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Arab World

Sudan, Iran Restore Diplomatic Relations

President Ebrahim Raisi receives Sudanese Foreign Minister-designate Ali al-Sadiq in Tehran. (Iranian Presidency)
President Ebrahim Raisi receives Sudanese Foreign Minister-designate Ali al-Sadiq in Tehran. (Iranian Presidency)
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Sudan, Iran Restore Diplomatic Relations

President Ebrahim Raisi receives Sudanese Foreign Minister-designate Ali al-Sadiq in Tehran. (Iranian Presidency)
President Ebrahim Raisi receives Sudanese Foreign Minister-designate Ali al-Sadiq in Tehran. (Iranian Presidency)

Sudan's Foreign Minister-designate Ali al-Sadiq arrived in Tehran, the first high-level diplomatic visit between the two nations since they severed ties in 2016.

Sadeq met with President Ebrahim Raisi and his counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.

The official Iranian news agency (IRNA) reported that Abdollahian praised the reopening of the Iranian and Sudanese embassies and restoration of diplomatic ties.

IRNA added that Abdollahian expressed Iran's readiness to share with Sudan its capabilities and experiences in the industrial fields, engineering services, modern technology, health, and treatment.

The agency quoted Sadeq as expressing his regret for the severing of relations and briefed the FM on the latest developments in Sudan amid its ongoing conflict.

He cited the Sudanese president's efforts to overcome and resolve challenges peacefully and with the support of neighboring countries and the United Nations.

Sadeq also condemned the "autocratic Zionist regime" for perpetuating crises in Sudan and reiterated his country's unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, denouncing the "Israeli war crimes" in the Gaza Strip.

Sudan severed diplomatic relations with Iran in 2016, ending long years of military, security, and economic cooperation.

Khartoum pre-empted the decision by closing the Hussainiyat halls and the Iranian Cultural Mission, accusing Iran of seeking to spread the Shiite sect in the country.

Recent reports have said the Sudanese army was suffering from a shortage of weapons as the war against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) rages on, making it a significant motivation to reestablish relations with Iran.

Last week, the RSF claimed the downing of an Iranian-made Mohajer-6 drone in Omdurman, Khartoum. It said it was the third such aircraft shot down by its forces, claiming they were being used by the military.

In 2012, Sudan was accused of smuggling Iranian weapons to Hamas through the Sinai Desert, prompting an Israeli raid on the alleged smugglers in Sudanese territory. Israel bombed the Yarmouk Military Industries Complex.

Then Israeli Defense Minister Amos Gilad described Sudan as a "terrorist state" that was being used as a crossing point to transfer Iranian weapons to the Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements through Egypt.

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Arab World

Lebanese Army Chief and US General Meet on Lebanon Security

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes, as seen from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes, as seen from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)
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Lebanese Army Chief and US General Meet on Lebanon Security

Smoke rises after Israeli strikes, as seen from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)
Smoke rises after Israeli strikes, as seen from Marjeyoun, Lebanon, May 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Lebanese armed forces commander General Rodolphe Haykal and US General Joseph Clearfield met in Beirut to discuss ‌the security ‌situation in ‌Lebanon ⁠and regional developments, the ⁠army said on Saturday in a statement.

Clearfield heads ⁠a committee monitoring ‌a ‌US-backed ceasefire in ‌fighting between ‌Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah.

The participants at the ‌meeting underlined the importance of ⁠the Lebanese ⁠army's role and the need to support it during the current phase, the statement said.

Arab World

RSF Drone Strike Kills Five in Sudan Capital

A painting depicting people holding the Sudanese flag is seen on a wall damaged by bullets and shrapnel in Omdurman, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)
A painting depicting people holding the Sudanese flag is seen on a wall damaged by bullets and shrapnel in Omdurman, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)
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RSF Drone Strike Kills Five in Sudan Capital

A painting depicting people holding the Sudanese flag is seen on a wall damaged by bullets and shrapnel in Omdurman, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)
A painting depicting people holding the Sudanese flag is seen on a wall damaged by bullets and shrapnel in Omdurman, on the outskirts of Khartoum, Sudan, Thursday, April 23, 2026. (AP)

A paramilitary drone killed five civilians on Saturday when it hit a vehicle in greater Khartoum, a rights group said, the second such attack in the Sudanese capital this week.

Drone attacks by both Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) -- which have been at war since April 2023 -- have intensified across the country in recent months, at times killing dozens of people in a single strike.

Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese legal advocacy group documenting abuses during the conflict, said an RSF drone struck a civilian vehicle on the Jammouiya Triangle road Saturday morning in southern Omdurman -- just across the Nile from Khartoum proper -- killing all those on board.

The vehicle was travelling from the Sheikh al-Siddiq area in White Nile state, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Khartoum, the group said.

Last Tuesday, a drone strike hit a hospital in the Jebel Awliya area, around 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of central Khartoum, a security source and eyewitnesses told AFP.

It was the first such attack on the capital in months, after the area was recaptured by the army a year ago from its paramilitary rivals.

Jebel Awliya had been the RSF's last foothold in Khartoum state before the army's rapid counteroffensive, which pushed the paramilitary west towards its stronghold in the Darfur region.

The RSF carried out a series of drone strikes on Khartoum last year, largely targeting military sites, power stations and water infrastructure.

In recent months, however, the capital has seen relative calm. More than 1.8 million displaced residents have returned and the airport has resumed domestic flights, although much of the city remains without electricity or basic services.

Fighting has since been concentrated in Darfur, where the army lost its last base in October, and in Kordofan, where the RSF has sought to regain control of Sudan's key east-west highway.

Violence has also spread to southeastern Blue Nile state near the border with Ethiopia, raising fears of a more prolonged and fragmented conflict.

Now in its fourth year, the war has killed tens of thousands of people -- with some estimates putting the death toll above 200,000 -- displaced millions and triggered one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.

Arab World

Israel Says Two Gaza Flotilla Activists Brought in for Questioning

Vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted on international waters by the Israeli Navy, sail off the city of Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, May 1, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted on international waters by the Israeli Navy, sail off the city of Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, May 1, 2026. (Reuters)
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Israel Says Two Gaza Flotilla Activists Brought in for Questioning

Vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted on international waters by the Israeli Navy, sail off the city of Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, May 1, 2026. (Reuters)
Vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted on international waters by the Israeli Navy, sail off the city of Ierapetra, on the island of Crete, Greece, May 1, 2026. (Reuters)

Two activists who participated in a Gaza-bound aid flotilla have been brought to Israel for questioning, the foreign ministry said Saturday, after the vessels were intercepted by Israeli forces.

The flotilla of more than 50 vessels had set sail from ports in France, Spain and Italy with the aim of breaking an Israeli blockade of Gaza and bringing supplies to the devastated Palestinian territory.

They were intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters off Greece early on Thursday.

Israel said it had removed around 175 activists from the flotilla, but organizers accused Israeli personnel of "kidnapping" 211 people.

Two of them, Saif Abu Keshek from Spain and Thiago Avila, a Brazilian, were taken to Israel "for questioning by law enforcement authorities", the foreign ministry said on X.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares denounced Israel's detention of Abu Keshek as "illegal", warning it came at a moment of already deteriorating ties between the two countries.

"We are facing an illegal detention in international waters, outside any jurisdiction of the Israeli authorities so Saif Abu Keshek must be released immediately so that he can return to Spain," Albares told Rac1 radio.

"This is an episode that further strains our relationship... (with Israel) because of how unacceptable this situation is, because a state does not conduct itself in this manner."

- Worsening ties -

Ties between Israel and Spain have nosedived since the Gaza war sparked by the October 2023 Hamas cross-border attacks, with Israel angered by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's unrelenting criticism of its bombardment of the Palestinian territory.

Both countries have withdrawn their ambassadors.

Israel's foreign ministry said the two activists were affiliated with an organization that was sanctioned by the US Treasury.

That group -- the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad (PCPA) -- has been accused by Washington of "clandestinely acting on behalf of" Palestinian group Hamas.

The Treasury said the organization had played a role in organizing other Gaza-bound flotillas aimed at breaking Israel's blockade.

Israel's foreign ministry said Abu Keshek was a leading member of the PCPA. It said Avila was also linked to the organization and was "suspected of illegal activity".

"Both will receive a consular visit from the representatives of their respective countries in Israel," the ministry said.

Albares rejected the allegation, saying: "The information I myself have requested indicates that no link can be established between Saif Abu Keshek and Hamas".

Avila was among the organizers of a flotilla that tried to bring aid to Gaza last year. That effort was also intercepted by Israeli forces.

- Activists 'beaten' -

Israel controls all entry points into Gaza and the territory has been under Israeli blockade since 2007.

Throughout the Gaza war, there have been shortages of critical supplies in the Palestinian territory, with Israel at times cutting off aid entirely.

Organizers of the latest flotilla said the Israeli interception took place more than 1,000 kilometers from Gaza.

They said their equipment was smashed and the intervention left them facing a "calculated death trap at sea".

Dozens of intercepted activists disembarked on Friday at the Greek island of Crete, according to an AFP journalist.

Organizers published photos on X showing two activists with bruises on their faces, while one participant said in footage that Israeli forces had "beaten" them "several times".

Hamas condemned the interception, urging rights groups to pursue legal action against Israeli authorities for "crimes against the Global Sumud Flotilla, ensuring they do not enjoy impunity".

The Global Sumud Flotilla's first Mediterranean voyage to Gaza in the summer and autumn of 2025 drew worldwide attention, before Israeli forces intercepted the boats off the coasts of Egypt and Gaza in early October.

Crew members, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, were arrested and expelled by Israeli forces.