Arab World News

Syrian Authorities Say Killed Assad-Era Officer After Clash

Arab World A member of Syria's internal security forces in Tartus city. (SANA)

Syrian Authorities Say Killed Assad-Era Officer After Clash

Syrian security forces said on Sunday that they killed an army commander who served under ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad, after he opened fire on them as they…

Arab World The sun sets behind apartment buildings in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (AP)

Iraq Sentences US-Sanctioned Oil Official to Prison

Iraq sentenced a US-sanctioned oil official to seven years in prison after he was arrested as part of a government-led anti-corruption campaign, the country's…

Arab World  Israeli settlers look out through a metal fence, as an Israeli flag flutters nearby, on the day of their weekly tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, August 29, 2026. (Reuters)

US News Agency Says Crew Attacked by Israeli Settlers in West Bank

Israeli settlers attacked an NBC crew in the central West Bank Saturday, as they were interviewing a Palestinian woman who said she’d been driven out of her…

Arab World People wave Libyan flags during a demonstration in Benghazi February 7, 2014. (Reuters)

Libya Rivals Agree Roadmap for Elections Within 24 Months at UN-Led Talks

Representatives of ‌Libya's rival political parties on Sunday signed an agreement on holding long-delayed national elections within two years to resolve…

Arab World Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attends an event at which new weapons are distributed to Israel's police volunteer security teams in Ashkelon, Israel, October 27, 2023. (Reuters)

Far-Right Israeli Minister Boasts of Worse Prison Conditions for Palestinians

Israel's far-right national security minister on Sunday boasted of worsening conditions for Palestinian prisoners as he visited female inmates. Two months…


Arab World Syrian security forces at the entrance to al-Hol camp before its evacuation. (EPA file photo)

Syrian Detainees Held in Iraq Return to Spotlight After Zaidan’s Damascus Visit

The fate of Syrian detainees transferred to Iraq from prisons formerly run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has returned to the spotlight following a…

Muwafaq Mohammed (Damascus)
Arab World Al-Burhan flanked by Yasser Al-Atta and Shams El Din Kabbashi during the Army Day celebration (Transitional Sovereignty Council Media)

Sudan’s Al-Burhan Backs Inclusive Dialogue but Pledges to Continue Fighting the RSF

The Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council and Commander of the Sudanese Army, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has approved an initiative to launch a…

Mohammed Amin Yassin (Nairobi)
Arab World Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and China’s President Xi Jinping held summit talks in the Chinese capital, Beijing, in May 2024. Photo: Egyptian Presidency

Egypt, China Consolidate Cooperation by Holding Air Combat Maneuvers

Egypt and China have consolidated their military cooperation by announcing new air combat drills that are set to start this month. "The Chinese and Egyptian…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World Flames and smoke rise from the port of Mokha during a strike in Yemen, Friday, Aug. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)

Yemen's Mokha Port Halts Operations after Houthi Attacks

Yemen's Mokha port has suspended commercial and maritime operations after being hit by more than 25 missiles in Houthi attacks over recent days, the port's…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani receives National Security Adviser Qasim Al-Aboudi in Erbil on August 15, 2026 (government media).

Baghdad and Erbil Strengthen Coordination on Border Security and Combating Smuggling

Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim Al-Aboudi discussed with Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani on Saturday the continuation of coordination…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Arab World Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem (file photo- Reuters)

Hezbollah Says Israeli Attacks will Be Met with 'Appropriate' Response

Hezbollah said that Israeli attacks on Lebanon would be met with an "appropriate" response after deadly strikes on the country's south on Saturday, urging…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World People inspect a damaged building after an Israeli airstrike on the village of Ansar, southern Lebanon, 15 August 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Aoun: Israeli Strikes Send 'Clear Message' on Negotiations with Lebanon

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Israeli strikes on the country's south on Saturday were a "clear message" on negotiations between the two countries, ahead…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World People inspect a damaged building after an Israeli airstrike on the village of Ansar, southern Lebanon, 15 August 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Lebanon PM: Those Killed in Israeli Strike Were Not 'Military Infrastructure'

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Saturday that seven people, including two women and three children, killed in an Israeli strike were not military…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese area of Nabatieh shows smoke as it rises from the site of Israeli strikes that targeted the hilltops of the mountainous area of the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge on August 14, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Israeli Airstrikes on Southern Lebanon Kills 9 People

Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon killed nine people early Saturday, the worst toll since deals in June saw a lull in hostilities between Israel and…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, Coordination Framework member Hadi al-Amiri, and Reconstruction and Development Alliance leader Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani (Coordination Framework)

Iraqi Faction Rejects Using Force to Disarm Groups

Iraq's Badr Organization that is led by Hadi al-Amiri has rejected the government's attempts to using force to disarm armed factions. The organization’s…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem (Reuters)

Hezbollah Chief Slams Lebanon-Israel Talks

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Friday stepped up his criticism of the Lebanese-Israeli negotiation process, arguing that the seven rounds of talks…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri receives Issa and Clearfield (National News Agency)

US Engaged in Shuttle Diplomacy between Lebanon, Israel to Salvage the Negotiations

Head of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon (MCG4L) US General Joseph Clearfield met on Friday with top officials in Beirut as part of follow up…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World PM Ali al-Zaidi Visits the Border Ports Authority. Photo: Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office

Iraq Steps Up Anti-Corruption Campaign, Detains Electricity Ministry Official

An Iraqi Commission of Integrity (COI) force arrested on Friday a deputy minister at the Ministry of Electricity on suspicion of involvement in financial…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Arab World A man cycles past heavily-damaged and destroyed buildings in the Jobar suburb northeast of Damascus on August 12, 2026. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP)

Assad-era Officer Convicted in Austria Reportedly Returns to Syria a Free Man

A former Syrian security officer sentenced to prison in Austria for abusing detainees during Bashar al-Assad’s rule left the country while appealing against…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A member of the Fatah movement attends the 8th General Conference of Fatah, at Al-Azhar University in Gaza City, May 14, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas

How Will Hamas Handle the Requirements of the Legislative Elections?

With Hamas announcing its intention to contest the legislative elections, scheduled for November 28, as stipulated in a Palestinian presidential decree, the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Soldiers evacuate Israeli settlers before dismantling their tent in front of one of the three homes belonging to Palestinian families besieged by settlers for six days in Qusra (AP)

US Wants Netanyahu to Condemn Settler Siege in Palestinian Village

The United States wants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly condemn a siege imposed by Jewish settlers in a Palestinian village, US and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Trump envoy Jared Kushner at the Lake Lucerne Summit at the Buergenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, Switzerland, Sunday, June 21, 2026. (Urs Flueeler, Pool Photo via AP)

Jared Kushner to Visit Israel and Egypt Next Week with Board of Peace Officials to Talk Gaza

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and negotiator Jared Kushner will travel to the Middle East next week to try to advance plans for an end to the conflict in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Armed Israeli settlers holding an Israeli flag look on as Palestinian and Israeli activists accompany Palestinian landowners in their property, which is threatened with confiscation by Israeli settlers, in Beit Sahour in the Israeli-occupied West Bank August 14, 2026. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

Israeli Settlers Divert Palestinian Water to Fill West Bank Pool

On a searing summer day, Israeli settlers splashed in a West Bank pool created by siphoning off water that had irrigated Palestinian crops, one of many…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World UN Envoy to Yemen Hans Grundberg (United Nations)

Grundberg Condemns Houthi Escalation, Fears War in Yemen Could Return at Any Point

With ongoing Houthi drone and missile attacks on government-controlled Yemeni areas, United Nations Special Envoy Hans Grundberg has warned that Yemen today…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World A photograph taken during a media tour organised by the French Catholic charity L'Oeuvre d'Orient shows peacekeepers with the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrolling near the southern Lebanese village Biout es Sayed on July 20, 2026. (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)

HRW Says UN Must Keep Peacekeepers in Lebanon

Human Rights Watch has called on the United Nations to keep an international force in Lebanon after its peacekeepers' mandate ends this year. The…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Arab Parliament logo

Arab Parliament Affirms Support for Stronger Arab-China Development Partnership

The Arab Parliament, marking five years since the launch of the Global Development Initiative (GDI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, praised the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council President Judge Faiq Zidan and his accompanying delegation at Tishreen Palace in Damascus, with Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais in attendance. (SANA/Justice Ministry)

Iraq’s Top Judge in Damascus to Discuss ISIS Detainees, Judicial Cooperation

Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais met Faiq Zidan, head of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, in Damascus on Thursday for talks aimed at deepening judicial…

Asharq Al Awsat (Damascus, Baghdad)
Arab World Rubble of homes in the town of Mayfadoun, with traces of a large explosion that struck in southern Lebanon seen in the background (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Israel Rejects Lebanon Withdrawal, Presses on With Destruction in South

Israel has hardened its stance against Lebanese demands for a withdrawal, insisting it will remain in a “security zone” it has carved out inside Lebanon…

Nazir Reda (Beirut)
Arab World Yemeni Forces repel Houthi attacks on several fronts - Military Media

Yemeni Forces Repel Houthi Attacks on Multiple Fronts

The Iran-backed Houthi group has intensified attacks across several fronts in Yemen, striking civilian areas and facilities in Taiz as government forces said…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)