Arab World News

700 Square Kilometers Under Israeli Occupation in Lebanon: What Does the ‘Security Belt’ Mean?

Arab World 700 Square Kilometers Under Israeli Occupation in Lebanon: What Does the ‘Security Belt’ Mean?

700 Square Kilometers Under Israeli Occupation in Lebanon: What Does the ‘Security Belt’ Mean?

Israel’s expanding operations in southern Lebanon are raising questions about how much territory its forces actually occupy, and how much they control through…

Soubhi Amhaz (Beirut)
Arab World UN peacekeeping forces (UNISFA) attempting to extinguish fires in Al-Na'am market in the Abyei area (United Nations - Facebook)

Khartoum Denies Army Role in ‘Abyei Massacre’

Sudan’s government denied army involvement in a drone strike that killed more than 150 people at a market in the disputed Abyei region bordering South Sudan,…

Mohammed Amin Yassin (Nairobi)
Arab World Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty meets his Dutch counterpart, Tom Berendsen, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last September (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egyptian Foreign Ministry to Asharq Al-Awsat: No Obstacles Hindering Dutch Embassy Operations

Egypt has seen no obstacles to the Dutch embassy's operations in Cairo, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday, after the mission closed to the public…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World Government efforts to open a route for humanitarian aid deliveries in Taiz (local media)

Yemeni, Int’l Efforts Underway to Open Route into Besieged Taiz Within Days

Yemeni government officials are working with local authorities and humanitarian organizations to open a road through one of the main entrances to the city of…

Saeed al-Abyad (Jeddah)
Arab World Jordanian security personnel in the capital, Amman (Reuters/File Photo)

Terrorist Attack on Church in Jordan's Karak Leaves Dozens Dead, Wounded

Jordan's King Abdullah II vowed to impose the "harshest penalties" on those responsible for an attack on a church in Karak, southern Jordan, that left dozens…

Asharq Al Awsat (Amman)

Arab World Former Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir inside a cage in a Khartoum court during his corruption trial on August 31, 2019 (Reuters)

Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir Seeks Treatment Abroad

Sudan's former president Omar al-Bashir is seeking permission to travel abroad for medical treatment, his lawyer told AFP on Friday, saying the jailed ex-ruler…

Asharq Al Awsat (Khartoum)
Arab World Hezbollah supporters hold a portrait of former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah on the second anniversary of his assassination in Beirut’s southern suburbs (Reuters). 

Hezbollah Seeks to Ease Supporters’ Anger With Pledge to Cover Displaced Families’ Rent

Hezbollah is seeking to ease growing anger among its supporters by pledging to contribute to housing costs for families who lost their homes in the war, nearly…

Paula Astih (Beirut)
Arab World Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam during a visit to the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon, Aug. 21, 2026. (National News Agency)

Lebanon PM Says Scale of War Recovery beyond State's Capacity

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Friday that rebuilding regions destroyed in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war was beyond the state's capacity, calling…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Yemeni government forces engage in fierce clashes to prevent Houthis from infiltrating Taiz (Military Media)

Taiz Repels Simultaneous Houthi Attacks in Fiercest Fighting in Years

Yemen’s Taiz province has witnessed its fiercest fighting in years as the Iran-backed Houthis launched simultaneous attacks on several fronts, opening a new…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World Two Iranian airlines planes at Imam Khomeini International Airport south of Tehran (Archive - Mizan)

Iran Asks Iraq to Return Flights Between the Two Countries to Normal Conditions

Iran asked Iraq to take steps to lift flight ‌restrictions ‌caused by ‌US ⁠sanctions and return flights ⁠to normal conditions, the country's …

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Headquarters of the Egyptian Ministry of Interior (Ministry's Facebook page)

Egypt Accuses 6 Arrested Journalists of Being Members of the Muslim Brotherhood

Egyptian authorities have accused six journalists arrested this week of being members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, saying they produced fabricated news…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World An army unit seized approximately 245 kg of TNT. (Lebanese Army on X)

Lebanon Army Says Seized 245 Kg of TNT at Syria Border

The Lebanese army announced on Thursday that it had seized nearly 250 kilograms (around 550 pounds) of explosives being transported from neighboring Syria into…

Arab World Deputy Director-General of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Beth Bechdol speaks during an interview with AFP in Beirut on October 1, 2026. (AFP)

UN Worried about Impact of Latest Lebanon War on Agriculture

The deputy director-general of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization told AFP on Thursday that she was "deeply concerned" about the impact of the latest…

Arab World A view of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP)

Eritrea Severs Diplomatic Ties with Ethiopia After Addis Ababa Orders Closure of Embassy in Asmara

Ethiopia ordered the closure of its embassy in Eritrea and declared 10 Eritrean diplomats persona non grata on Thursday, prompting Asmara to sever all…

Arab World Lawmakers vote on a bill to amend the penal code. (Algerian Parliament)

Algerian Parliament Approves Death Penalty for Arson, Child Abduction

Algeria’s National People’s Assembly approved a bill on Thursday expanding the death penalty for arson and crimes against children, drawing opposition warnings…

Asharq Al Awsat (Algiers )
Arab World Hezbollah supporters carry Lebanese and Hezbollah flags during a commemoration marking the second anniversary of the assassination of the group’s former secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah (EPA)

Syria, Hezbollah Exchange Messages to Ease Security Tensions through Turkish Mediation

Security issues dominated secret Turkish-mediated talks between Hezbollah and Syria, during which the two sides exchanged messages aimed at easing tensions. …

Nazir Rida (Beirut)
Arab World Egypt stressed the need to preserve the historical and legal status of Jerusalem’s holy sites and protect Al-Aqsa Mosque’s religious standing (Reuters)

Egypt Warns of Israeli Attempts to Impose New Reality at Al-Aqsa Mosque

Egypt warned that repeated Israeli incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque “aim to change the status quo and impose a new reality within the holy site.” In a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World Egyptian military announces joint military exercise with Italy (Egyptian military spokesperson)

Egyptian-Italian Exercise Supports Stronger Relations

The Egyptian military announced joint military exercises with Italy, including drills in mountainous areas in Italy, days after an Italian court convicted…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Iraqi PM Sets June 30 Deadline for Pro-Iran Factions to Disarm

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Thursday announced June 30 as a new deadline for armed factions to turn over their weapons to the state, following the end…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World 29 September 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump stands at the White House during a meeting with Technology executives. Photo: Matt Kaminsky/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

Trump Hails the US Military's Exit from Iraq after 12-year Mission against ISIS

The US military announced Wednesday that it completed the withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq, ending a 12-year mission to fight the ISIS group and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A plane, carrying passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, arrives at the Ben Gurion International Airport, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, September 30, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

What to Know about the Terrifying FlyDubai Flight Bound for Israel

One pilot stabbed another and attempted to crash a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Israel. Passengers, many of them Israelis, feared for their lives…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Egypt-Gulf Talks Seek to Reduce Regional Tensions

Egypt-Gulf Talks Seek to Reduce Regional Tensions

Egyptian-Gulf consultations are ongoing to ease tensions across the region, with Cairo stressing the importance of coordinated efforts and unified action to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World Sudan's ex-president Omar al-Bashir leaves the office of the anti-corruption prosecutor in Khartoum, Sudan, June 16, 2019. (Reuters)

Bashir Moved to Khartoum Hospital amid Reports He Will Be Flown Abroad

Sudanese former President Omar al-Bashir, 80, has been transferred from the northern city of Merowe to a hospital in the capital Khartoum for continued…

Mohammed Amin Yassin (Nairobi) Wajdan Talha (Khartoum)
Arab World A man waves Hezbollah flag at the Tahrir Square in Baghdad on September 26, 2026, to mark the second anniversary of killing of Hezbollah's former chief Hassan Nasrallah, in a major strike by Israel on Beirut's southern suburbs in Lebanon. (AFP)

Hezbollah Denies Any Link to Cell Dismantled in Syria

Hezbollah denied on Wednesday any connection to a cell that Syrian authorities said they had dismantled in the country's south and which they accused of being…

Arab World A large Syrian flag flutters above Tishreen Park in Damascus on June 4, 2025. (AFP)

US Removes Syria from Arms Export Ban

The Trump administration is removing Syria from a list of countries that are not allowed to purchase or import US weaponry, a step that is part of a monthslong…

Arab World The explosion put three power stations out of service, the Syrian Electricity Company said in a statement. (SANA)

Blast at Syrian Gas Pipeline, Power Stations Hit

A blast at a gas pipeline near the Syrian capital Damascus late Wednesday sparked a massive fire and put three power stations out of service. It came two…

Arab World This handout photograph taken and released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syrian forensic investigators inspecting a civilian vehicle targeted on the Masyaf bridge in Homs province north of the capital Damascus on September 30, 2026. (SANA/AFP)

Attack on Bus in Syria Kills Seven

A shooting attack on a bus in central Syria on Wednesday killed seven people and left four others wounded, state media reported. The perpetrators of the…

Arab World A man gestures in front of a display of the Iraqi flag while celebrating the withdrawal of US-led coalition forces from Iraq, ending a military presence that began after the 2003 US-led invasion, in Baghdad, Iraq, September 30, 2026. (Reuters)

Joy Mixed with Fear as US Forces Quit Iraq Leaving Potential Security Vacuum

Iraqis celebrated the departure of US forces after more than two decades of war on Wednesday, though many feared that any security vacuum could increase the…

Arab World Lebanese soldiers deploy in Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, the first model town in southern Lebanon (DPA)

Lebanese Army and Israel: Washington Keeps Tensions in Check Through Coordination, Talks

Dozens of Israeli attacks have targeted Lebanese army units deployed in the south over the past three years, with friction at times between the two armies. …

Nazeer Rida (Beirut)