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Biden Renews Support for Jordan’s Long-Running Role as Custodian of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque

US President Joe Biden meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Friday. (dpa)
US President Joe Biden meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Friday. (dpa)
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Biden Renews Support for Jordan’s Long-Running Role as Custodian of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa Mosque

US President Joe Biden meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Friday. (dpa)
US President Joe Biden meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II at the White House on Friday. (dpa)

US President Joe Biden renewed on Friday his country’s support for Jordan's crucial role as the custodian of Muslim holy sites, particularly Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa.

Biden met with King Abdullah II of Jordan in Washington on Friday amid tensions in the Palestinian Territories where clashes erupted in recent weeks at Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa mosque compound.

The situation worsened this week with the killing of veteran Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a dual Palestinian-American national, when she was covering Israeli raids in the occupied West Bank area of Jenin.

King Abdullah's visit to Washington is his second since Biden came to office. He was accompanied by his wife, Queen Rania, and his eldest son, Crown Prince Hussein.

In a statement following the meeting, the White House said Biden reaffirmed the close and enduring nature of the friendship between the United States and Jordan.

“Biden cited the need to preserve the historic status quo at the Haram al-Sharif and he also recognized the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s crucial role as the custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem,” the White House statement said.

It added that both leaders consulted on recent events in the region and discussed urgent mechanisms to stem violence, calm rhetoric and reduce tensions in Israel and the West Bank.

The leaders then discussed the political and economic benefits of further regional integration in infrastructure, energy, water, and climate projects, with Jordan a critical hub for such cooperation and investment.

“Jordan is a critical ally and force for stability in the Middle East,” Biden stressed.

Before his meeting with Biden, King Abdullah II met with a number of officials from the US administration and several congressmen.

On Thursday, he sat down with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon, where the King warned against the continuous cycle of violence in the Palestinian Territories, especially in light of unilateral Israeli measures, stressing that the repercussions would be damaging to regional security and stability.

For his part, Austin expressed his country’s concern over the latest escalation and violence in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, commending the King’s "critical role" in de-escalating tensions, and noting that the US looks to work with Jordan towards security, stability and just peace for the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Biden is expected to visit the region late next month, where he will meet in Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Israel and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem.

The Biden administration had announced its support for a “sovereign and democratic” Palestinian state. Biden had previously announced plans to reopen the US consulate in East Jerusalem.

Former President Donald Trump closed the Jerusalem consulate and placed its staff within the US Embassy to Israel that was moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in 2018.

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Arab World

Fire Reported at Foreign Oil Companies' Storage Facilities in Iraq after Drone Strike

Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi forces stand guard during a pro-Iran rally in Tahrir Square in Baghdad on April 2, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi forces stand guard during a pro-Iran rally in Tahrir Square in Baghdad on April 2, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
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Fire Reported at Foreign Oil Companies' Storage Facilities in Iraq after Drone Strike

Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi forces stand guard during a pro-Iran rally in Tahrir Square in Baghdad on April 2, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi forces stand guard during a pro-Iran rally in Tahrir Square in Baghdad on April 2, 2026. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)

A fire broke out ‌early ‌on Saturday at ‌storage ⁠facilities belonging to ⁠foreign ⁠oil ‌companies ‌west of Iraq's ‌Basra after ‌a ‌drone strike, security ⁠sources told Reuters.

Arab World

Israeli Forces Encircle Bint Jbeil in South Lebanon

A poster of a man and two children killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted their home in south Lebanon (AP) 
A poster of a man and two children killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted their home in south Lebanon (AP) 
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Israeli Forces Encircle Bint Jbeil in South Lebanon

A poster of a man and two children killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted their home in south Lebanon (AP) 
A poster of a man and two children killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted their home in south Lebanon (AP) 

Military developments are accelerating in south Lebanon as Israel steps up pressure through a mix of strikes, evacuation warnings and what analysts describe as a strategy of isolating border towns, with Bint Jbeil emerging as a primary focus.

The Israeli army on Friday warned residents on the northern outskirts of the nearby town of Ain Ebel to move further inside, in what appeared to be an effort to regroup civilians within designated areas.

Attention has centered on Bint Jbeil, where Israel appears to be avoiding a direct ground assault.

Retired Brigadier General Said Kozah told Asharq Al-Awsat that Israeli forces were “relying on a tactic of full encirclement rather than advancing directly into the town”.

He said troops were tightening a cordon along several axes — from Aitaroun and Aainata to the east and south, from Aita al-Shaab toward the outskirts of Haddatha in the north, and potentially from Ain Ebel in the west — effectively isolating Bint Jbeil on all sides.

Kozah noted that the evacuation of Salah Ghandour Hospital in the Saf al-Hawa area, a key junction linking the town to surrounding areas, pointed to an Israeli push to control supply and movement routes.

He added that Israel typically avoids combat in densely built areas due to the high cost, suggesting it may instead rely on heavy bombardment before any ground incursion.

“Bint Jbeil, with its prepared defenses, could become a costly war of attrition,” he stated, adding that a large-scale assault appeared unlikely in the immediate term.

Instead, he said, the likely scenario was continued encirclement, disruption of supply lines and clashes on the outskirts unless battlefield conditions shift.

Alongside developments in the south, Israel expanded pressure to Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee renewed warnings Friday, urging residents of Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry, Laylaki, Hadath, Burj al-Barajneh, Tahwitat al-Ghadir and Shiyah to evacuate immediately.

In the western Bekaa, Israel struck a bridge linking Sohmor and Mashghara over the Litani River after issuing prior warnings and calling on residents to move north of the Zahrani River.

An Israeli drone later struck worshippers leaving a mosque in Sohmor, killing two people and wounding 11 others, in a sign that strikes were extending to civilian gatherings.

Air strikes resumed on Beirut’s southern suburbs after two days of relative calm, while heavy bombardment continued across the south.

A house between Kafra and Srifa near a center run by the Islamic Health Authority was hit, burning an ambulance without causing injuries.

Strikes also hit Srifa, Braachit, Jouaiya, Borj Qalaouiyeh, Debaal, Ramadiyeh, Bustan, Yohmor al-Shaqif and Shaaitiyeh, with casualties reported, including among Syrians.

Additional strikes targeted Debbine and Srifa in the Tyre district, while intermittent artillery fire hit the outskirts of Haris and Kafra.

Drones were reported flying intensively over Hermel, the northern Bekaa, Beirut, Mount Lebanon and the southern suburbs as part of broad surveillance operations.

At dawn, Apache helicopters fired on the coastline from Bayyada to Mansouri, coinciding with clashes on the ground. Hezbollah fighters were reported to have attacked Israeli forces advancing toward the coastal road near Bayyada.

Overnight strikes hit Bint Jbeil, Hanine, Kounine and Tayri, while eastern Brachit came under artillery fire. Israeli forces also blew up remaining houses in Aita al-Shaab, with explosions heard as far as Tyre.

Separately, Lebanon’s National News Agency said three Indonesian soldiers serving with a UN peacekeeping unit were wounded at their base in Adaisseh by a shell, with the source under investigation.

Hezbollah said it fired rockets toward northern Israel, targeting Kiryat Shmona, troop positions at Honin barracks and military sites in Safed, as well as Metula and Kfar Yuval.

The group also said it detonated an explosive device against Israeli forces in Bayyada, causing casualties that required helicopter evacuation before the area was later shelled.

 

 

 

Arab World

Hamas Hopes Pressure Will Amend Gaza Disarmament Plan

Gunmen from Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, February 2025 (EPA)
Gunmen from Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, February 2025 (EPA)
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Hamas Hopes Pressure Will Amend Gaza Disarmament Plan

Gunmen from Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, February 2025 (EPA)
Gunmen from Hamas’ Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza, February 2025 (EPA)

Hamas is pressing mediators to secure changes to a plan presented more than a week ago by Nikolay Mladenov, the High Representative of the “Board of Peace,” which calls for the full disarmament of Gaza without exception.

A Hamas delegation in Cairo is holding intensive talks with Palestinian factions and Egyptian officials, alongside meetings with representatives of the Board of Peace, including Mladenov, who has already met the group again, Asharq Al-Awsat has learned.

A senior Hamas official in Cairo said the movement has delivered a clear message to mediators: the proposal in its current form is unacceptable to Palestinians.

The official said amendments must bind Israel to complete the remaining terms of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement and commit to the second phase, particularly a full and immediate withdrawal, in line with the 20-point plan presented by US President Donald Trump during negotiations last September.

Hamas, they said, is still consulting internally and with other factions, with no final position yet on disarmament. Any response will depend on changes to the plan, especially guarantees of Israeli withdrawal and an end to what the official described as repeated ceasefire violations.

The official also accused Israel of restricting aid and goods, engineering shortages, tightening movement through the Rafah crossing, and using armed groups to search and humiliate travelers.

They said talks with mediators are focused on forcing revisions to the proposal.

A second Palestinian faction source said the plan is unjust and requires major changes, not only on weapons but also on withdrawal mechanisms, reconstruction, and governance, which he said must remain purely Palestinian without foreign oversight.

Linking disarmament to second-phase measures, including reconstruction limited to disarmed areas, amounts to blackmail, he said, adding that all Palestinian factions reject such conditions.

Reuters cited three sources, two Egyptian and one Palestinian, as saying Hamas has told mediators it will not discuss disarmament without guarantees of a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, as outlined in the Board of Peace proposal.

Hamas has also demanded an end to Israeli violations, full implementation of all provisions, and clarification over Israel’s expanding control in the enclave.

Two Hamas officials declined to comment, while the Israeli government and Board of Peace representatives did not respond to requests for comment, Reuters reported.

Israel insists on full disarmament of Gaza, including light and heavy weapons. The Board of Peace plan calls for dismantling tunnel networks and surrendering weapons in stages over eight months, with a full Israeli withdrawal only after Gaza is verified to be free of weapons.

Trump’s top Board of Peace envoy in the Middle East, Mladenov, said on X that all mediators had endorsed the plan and helped shape it before presenting it to Hamas.

"(The) international community has supported it, now is the time to agree to the framework for its implementation. For the sake of both Palestinians and Israelis, there is not time to lose," he said in the post.