Arab World News

Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Arab World Workers prepare to collect information from the public as Iraq began its first nationwide population census in decades, in Baghdad, Iraq Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)

Iraq's Population Reaches 45.4 Million in First Census in over 30 Years

Iraq's population has risen to 45.4 million, according to preliminary results from a national census, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam Sabbagh in Damascus on Sunday. (Syrian Foreign Ministry)

Pedersen Says ‘Extremely Critical’ to Avoid Syria Being Dragged into War in Region

The UN special envoy for Syria said on Sunday that it was “extremely critical” to end the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza to avoid the country being pulled into a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus)
Arab World Police vehicles on a street near the Israeli embassy in Amman, Jordan November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Jehad Shelbak

Jordan Describes Shooting near Israeli Embassy as ‘Terrorist Attack’

Jordan described Sunday’s shooting near the heavily fortified Israeli embassy in the capital Amman as a “terrorist attack”. Jordan's communications minister,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World  A photo of Netanyahu and Macron during their meeting in Jerusalem in October 2023 (AFP)

Netanyahu ‘Takes Revenge’ on Macron in Lebanon

Israel’s insistence that France can not be a member of the international committee that will monitor a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon is due to a series of…

Nazir Magally (Tel Aviv)
Arab World Sisi met with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Esmat, and Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawy. (Egyptian Presidency)

Sisi: Electricity Interconnection Projects with Saudi Arabia a Model for Regional Cooperation

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi affirmed that the electrical interconnection project with Saudi Arabia represents a model of regional energy…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)

Arab World Soldiers from the Lebanese Army and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol near the southern village of Marjayoun (AFP).

Lebanese Army Awaits Political Decision to Implement UNSCR 1701

Discussions are underway on the role of the Lebanese army in maintaining security in South Lebanon amid rising optimism about a potential ceasefire between…

Youssef Diab (Beirut)
Arab World Displaced Palestinians walk near their tents, set up along the beach in the west of Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, 11 November 2024. (EPA)

Israeli Strikes Kill 14 Palestinians in Gaza, Medical Officials Say

Palestinian medical officials say two Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 14 people, including two children and a woman, most in an Israeli-declared…

Arab World Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike near the village of Al Mansouri, Tyre District, southern Lebanon, 11 November 2024. EPA/STRINGER

Israel: There Will be No Ceasefire in Lebanon, We Will Continue to Hit Hezbollah

Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said on X on Tuesday that during a meeting with military officials, he reiterated that Israel will continue hitting…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer. AFP

Israel Informs Trump About its Plans for Gaza, Lebanon and Iran for Next 2 Months

Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer met with US President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Axios reported on Monday, citing two Israeli officials…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike near the village of Al Mansouri, Tyre District, southern Lebanon, 11 November 2024. (EPA)

Israeli Airstrike on Northern Lebanon Kills at Least 14

At least 14 people were killed and 15 others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the northern Lebanese town of Ain Yaaqoub on Monday, according to the town's…

Arab World Israel's new Foreign Minister Gideon Saar speaks during a hand over ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on November 10, 2024. (AFP)

New Israel FM Says Palestinian State Not ‘Realistic’

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Monday rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state as a "realistic" goal, after Palestinian President Mahmoud…

Arab World  This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows Israeli forces digging along the Alpha Line separating the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from a demilitarized zone in Syria patrolled by United Nations forces on Nov. 5, 2024. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Israeli Military Building along UN-Patrolled Demilitarized Zone in Syria, Satellite Images Show

Israel has begun a construction project along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, apparently laying asphalt…

Arab World Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends an inauguration event for Israel's new light rail line for the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, in Petah Tikva, Israel, August 17, 2023. (Reuters)

Far-Right Minister Calls for Israeli Sovereignty in West Bank in 2025

Israel's far-right finance minister said on Monday he hoped Israel would extend sovereignty into the occupied West Bank in 2025 and that he would push the…

Arab World Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan takes part in a joint statement after he meets with his Greek counterpart Giorgos Gerapetritis (not pictured) in Athens, Greece, 08 November 2024. (EPA)

Türkiye Pressing US to Rethink Kurdish Alliance in Syria

Türkiye is pressing the United States to reconsider its support for Kurdish militants in Syria, according to comments by its leaders including President Recep…

Arab World A man rides a motorbike past damaged buildings in Homs, Syria November 7, 2024. (Reuters)

Syria’s Homs-Damascus Highway Temporarily Cut Off after Israeli Strike, SANA Says

Syria's main Homs-Damascus highway was temporarily cut off after an Israeli strike targeted an aid gathering center for displaced Lebanese south of the city of…

Arab World Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes a weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, January 8, 2023. (Reuters)

Netanyahu Approved Pager Attacks against Hezbollah, Spokesman Says

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved pager attacks that dealt a deadly blow to the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in September, Omer…

Arab World Rescue workers gather at the site of Israeli airstrikes that destroyed buildings facing the city's main government hospital in a densely-populated neighborhood, in southern Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. (AP)

Israel Sees Progress in Lebanon Ceasefire Talks, Says Russia Can Help

Israel said on Monday there was progress in talks about a Lebanon ceasefire and indicated Russia could play a part by stopping Hezbollah rearming via Syria,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World  An Israeli tank maneuvers before entering into the Gaza Strip, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, at the Kerem Shalom crossing in southern Israel, November 11, 2024. (Reuters)

Israeli Fire Kills 11 Palestinians as Tanks Roll into Central Gaza Camp

Israeli forces sent tanks into the western side of Gaza's Nuseirat camp on Monday in a new incursion into the enclave's central area, and Palestinian medics…

Arab World A Houthi supporter carries a mock missile during a rally, in Sana'a, Yemen, 01 November 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

Yemen's Houthis Say they Launched a Missile Targeting Israel

Yemen’s Houthi militants on Monday claimed they launched a missile targeting Israel. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree made the claim in a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa with President Mahmoud Abbas (Reuters)

Palestinian PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Extend Our Hand to Trump to Engage in Serious Peace

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa described the ministerial committee established by last year’s Arab-Islamic Joint Summit as “the most successful…

Ghazi al-Harthi (Riyadh)
Arab World A photo taken on September 18, 2024, in Beirut's southern suburbs shows the remains of exploded pagers on display at an undisclosed location. (Photo by AFP)

Taiwan: Pagers that Exploded in Lebanon Were Not Made by Taiwanese Firms

Taiwan on Monday said it had closed a probe into pagers that exploded in Lebanon in September and caused a deadly blow to Iran-backed Hezbollah, saying no…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dr. Fuad Hussein. (Bashir Saleh)

Iraqi FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Risk of Expansion of Regional Conflict Remains High

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dr. Fuad Hussein warned on Sunday that the risk of the regional conflict expanding remains high because Israel…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Arab World An RAF Typhoon aircraft takes off to join the US-led coalition from RAF Akrotiri to conduct air strikes against military targets in Yemen, aimed at the Iran-backed Houthi militia that has been targeting international shipping in the Red Sea, in Cyprus, in this handout picture released on January 12, 2024. UK MOD/Handout via REUTERS

Airstrikes Target Two Yemeni Governorates

Al-Masirah TV, the main television news outlet run by Yemen's Houthi movement, said early on Monday that a series of airstrikes targeted the Amran and Saada…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Residents check the site of an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Traumatized by War, Hundreds of Lebanon's Children Struggle With Wounds Both Physical and Emotional

Curled up in his father ’s lap, clinging to his chest, Hussein Mikdad cried his heart out. The 4-year-old kicked his doctor with his intact foot and pushed him…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Israeli outgoing Foreign Minister and new Defense Minister Israel Katz speaks during the Ministerial change ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, 10 November 2024. (EPA)

Israel Defense Minister Katz Says Israel Has Defeated Hezbollah

Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday that his country has defeated Hezbollah and that eliminating its leader Hassan Nasrallah was the crowning…

Arab World Syrian emergency and security services inspect the wreckage of a car that exploded in the Syrian capital Damascus on October 21, 2024. (AFP)

Syria Says Seven Civilians Killed in Israeli Strike Near Damascus

An Israeli strike on a residential building in the Sayeda Zainab district south of the Syrian capital Damascus killed seven civilians on Sunday, the Syrian…

Arab World Rescuers and civilians use an excavator to search the rubble for survivors and victims at a site targeted by an Israeli airstrike, in Almat, Jbeil district, Lebanon, 10 November 2024. (EPA)

53 Killed in Israeli Strike North of Beirut

Lebanon's health ministry said an Israeli strike on Sunday killed 53 people, including seven children, in the village of Almat north of the capital Beirut. …

Arab World 10 April 2016, Hamburg: Participants in a demonstration by Kurds and left-wing groups wave the flag of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). (dpa)

Five Killed in Turkish Drone Strikes on PKK Members in Northern Iraq

Turkish drone strikes killed five members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan's counter-terrorism service and security…

Arab World  Palestinians gather at the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip November 10, 2024. (Reuters)

Palestinian Hospital Official Says 17 Killed in Israeli Strike on Northern Gaza

An Israeli strike early Sunday on a home sheltering displaced people in the northern Gaza Strip killed at least 17 people, according to the director of a…