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Hamas Names Formerly Turkey-Based Commander as New Deputy Chief

A prominent Hamas, leader Saleh al-Arouri. (Courtesy of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association)
A prominent Hamas, leader Saleh al-Arouri. (Courtesy of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association)
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Hamas Names Formerly Turkey-Based Commander as New Deputy Chief

A prominent Hamas, leader Saleh al-Arouri. (Courtesy of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association)
A prominent Hamas, leader Saleh al-Arouri. (Courtesy of Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association)

The Palestinian Gaza-ruling group Hamas named as its new deputy chief on Thursday a formerly Turkey-based commander Saleh al-Arouri.

Israel has accused Arouri of orchestrating a lethal triple kidnapping that helped trigger the 2014 Gaza war in 2014 during which Israeli strikes, Palestinian rocket attacks and the ground fighting resulted in the death of thousands of people, the vast majority of them Gazans

Saleh al-Arouri's promotion comes as Hamas seeks to close ranks with US-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas after a decade-old rift, in an entente Israel says will not revive peace talks unless Hamas recognizes its right to exist and disarms.

Prime Minister Rami al-Hamdallah had chaired the first meeting of the Palestinian cabinet in the Gaza Strip for three years on Tuesday, in a move toward reconciliation between the mainstream Fatah party and Hamas.

The Palestinian Information Centre, a Hamas-linked news site, said Arouri, who was born in the occupied West Bank and was exiled by Israel in 2010 after long stints in its prisons, had been elected as deputy to the group's leader Ismail Haniyeh.

The Washington Post cited a federal indictment stating that Arouri has been a “high-ranking Hamas military leader dating back to his role as a Hamas student cell leader at Hebron University in the early 1990s.” There, he studied sharia law and the following year was elected leader of the Islamic Faction at the university.

After three Israeli teens were abducted and killed in the West Bank in June 2014, Arouri - then in Istanbul - claimed responsibility in the name of Hamas.

Israel responded with a West Bank security sweep which, along with the revenge killing of a Palestinian youth from Jerusalem by a group of Israelis, spiraled into a 50-day war in the Gaza Strip, Hamas' fiefdom. Gaza health officials say 2,100 Palestinians were killed in the conflict, while Israel put the number of its dead at 67 soldiers and six civilians.

Israel also pressed Ankara's government to crack down on Arouri, describing him as the mastermind of the kidnappings and other Hamas militant attacks.

Hamas sources said Arouri left Turkey in late 2015 for Qatar and later Lebanon. They declined to give his current location.

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Arab World

Houthi Arrests of UN Staff Threaten Aid Operations in Yemen

UN staff live in an atmosphere of fear in Houthi-controlled areas (Local media). 
UN staff live in an atmosphere of fear in Houthi-controlled areas (Local media). 
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Houthi Arrests of UN Staff Threaten Aid Operations in Yemen

UN staff live in an atmosphere of fear in Houthi-controlled areas (Local media). 
UN staff live in an atmosphere of fear in Houthi-controlled areas (Local media). 

A new wave of arrests by Yemen’s Houthi movement has sparked fear among the United Nations and international aid workers operating in rebel-held areas, raising concerns that life-saving assistance could grind to a halt. At least 18 UN employees have been detained in recent weeks, part of a broader campaign that aid officials say has created an atmosphere of terror.

UNICEF warned that the risk of hunger and protection crises is reaching alarming levels, driven by displacement and the collapse of livelihoods. More than 12.5 million people in Houthi-controlled areas are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, according to UN figures.

Several aid workers told Asharq Al-Awsat they now face an impossible choice: flee Houthi areas - losing their jobs and income in a country where the economy has collapsed - or remain under the constant threat of arrest. Many believe the campaign, in which detained staff are accused of espionage, is aimed at sidelining employees unwilling to pledge loyalty to the group. If veteran aid workers are forced out, the sources warned, UN agencies could be left with no choice but to hire staff aligned with Houthi interests.

This strategy mirrors the group’s closure of local NGOs, which enabled it to control beneficiary lists and aid distribution as the sole local partner in large swathes of Yemen.

Houthi leaders have dismissed international condemnation, claiming they are dismantling “spy cells” involved in crimes, including the recent Israeli strike that killed members of their cabinet. In a statement, the group insisted its actions comply with Islamic law, national legislation, and international human rights norms, though it argued UN immunities do not cover espionage.

UN envoy Hans Grundberg warned that detentions, raids on UN offices, and confiscation of assets pose a “serious threat” to the organization’s ability to deliver assistance, stressing that all staff must be protected under international law.

UNICEF confirmed that some of its staff, including the deputy country director in Sana’a, are among the detainees. The agency highlighted that 19.5 million Yemenis will need humanitarian aid this year, with 500,000 children at risk of acute malnutrition and nearly 18 million people lacking access to basic healthcare. Poor sanitation could leave 17.4 million exposed to deadly diseases, while 4.5 million children remain out of school.

The UN’s 2025 response plan seeks $2.47 billion to reach 10.5 million of the most vulnerable, but only 13.6 percent has been funded. UNICEF alone requires $212 million to assist 8 million people, including 5.2 million children.

UN agencies continue to stress that while aid is essential to save lives, sustainable peace, economic recovery, and long-term development are the only way to reduce dependence and build resilience across Yemen.

 

 

Arab World

Iran Seeks New Channels to Funnel Cash to Hezbollah

Hezbollah supporters wave flag in protest against US envoy’s south Lebanon visit (AP)
Hezbollah supporters wave flag in protest against US envoy’s south Lebanon visit (AP)
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Iran Seeks New Channels to Funnel Cash to Hezbollah

Hezbollah supporters wave flag in protest against US envoy’s south Lebanon visit (AP)
Hezbollah supporters wave flag in protest against US envoy’s south Lebanon visit (AP)

A senior Iraqi official said he rebuffed a request from Iran in late August to grant “extraordinary facilities” at a western border crossing for the transfer of large sums of cash to Lebanon’s Hezbollah via Syria, citing political and security risks.

The official, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, said Tehran had assured him its networks inside Syria could handle the onward transfer. “They told us, ‘We have people who can deliver it to Damascus. Iraqis should not worry about that,’” the official said.

Cross-border sources in Syria and Lebanon said Iranian efforts to funnel funds to Hezbollah – under mounting pressure from US and Lebanese demands to disarm – have intensified in recent weeks, with some shipments reportedly making it through with the help of smuggling networks.

Washington is now tracking financial channels that may have moved millions of dollars into Hezbollah’s coffers, according to regional security sources.

Hezbollah, facing strains within its Shi’ite support base, is seeking fresh resources to shore up loyalty and rebuild military strength, Lebanese political figures say.

A US Republican senator, Lindsey Graham, told Lebanese lawmakers last month that Washington had intelligence showing Hezbollah received fresh injections of cash, and he warned the US was probing how the transfers took place.

Iran, bracing for what it calls an inevitable new war with Israel, has instructed allied militias to explore new ways to sustain Hezbollah, Iraqi Shi’ite political leaders told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“It is a mistake to assume Iran will go into the next confrontation without deep, resilient defensive lines in the region, especially in Lebanon,” one said.

The push reflects Tehran’s difficulties in Iraq, where Shi’ite factions face tighter restrictions and are increasingly hesitant to act openly under the “axis of resistance” banner. “The room for maneuver in Baghdad is clearly shrinking,” a senior Shi’ite leader said.

Iraqi security officials said the al-Qaim crossing, near the Syrian town of al-Bukamal, has been under close US surveillance and is considered too risky for covert financial transfers. The area is already known as a “drone playground” for US forces and others, making suspicious movements hard to conceal.

Smuggling routes across the Iraq-Syria frontier – long controlled by Shi’ite groups, remnants of Assad’s forces, ISIS fighters, and other networks – remain active, but Syrian officials insist no cash shipments have crossed through official gateways.

Lebanese analysts say Hezbollah has recently shown a tougher stance on disarmament, reversing earlier signals of compliance, a shift they link to possible fresh funding. While the group has limited its public spending to repairing homes in Beirut’s southern suburbs, many believe it is stockpiling cash for the next war.

The US Treasury has repeatedly announced fresh measures to choke off Iranian financing, and in 2022 estimated Tehran supplied Hezbollah with up to $700 million annually. Hezbollah’s former leader, Hassan Nasrallah, had openly boasted in 2016 that Iran was its primary source of funding.

Despite Israeli strikes targeting financiers and couriers between Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, regional sources say Tehran and Hezbollah continue to preserve alternative routes for money transfers.

Lebanese security officials admit sealing the porous Syrian border remains difficult, with vast stretches open and the under-resourced Lebanese army struggling to block illicit crossings.

 

Arab World

Türkiye Warns Force if SDF Defies Deal to Join Syrian Army

Handshake between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi after signing state integration deal last March (AP)
Handshake between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi after signing state integration deal last March (AP)
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Türkiye Warns Force if SDF Defies Deal to Join Syrian Army

Handshake between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi after signing state integration deal last March (AP)
Handshake between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi after signing state integration deal last March (AP)

Türkiye said on Thursday the failure of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to abide by an agreement with Damascus to disarm and integrate into the Syrian state poses a threat to its national security and to Syria’s unity.

A senior defense ministry official told reporters that the SDF, which Ankara labels a terrorist group, must honor the March 10 deal with Damascus, join the Syrian army and “abandon any act or rhetoric that undermines the country’s integrity.”

The official said Türkiye would provide “all necessary support” to the Syrian government if needed to safeguard both Syria’s stability and Türkiye’s security.

Türkiye and Syria signed a defense cooperation memorandum in August covering training, advisory work and military support. Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and his Syrian counterpart, Murhaf Abu Qasra, signed the deal in Ankara.

The Syrian presidency said in March that the SDF had agreed to fold its civil and military structures in northeast Syria, including border crossings, airports and energy fields, into state institutions, and to observe a full ceasefire. In return, Damascus pledged to guarantee Kurdish citizenship rights.

The SDF is spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara sees as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PKK is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.

Washington, however, considers the SDF a key partner in its campaign against ISIS and draws a distinction between it and the PKK – a longstanding source of friction with Ankara.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Tuesday that neither Türkiye nor Damascus would tolerate “forces seeking chaos” in Syria. He accused Israel of obstructing the SDF’s integration into the Syrian army and said “war profiteers” would lose this time.

Meanwhile, pro-Kurdish lawmaker Pervin Buldan said jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan had described Syria and the Kurdish-led enclave known to Kurds as “Rojava” as a red line for him.

Speaking after a recent visit by a delegation to Ocalan in prison, she told reporters he wanted direct talks with the Kurdish-led administration in northeast Syria if the chance arose.

Ocalan in February urged the PKK to disband and lay down its arms under a “call for peace and democratic society,” which Ankara said also applied to the YPG and SDF. But Buldan said his latest remarks suggested he viewed the Syrian Kurdish question separately.

She said Türkiye should support Syrian Kurds rather than undermine them, warning that any move against Rojava “would be a disaster for Kurds and unacceptable to them or to Mr. Ocalan.”