Arab World News

Palestinian Child Dies After Stepping on Mine in West Bank

Arab World Israeli troops conduct a military raid in the village of Al-Yamoun, west of Jenin, West Bank, 17 February 2026. (EPA)

Palestinian Child Dies After Stepping on Mine in West Bank

A Palestinian child died after stepping on a mine near an Israeli military camp in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the Palestinian Red Crescent said, with…

Arab World 29 July 2024, Iran, Tehran: Then Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem is pictured during a meeting in Tehran. (Iranian Presidency/dpa)

Hezbollah Rejects Disarmament Plan and Government’s Four-Month Timeline

Hezbollah rejected on Tuesday the Lebanese government's decision to grant the army at least four months to advance the second phase of a nationwide disarmament…

Arab World TOPSHOT - Members of Syrian security forces march through the entrance of the Al-Hol camp in the desert region of Hasakeh province on January 21, 2026. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP)

Syria Starts Evacuating ISIS-linked Al-Hol Camp

Syrian authorities began evacuating remaining residents of the ISIS group-linked Al-Hol camp in the country's northeast on Tuesday, as they empty the formerly…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Taxi drivers, foreground, block a main highway with their cars during a protest against the increased taxes and gasoline prices issued by the Lebanese Cabinet on Monday, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Protesters Block Beirut Roads after Cabinet Approves New Taxes that Raise Fuel Prices

Protesters blocked main roads in and around Beirut on Tuesday after Lebanon’s Cabinet approved new taxes that raise fuel prices and other products to fund…

Asharq Al Awsat
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 Sudan has the world’s largest internal displacement crisis (Reuters) 

UNICEF: Sudan Faces World’s Largest Internal Displacement Crisis

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said Thursday that Sudan has become the world’s largest internal displacement crisis, with an estimated 9.5 million people…

Ahmed Younes (Kampala) Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Arab World A Syrian member of the military operations looks on as he stands at an inspection checkpoint for incoming vehicles before a Russian flag and Russian soldiers behind manning the entrance of the Russian-leased Syrian military base of Hmeimim in Latakia province in western Syria on December 29, 2024. (AFP) 

Lavrov: Al-Assad’s Trial Closed Long Time Ago

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed Thursday that the trial of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was closed a long time ago, and that Russia…

Asharq Al Awsat (Moscow)
Arab World A Palestinian child picks flowers on Thursday from a field near destroyed buildings in the Nuseirat refugee camp, north of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza (AFP)

Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hamas to Discuss Weapons Issue With Mediators in Coming Days

As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intensifies pressure to disarm Hamas and other armed factions as part of the second phase of a ceasefire, the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians who, according to medics, were killed by Israeli gunfire on Thursday, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

Israeli Fire Kills Two in Gaza as Truce Deal Moves to Next Phase

Israeli fire killed at least two Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday, health officials said, in the latest violence rattling a fragile ceasefire as Hamas and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World  A billboard on the road to Beirut International Airport promoting tourism in Lebanon. (AP) 

Lebanese Security Arrests Network Smuggling Drugs from Türkiye to Saudi Arabia

Lebanese General Security has dismantled an organized network involved in smuggling drugs from Türkiye to Saudi Arabia, as authorities reiterated that Lebanon …

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Lebanese army soldiers look toward the Israeli military position of Hanita (left) and the Labbouneh position, part of the five hills occupied by Israeli forces since last year (right), from a Lebanese military post in the village of Alma al-Shaab in southern Lebanon, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP) 

Political, Military Activity in Lebanon to Address Weapons, Ceasefire Mechanism Crisis

Lebanon is preparing political and military conditions to ensure the success of an upcoming visit by Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal to the United States,…

Nazir Rida
Arab World Colonel Osama al-Assad said that coordination with the Saudi side is at the highest level to safeguard border security (Asharq Al-Awsat). 

Yemeni Officer: Drug-Smuggling Networks Linked to Houthi Preventive Security

Colonel Osama al-Assad, commander of Yemen’s Security and Protection Battalion at the Al-Wadiah border crossing, said that most drug-smuggling networks…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Yemen)
Arab World Kurdish fighters aboard Syrian Democratic Forces military vehicles flash victory signs in Hasakah (AP)

Erbil Mediation in Syria Hinges on Sidelining the PKK

Mediation efforts led from Iraq’s Kurdistan region are gathering pace to avert a new escalation in northeastern Syria, as Damascus presses ahead with a Turkish…

Hisham Elmayany (Erbil)
Arab World Palestinians walk on Wednesday amid the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by Israel in Gaza City (Reuters)

Hamas Gets Mediator Assurances on Rafah Reopening, Israel Seeks Delay

As Hamas says it has received firm assurances from mediators, including the US, that the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will reopen,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Russian President Vladimir Putin receives Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Kremlin (DPA)

Putin, Sharaa Talks Focus on Strengthening Bilateral Ties

The second meeting in three months between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Russian President Vladimir Putin signaled an apparent rise in confidence and a…

Raed Jaber (Moscow)
Arab World  People walk through tents sheltering displaced Palestinians amid the ruins left by the Israeli air and ground offensive in Gaza City, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP)

Hamas Says Ready to Transfer Gaza Governance to Palestinian Committee

Hamas said Wednesday it was ready to transfer the governance of Gaza to a Palestinian technocratic committee, while insisting the key Rafah border crossing be…

Arab World Israeli bulldozers demolish a UNRWA compound in east Jerusalem Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. (AP)

UK, France, Canada and Others Condemn Israel’s Demolition of UNRWA HQ in Jerusalem

Britain and its allies, including France and Canada, on Wednesday strongly condemned the demolition last ‌week by ‌Israeli ‌authorities ⁠of the …

Arab World  Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, listens to Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa during their meeting at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

Putin Hails Sharaa’s Efforts in Restoring Syria’s Territorial Integrity

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for talks in Moscow on Wednesday, as the Kremlin seeks to secure the future of military…

Arab World Buildings lie in ruins amidst the rubble in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, December 8, 2025. (Reuters)

Foreign Media Group Disappointed as Israel Court Postpones Gaza Ruling

An international media association expressed disappointment after Israel's supreme court again postponed ruling on a petition seeking free and independent…

Arab World A view of Sudan's Ministry of Finance building after nearly three years of devastation caused by the war, as efforts to restore the city's infrastructure resumes, in the capital Khartoum on January 17, 2025. (AFP)

Sudanese Slowly Rebuild Their War-Ravaged Capital

A jungle of weeds fills the Sudanese finance ministry's courtyard in central Khartoum, where the army-backed government says it plans a gradual return after…

Arab World  Supporters watch a televised speech by Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem during a rally to show their solidarity with Iran, in the southern suburb of Beirut on January 26, 2026. (AFP)

Qassem's Threat of New War Sparks Outrage in Lebanon 

Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem's statements that the party will not remain on the sidelines should Iran come under attack sparked outrage in…

Caroline Akoum (Beirut)
Arab World Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks after signing an agreement at the Presidential Palace in Damascus on January 18, 2026. (AFP / Handout)

Trump Praises Syria’s Sharaa After Offensive in Kurdish Area

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday he spoke to Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and was pleased by developments on the ground, after an offensive by Damascus…

Arab World A general view shows al-Firdous Square in Baghdad, Iraq July 27, 2022. (Reuters)

Former Iraq PM Maliki Rejects US Interference After Threat

Iraq's main candidate for the premiership, Nouri al-Maliki, on Wednesday denounced Washington's "blatant interference", after President Donald Trump threatened…

Arab World Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the second "International Conference on Combating Antisemitism - Generation of Truth" in Jerusalem, 26 January 2026. (EPA)

Netanyahu Says Israel Focusing on Disarming Hamas, Vows to Block Establishment of Palestinian State 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel would shift its focus to disarming Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza following the return of the last…

Arab World Fighters from Hamas’s armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, in Khan Younis, Feb. 20, 2025. (dpa)

Armed Gaza Gangs Shift Tactics, Straining Hamas Security

For months, a proliferation of armed gangs in Gaza was widely seen as a looming threat to Hamas, which has ruled the enclave since 2007 after seizing it by…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World An entrance to the Qamishli airbase, northeast Syria, 27 January 2026. (EPA)

Syria's Sharaa to Make Surprise Moscow Visit Amid Talk of New Ties

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will arrive in Moscow on Wednesday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Syrian media reported, in a surprise visit…

Raed Jaber (Moscow)
Arab World The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier (L) transits the Strait of Hormuz on November 19, 2019. (AFP photo / US Navy / Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Zachary Pearson)

US to Conduct Multi-Day Military Exercise in Middle East

The United States on Tuesday announced a major multi-day Air Force exercise in the Middle East, as Washington and Tehran face off over Iran's deadly crackdown…

Arab World Members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) queue to settle their status with Syrian government in Raqqa, Syria January 27, 2026. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Syria Hopes to Hold New Talks with Kurdish Forces

The Syrian government hopes to hold a new round of talks with the Kurdish-led ​Syrian Democratic Forces, possibly later on Tuesday, to spell out how the force…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Pro-Kurdish protesters tear down a border fence as they attempt to cross to the Kurdish-controlled northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli during a demonstration in support of Syrian Kurds and against recent military clashes between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces, in Nusaybin, southeastern Türkiye, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Ensar Ozdemir

Russian Forces Begin Pulling Out of Bases in Northeast Syria

Russian forces have begun pulling out of positions in northeast Syria in an area still controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces after the group…

Asharq Al Awsat