Arab Quartet Adds Two Entities, 11 Individuals to Terror List

Figures accused by the Arab quartet of supporting and funding terrorism. Asharq Al-Awsat
Figures accused by the Arab quartet of supporting and funding terrorism. Asharq Al-Awsat
TT

Arab Quartet Adds Two Entities, 11 Individuals to Terror List

Figures accused by the Arab quartet of supporting and funding terrorism. Asharq Al-Awsat
Figures accused by the Arab quartet of supporting and funding terrorism. Asharq Al-Awsat

The Arab anti-terror quartet added to its terror list 11 more individuals and two entities – the International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) headed by Yusuf al-Qaradawi and International Islamic Council (IIC).

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE, and Bahrain declared in a statement that in light of their commitment to fighting terrorism, drying up its sources of funding, combating extremist ideology and working together to eradicate it and immunize societies against it, and in the framework of their joint efforts with active partners in fighting terrorism, they blacklisted the two entities and eleven individuals.

“The two entities listed are two terrorist organizations that promote terrorism by using Islamic rhetoric as a cover to facilitate terrorist activities,” the statement said.

Qatar-based IUMS was established in 2004 and is chaired by al-Qaradawi who is considered the Muslim Brotherhood's "godfather". The union is strongly linked to the terrorist organization and has 67 members including the president, the vice president, who is Iranian, the secretary general, and some indivudials who had been accused of terrorism.

The International Union had an effective role in creating strife in Arab and Islamic countries, backed by both Qatari and Turkish governments.

As for IIC, it aims at targeting Arab countries, mainly Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt. Backed by the Qatari regime, it describes Saudi Arabia and UAE as two "zionist" states.

The council is affiliated with several organizations and entities on the quartet's terror list such as al-Karama organizations, Raf Institution, Qurtoba organization in UK, and Islah Association. 

Among those on the blacklist is Khaled Nazem Diab, a US citizen of Syrian origin. He is the head of Relief International Development of the Qatari Red Crescent, and funds armed militias in Syria.

Diab's activities reach countries like Yemen, Mauritania, Djibouti and Mosul city in Iraq. He is a supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood and a member of the board of trustees of al-Karama foundation.

He was arrested in Lebanon in 2013 on charges of funding terrorist groups in Syria and had been on UN and US blacklists since 2002.

Salem Jaber Omar Ali Sultan Fathallah Jaber, who is a Libyan preacher and a partner at "Boshra News Agency", a classified organization, is also on the list. 

He used to preach in al-Tahrir Square in Benghazi, Libya, where he was known for provoking armed militias to launch attacks against vital infrastructure spots.

Slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had banned Jaber from delivering any speech for five years. 

A close colleague of terrorist preacher Yusuf al-Qaradawi, Jaber is also a partner in several Qatari foundations such as "Qatar Charity" and "Raf", both entities identified as terrorist.

Moyasar Ali Musa Abdullah al-Jubouri, dubbed Abu Maria al-Qahtani, was a former officer in the Iraqi Army within a group called "Fedayeen Saddam" until 2003.

After Paul Bremer restructured the army and police, Jubouri worked as a policeman in Baghdad after which he joined al-Nusra Front in Syria as the Grand Mufti and Emir of eastern area. He was then dismissed by the organization leader "Abu Mohammed al-Joulani". He is the previous assistant of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and uses a Qatari passport in his travels.

UN listed Jubouri as an international terrorist in 2014 for associating with al-Qaeda terrorist group.

The list also included Bahraini national Hassan Ali Mohammed Juma Sultan.

Sultan is a known extremist Shi’ite cleric who obtained his religious studies in Iran. He is one of the top commanders of the Islamic Dawa Party, as well as the dissolved al-Wefaq Association, and affiliated in several activities with the Lebanese Hezbollah. He is considered a fugitive in Bahrain.

An audio recording reveals a phone conversation between Sultan and the Qatari Emir’s adviser, Hamad bin Khalifah al-Attiyah, on attempts to create chaos in Bahrain.

Also on the list, Mohammed Suleiman Haidar Mohammed al-Haidar, who is a businessman from a wealthy Qatari family and accused of financing several terrorist groups active in Bahrain. He supported Bahraini terrorists trough bank transfers of over 35,000 Bahraini Dinars. He is also linked to terrorist activities in Bahrain through his financial support of the Bahraini opposition.

On the list, an Egyptian national, Mohammed Jamal Ahmed Hishmat Abdul Hamid who is accused of plotting the General Attorney’s assassination. Following the Egyptian revolution on June 30, he fled to Sudan then to Turkey.

Abdul Hamid is the key founder of the dissolved Freedom and Justice Party, the political office of the Muslim Brotherhood group, and member of the party's high committee. He is accused of inciting riots in Egypt.

Egyptian Alsayed Mahmoud Ezzat Ibrahim Eissa is also on the list for his terrorist activity. He is the Muslim Brotherhood’s supreme guide. He has escaped Egypt and is a wanted fugitive.

Eissa is accused of several crimes including espionage and had been arrested several times.

The quartet said in the statement that through their monitoring, they discovered that Qatari authorities continued to support and finance terrorism, promotion of extremism, and dissemination of hate speech. It added that Doha not taken effective action to stop terrorist activity.

The statement reaffirmed the four countries’ commitment to strengthening all efforts to combat terrorism and establish security and stability in the region.

They stressed that they will not hesitate to pursue individuals and terrorist groups and will support all means in this regard at the regional and international levels.

The quartet assured that it will continue to combat terrorist activities and target terrorism financing regardless of its source, and will continue to work with partners around the world to effectively reduce terrorist activities and extremist organizations that should not be tolerated by any state.

The four countries concluded by thanking all the countries that support them in their fight against terrorism, extremism and violence.



Australia Bars Citizen Held in Syria’s Roj Camp from Returning Home

Members of Australian families believed to be linked to ISIS leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria February 16, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
Members of Australian families believed to be linked to ISIS leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria February 16, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
TT

Australia Bars Citizen Held in Syria’s Roj Camp from Returning Home

Members of Australian families believed to be linked to ISIS leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria February 16, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
Members of Australian families believed to be linked to ISIS leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria February 16, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman

Australia has barred one of its citizens from returning home from a Syrian detention camp because of security concerns, the government said Wednesday.

The unidentified person is among a group of 34 Australian women and children at the Roj camp related to suspected members of ISIS.

"I can confirm that one individual in this cohort has been issued a temporary exclusion order, which was made on advice from security agencies," Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement sent to AFP.

"At this stage security agencies have not provided advice that other members of the cohort meet the required legal thresholds for temporary exclusion orders."

The minister can make temporary exclusion orders lasting up to two years to prevent terrorist activities or politically motivated violence.

The Australians were released from the camp on Monday but failed to reach the capital Damascus on their way home, a Kurdish official told AFP in Syria.

The official said they were turned back to the detention camp, citing "poor coordination" with the Syrian authorities.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese underscored his government's refusal to help repatriate the women and children.

"You make your bed, you lie in it," he said, accusing the group of aligning with an ideology that seeks to "undermine and destroy our way of life".

"We are doing nothing to repatriate or to assist these people," he told reporters Wednesday.

"I think it's unfortunate that children are caught up in this. That's not their decision but it's the decision of their parents or their mother."

The humanitarian organization Save the Children Australia filed a lawsuit in 2023 on behalf of 11 women and 20 children in Syria, seeking their repatriation.

But the Federal Court ruled against Save the Children, saying the Australian government did not control their detention in Syria.


Saudi Intervention Ends Socotra Power Crisis

Socotra power generators restarted after Saudi intervention (X)
Socotra power generators restarted after Saudi intervention (X)
TT

Saudi Intervention Ends Socotra Power Crisis

Socotra power generators restarted after Saudi intervention (X)
Socotra power generators restarted after Saudi intervention (X)

Electricity has returned to Yemen’s Socotra archipelago after urgent Saudi intervention ended days of outages that disrupted daily life and crippled vital institutions, including the general hospital, the university and the technical institute.

The breakthrough followed a sudden shutdown of the power plants after the operating company withdrew and disabled control systems, triggering widespread blackouts and deepening hardship for residents.

The Saudi Program for the Development and Reconstruction of Yemen said its engineering and technical teams moved immediately after receiving an appeal from local authorities. Specialists were dispatched to reactivate operating systems that had been encrypted before the company left the island.

Generators were brought back online in stages, restoring electricity across most of the governorate within a short time.

The restart eased intense pressure on the grid, which had faced rising demand in recent weeks after a complete halt in generation.

Health and education facilities were among the worst affected. Some medical departments scaled back services, while parts of the education sector were partially suspended as classrooms and laboratories were left without power.

Socotra’s electricity authority said the crisis began when the former operator installed shutdown timers and password protections on control systems, preventing local teams from restarting the stations. Officials noted that the archipelago faced a similar situation in 2018, which was resolved through official intervention.

Local sources said the return of electricity quickly stabilized basic services. Water networks resumed regular operations, telecommunications improved, and commercial activity began to recover after a period of economic disruption linked to the outages.

Health and education rebound

In the health sector, stable power, combined with operational support, secured the functioning of Socotra General Hospital, the archipelago’s main medical facility.

Funding helped provide fuel and medical supplies and support healthcare staff, strengthening the hospital’s ability to receive patients and reducing the need to transfer cases outside the governorate, a burden that had weighed heavily on residents.

Medical sources said critical departments, including intensive care units and operating rooms, resumed normal operations after relying on limited emergency measures.

In education, classes and academic activities resumed at Socotra University and the technical institute after weeks of disruption.

A support initiative covered operational costs, including academic staff salaries and essential expenses, helping curb absenteeism and restore the academic schedule.

Local authorities announced that studies at the technical institute would officially restart on Monday, a move seen as a sign of gradual stabilization in public services.

Observers say sustained technical and operational support will be key to safeguarding electricity supply and preventing a repeat of the crisis in a region that depends almost entirely on power to run its vital sectors.


Egypt’s Prime Minister and FM Head to Washington for Trump Peace Council Meeting

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint press conference with Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary/Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint press conference with Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary/Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP)
TT

Egypt’s Prime Minister and FM Head to Washington for Trump Peace Council Meeting

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint press conference with Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary/Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty speaks during a joint press conference with Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary/Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP)

Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly headed to Washington on Tuesday ‌to ‌participate in ‌the inaugural ⁠meeting of a "Board of Peace" established by US President Donald ⁠Trump, the ‌cabinet ‌said.

Madbouly is ‌attending ‌on behalf of President Abdel ‌Fattah al-Sisi and is accompanied by ⁠Foreign ⁠Minister Badr Abdelatty.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar will represent Israel at the inaugural meeting, his office said on Tuesday.

Hamas, meanwhile, called on the newly-formed board to pressure Israel to halt what it described as ongoing violations of the ceasefire in Gaza.

The Board of Peace, of which Trump is the chairman, was initially designed to oversee the Gaza truce and the territory's reconstruction after the war between Hamas and Israel.

But its purpose has since morphed into resolving all sorts of international conflicts, triggering fears the US president wants to create a rival to the United Nations.

Saar will first attend a ministerial level UN Security Council meeting in New York on Wednesday, and on Thursday he "will represent Israel at the inaugural session of the board, chaired by Trump in Washington DC, where he will present Israel's position", his office said in a statement.

It was initially reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might attend the gathering, but his office said last week that he would not.

Ahead of the meeting, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP that the Palestinian movement urged the board's members "to take serious action to compel the Israeli occupation to stop its violations in Gaza".

"The war of genocide against the Strip is still ongoing -- through killing, displacement, siege, and starvation -- which have not stopped until this very moment," he added.

He also called for the board to work to support the newly formed Palestinian technocratic committee meant to oversee the day-to-day governance of post-war Gaza "so that relief and reconstruction efforts in Gaza can commence".

Announcing the creation of the board in January, Trump also unveiled plans to establish a "Gaza Executive Board" operating under the body.

The executive board would include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi.

Netanyahu has strongly objected to their inclusion.

Since Trump launched his "Board of Peace" at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.