rise from a building after an Israeli airstrike in Ain Qana village, in southern Lebanon, 02 February 2026. (EPA)

Lebanon PM Says Won’t Allow Country to Be Dragged into New Conflict

Lebanon's prime minister said Tuesday he will not allow his country to be dragged into a new conflict, after Hezbollah warned any attack on its Iranian backer…

Arab World 02 February 2026, Syria, Saran: Syrian internal security forces are preparing near the village of Saran to enter the Kobane region northeast of Aleppo, following an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government stipulating the entry of a number of Syrian security forces into the cities of Hasakeh, Qamishli, and Kobane to take over government institutions. (dpa)

Syria Govt Forces Enter Qamishli Under Agreement with Kurds

Syrian government forces entered the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli on Tuesday as part of a deal agreed last week to gradually integrate the Kurds' forces…

Arab World A volunteer fills water containers at a free distribution point, due to water outages in Khartoum, Sudan, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Marwan Ali)

Sudan Army Breaks Siege on Key Southern City of Kadugli

Sudanese army forces broke Tuesday a siege by the Rapid Support Forces on the South Kordofan state capital Kadugli, two army sources told AFP. "Our forces…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World 02 February 2026, Palestinian Territories, Khan Yunis: Palestinian patients wait in the grounds of the Red Crescent Hospital to be evacuated from the Gaza Strip via the Rafah border crossing with Egypt for treatment abroad. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa

Dozen People Entered Egypt from Gaza on First Day of Rafah Opening

A handful of injured Palestinians and their companions entered Egypt from Gaza on Monday, the first day of a limited reopening of the Rafah border crossing, a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam at the Élysée Palace in Paris on January 23 during the latter’s official visit to France (AFP) 

Paris Calls on 50 Countries to Support Lebanese Army

Less than a month before it convenes, Paris is betting on the success of a conference to support the Lebanese Armed Forces, scheduled for March 5 and chaired…

Michel Abou Najm (Paris)