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Arab World

Palestinians Reject to Hand Over Bullet that Killed Abu Akleh, Blame Israel

Children visit the site where veteran Al-Jazeera Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead while covering an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank, in Jenin on May 12, 2022. (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
Children visit the site where veteran Al-Jazeera Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead while covering an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank, in Jenin on May 12, 2022. (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
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Palestinians Reject to Hand Over Bullet that Killed Abu Akleh, Blame Israel

Children visit the site where veteran Al-Jazeera Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead while covering an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank, in Jenin on May 12, 2022. (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)
Children visit the site where veteran Al-Jazeera Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead while covering an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank, in Jenin on May 12, 2022. (Photo by JAAFAR ASHTIYEH / AFP)

The Palestinian Authority on Thursday rejected an Israeli request to hold a joint investigation into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, saying it would not hand over the bullet that killed her for ballistic analysis.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the Israeli authorities are "fully responsible" for the killing.

"We rejected the joint investigation with the Israeli occupation authorities because they committed the crime and because we don't trust them," said Abbas during an official memorial ceremony for Abu Akleh in Ramallah.

He added that the Palestinian Authority "will go immediately to the International Criminal Court in order to track down the criminals".

Hussein Al Sheikh, a senior aide to Abbas, earlier said that the Palestinians would conduct their own independent probe and that all parties would be informed of "the results of the investigation with high transparency.”

Abu Akleh, a veteran Palestinian-American journalist, was shot and killed on Wednesday while covering an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank. The broadcaster and two reporters who were with her blamed Israeli forces.

Israeli officials initially suggested that Abu Akleh may have been killed by militant fire, but walked that back somewhat later in the day, saying there were no “final conclusions.”

Her death was met by an outpouring of grief across the West Bank. Her body was to be taken to the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah on Thursday before being brought to Jerusalem for burial on Friday.

The killing sparked condemnations from around the globe. UN Secretary General Antonio Gutteres has called for an “an independent and transparent investigation” to ensure those responsible are held to account.

Israel’s defense minister, Benny Gantz, on Wednesday promised such an inquiry, saying he was in touch with US and Palestinian officials and hoped for cooperation between Israel and the Palestinians.

“We are trying to figure out exactly what happened,” he said. “I don’t have final conclusions.”

On Twitter, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said her death was an affront to media freedom everywhere.

"The Israelis have the wherewithal and the capabilities to conduct a thorough, comprehensive investigation," Price told a news briefing.

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Arab World

Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria Discuss Ways to Secure Shared Borders

Libyans from various regions, along with organizations and activists, gather in front of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to demand that they take action to resettle irregular migrants and refugees, in the capital Tripoli on June 16, 2026. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia / AFP)
Libyans from various regions, along with organizations and activists, gather in front of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to demand that they take action to resettle irregular migrants and refugees, in the capital Tripoli on June 16, 2026. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia / AFP)
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Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria Discuss Ways to Secure Shared Borders

Libyans from various regions, along with organizations and activists, gather in front of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to demand that they take action to resettle irregular migrants and refugees, in the capital Tripoli on June 16, 2026. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia / AFP)
Libyans from various regions, along with organizations and activists, gather in front of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to demand that they take action to resettle irregular migrants and refugees, in the capital Tripoli on June 16, 2026. (Photo by Mahmud Turkia / AFP)

Security officials from Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria have held talks in Tripoli on strengthening cooperation to secure their shared borders.

According to Libya’s Interior Ministry of the Tripoli-based government, Tuesday’s meeting discussed ways to enhance cooperation in border security, combat cross-border organized crime, tackle terrorism, and curb illegal migration.

Security authorities in the three countries are working along their shared borders to counter irregular migration from sub-Saharan African countries, as well as smuggling operations and the risks of militant infiltration.

The Libyan ministry said in a statement that the three countries are keen to strengthen joint security cooperation and to develop operational mechanisms to be highly ready in confronting cross-border security threats and challenges, thus contributing to enhanced security and stability and protecting the shared interests of the region’s peoples.

The ministry explained on its Facebook page that the meeting “addressed ways to enhance cooperation among the three countries in securing borders and combating cross-border organized crime, in a way that strengthens security and stability in the region.”

It stressed that the meeting comes within the framework of ongoing efforts by the three countries to consolidate security and stability, strengthen partnership and security integration, and help protect shared borders while combating various forms of organized crime.

The joint Libyan-Algerian-Tunisian task force responsible for securing the shared borders was established in January 2025.

Its formation came as part of an agreement between the interior ministers of the three states to raise the level of security coordination, unify efforts to control the borders, combat cross-border organized crime, and address illegal migration.

Arab World

Egyptian Program to Develop Abrams Tanks Alarms Israel

The M1A1 Abrams tank. (Egyptian Ministry of Military Production)
The M1A1 Abrams tank. (Egyptian Ministry of Military Production)
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Egyptian Program to Develop Abrams Tanks Alarms Israel

The M1A1 Abrams tank. (Egyptian Ministry of Military Production)
The M1A1 Abrams tank. (Egyptian Ministry of Military Production)

Former military officers have confirmed that Egypt is working with the United States to boost its armored forces by introducing technological upgrades and modern combat specifications to a large number of M1A1 Abrams tanks, raising alarm in Israel.

According to Israel’s Nziv.net platform, there are major Israeli concerns about a shift in the regional balance of power after Washington recently approved a huge deal to upgrade 555 Abrams tanks out of 1,130 American tanks in the Egyptian army.

The military factory in the Abu Zaabal area north of Cairo, the only facility authorized outside the United States to produce components of this model, will oversee the development project at a cost of around $4.69 billion.

The M1A1 Abrams tank is the Egyptian army’s main battle tank, with a top speed of 20 miles, according to data from the Egyptian Ministry of Military Production.

National security expert Mohamed Abdel Wahed told Asharq Al-Awsat that this was not the first time Egypt develops these tanks. It did so in the 1980s through a joint military production agreement with the United States.

The latest agreement to develop the tanks was signed in 2024. It called for refurbishing the existing vehicles instead of replacing them with new ones that would have come at a higher cost.

“Egypt is developing this tank and capitalizing on its global reputation. The development involves incorporating modern technology to boost its capabilities,” Abdel Wahed explained.

Former Egyptian intelligence official Gen. Mohammed Rashad told Asharq Al-Awsat: “The upgrades include installing a higher-caliber gun to increase the firing range to 105 mm, upgrading the aiming and targeting systems to use lasers, reinforcing the tank’s armor against close-quarters combat and anti-tank weapons, installing a recoil suppressor on the tank’s gun to maintain stability and aiming accuracy, and fitting the tank with a high-powered engine to boost speed and maneuverability.”

“These capabilities make the Egyptian Armored Corps one of the most advanced and lethal armies in the region, with high combat capabilities in all circumstances, which is a direct cause for concern in Tel Aviv,” he explained.

Abdul Wahed added: “Egypt is manufacturing 90 percent of the components for this tank. Localizing military technology and industries in Egypt is very important.”

Israeli media has over the past two years frequently reported about Tel Aviv’s concern over what it described as “the detection of the construction of massive logistical infrastructure and fuel depots in the Sinai Peninsula.”

They alleged that these measures would allow Egyptian forces to move rapidly and extensively eastward, forcing Israel to maintain close and continuous monitoring of the deployment and movement of Egyptian forces despite the peace treaty between them.

Egypt has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying its work in Sinai has development purposes and any deployment of the military aims to protect the border and national security.

Rashad said the Israeli concerns over the Egyptian military’s upgrades and tanks program stem from its “fear that the Egyptian armored forces will become capable of matching Israel’s.”

Tel Aviv constantly boasts about its capabilities that are a result of continuous upgrades to weapons and combat equipment, he added, noting that its military ranks seventh globally in the manufacture and export of weapons and combat equipment.

Arab World

Several Israeli Strikes Hit South Lebanon

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 16 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 16 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
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Several Israeli Strikes Hit South Lebanon

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 16 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities. EPA/ATEF SAFADI
Smoke rises following an Israeli strike on southern Lebanon, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in the Upper Galilee, northern Israel, 16 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities. EPA/ATEF SAFADI

Israeli forces on Wednesday carried out airstrikes on several areas in south Lebanon, state media reported, despite a peace deal in the Middle East war that includes Lebanon.

Lebanon's National News Agency said Israeli warplanes launched raids targeting the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area and the eastern outskirts of neighboring town Kfar Tebnit.

The Israelis also launched a drone strike on the town of Ansariyeh in the Zahrani area, NNA reported.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday issued a rare public rebuke of Israel's military tactics in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, saying it was unnecessary to bomb entire apartment buildings to hunt militants.

Trump, who in recent days had expressed his displeasure over Israeli attacks in Beirut that he said could have endangered his peace deal with Iran, said Israel has been fighting Hezbollah for "too long.”

"Too many people have been killed. You don't have to knock down an apartment house every time you're looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they're not all Hezbollah," Trump said at the G7 summit ⁠in France.

His complaint comes ⁠at a moment of rising tensions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has remained a key political ally despite occasional ups and downs between the two leaders over the years.