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War Undermines Tourism in South Lebanon, Tyre Stands Out

Tyre's beach on the opening day of the summer tourist season (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tyre's beach on the opening day of the summer tourist season (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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War Undermines Tourism in South Lebanon, Tyre Stands Out

Tyre's beach on the opening day of the summer tourist season (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tyre's beach on the opening day of the summer tourist season (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Beachgoers in Lebanon’s southern city of Tyre look up as Israeli fighter jets break the sound barrier and release flares while leaving Lebanese airspace. They start dancing to a Julia Boutros song, undeterred by the ongoing war since October 8.
Despite shelling just 10 kilometers away, they enjoy the sea and sun.
Meanwhile, resorts south of Tyre are empty, reflecting the decline in tourism in southern Lebanon due to the conflict.
Tyre’s municipality has set up beach tents to welcome visitors to its southern shore for the start of the summer tourist season.
Ali Badr al-Din, head of the Tyre Beach Reserve, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the season “started early this year as a clear message that Tyre will not bow to security threats.”
“We are continuing our summer tourism activities by opening the beach tent season and inviting people to enjoy one of the Mediterranean’s finest sandy beaches,” said Badr al-Din.
Thousands visited Tyre’s beach in the first week of the beach tents’ opening.
Amal Wazni, a tent owner, chose to keep her business running despite the risks of war in the south.
She told Asharq Al-Awsat she is optimistic about the tourist season, despite the dangers and sounds of shelling.
“Tyre is relatively safe and has not been directly targeted by Israeli strikes. Attacking the city would be costly for the enemy,” she said.
Tourists understand this. In nine months of conflict, Tyre hasn’t been hit, though its outskirts have been shelled four times.
However, the scene at Tyre’s beach does not represent the overall tourism situation in the south; rather, it starkly contrasts with it.
Despite the lively beach, tourist facilities like hotels, guesthouses, chalets, and resorts across the region are facing severe challenges. Owners are calling it a “disaster.”
Just 5 kilometers south of Tyre, a major tourist resort employs around 130 workers, supporting 70 families at least.
Despite its proximity, many usual guests have avoided visiting due to the ongoing war.
Bilal Jazini, the resort manager, told Asharq Al-Awsat that occupancy has dropped over 90%.
He pointed out that the war has had a significant impact on resorts from Tyre to Naqoura, leading many to decide against opening this season to avoid financial losses, given the high operational costs and minimal returns.

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Arab World

Hamas Leaders Prepare for 'Safe Exit' from Gaza, Amid Doubts Over Return

A Palestinian child is seen as fighters from Hamas’ Qassam Brigades search for the bodies of Israeli hostages in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, last December. (EPA)
A Palestinian child is seen as fighters from Hamas’ Qassam Brigades search for the bodies of Israeli hostages in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, last December. (EPA)
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Hamas Leaders Prepare for 'Safe Exit' from Gaza, Amid Doubts Over Return

A Palestinian child is seen as fighters from Hamas’ Qassam Brigades search for the bodies of Israeli hostages in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, last December. (EPA)
A Palestinian child is seen as fighters from Hamas’ Qassam Brigades search for the bodies of Israeli hostages in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, last December. (EPA)

Sources within Hamas in Gaza revealed that senior figures in the movement are preparing for a “safe exit” from the enclave following arrangements related to Gaza’s future under the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, which the United States announced had begun last week.

Three Hamas sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that several prominent political and military leaders who survived the war are preparing to leave the territory. One source said the departure would be voluntary and carried out under specific arrangements, with full coordination with the Hamas leadership abroad. Another source noted that other leaders, particularly military figures, categorically reject leaving Gaza under any circumstances.

Throughout nearly two years of war, Hamas officials have repeatedly stated their rejection of removing the movement’s leadership from the Strip.

The sources separately provided Asharq Al-Awsat with the names of several leaders believed likely to depart, though it is refraining from publishing them due to the inability to contact them promptly. Some of these figures were recently appointed to leadership positions in Hamas’ political bureau in Gaza as part of new organizational arrangements aimed at rebuilding and restructuring the movement.

According to the same sources, a number of former prisoners released in the 2011 exchange deal for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit — who now oversee key portfolios within Hamas leadership — are expected to be among those traveling to Türkiye.

However, a senior Hamas leader based outside Gaza denied the reports, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that the issue of leaders leaving the Strip “has not been raised.”

Another source inside Gaza declined to comment, saying only that he had no knowledge of the matter.

Sources in Gaza said the exit would likely be “without return, at least for several years,” with those leaders likely to end up residing in several countries. Other sources said some leaders would leave temporarily to hold meetings in Egypt with security officials on critical issues related to Gaza’s governmental security forces and other key files, before returning to the Strip.

In September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News that Israel was considering providing safe passage for Hamas leaders to leave Gaza under certain conditions, as part of a plan being prepared by US President Donald Trump, which entered into force in October.

Israel’s public broadcaster reported that Hamas leaders would most likely head to Qatar or Türkiye if they left Gaza. Israel’s Channel 12 previously reported that Hamas officials told US officials they were prepared to accept a limited relocation of military leaders and some operatives from Gaza.

On Jan. 14, US envoy Steve Witkoff officially announced the launch of the second phase of the ceasefire, which includes Hamas relinquishing control of Gaza, establishing a Palestinian technocratic committee to administer the enclave, initiating a comprehensive disarmament process, and launching large-scale reconstruction projects.

Hamas welcomed the announcement, saying it had fulfilled all requirements for completing the first phase and moving to the second, while continuing discussions with mediators over options regarding its weapons and those of other Palestinian factions.

Arab World

China Confirms Invited to Join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

Displaced Palestinians shelter in a tent camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, January 19, 2026. (Reuters)
Displaced Palestinians shelter in a tent camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, January 19, 2026. (Reuters)
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China Confirms Invited to Join Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’

Displaced Palestinians shelter in a tent camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, January 19, 2026. (Reuters)
Displaced Palestinians shelter in a tent camp in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, January 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Beijing confirmed on Tuesday that China had been invited to join US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace".

"China has received the United States' invitation," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing, without specifying whether Beijing would accept the invitation.

The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of war-torn Gaza, but the charter does not appear to limit its role to the occupied Palestinian territory.

Washington has asked various leaders to sit on the board, chaired by Trump, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian premier Viktor Orban and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Guo said China-US relations had achieved overall stability in the past year, despite a trade war that saw both countries impose tit-for-tat tariffs on each others' products.

"Over the past year, China-US relations have experienced ups and downs, but have maintained overall dynamic stability," Guo told reporters.

"Cooperation between China and the US benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both," he added.

Arab World

UN: More Than 8 Million Sudanese Need Food in 2026

Famine spreads in North Darfur and South Kordofan in Sudan (AP) 
Famine spreads in North Darfur and South Kordofan in Sudan (AP) 
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UN: More Than 8 Million Sudanese Need Food in 2026

Famine spreads in North Darfur and South Kordofan in Sudan (AP) 
Famine spreads in North Darfur and South Kordofan in Sudan (AP) 

Sudan continues to face critical gaps in humanitarian nutrition services, exacerbated by ongoing conflict, displacement, and limited access to health and nutrition services, the UN and its partners said on Monday.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), an estimated 8.4 million people in Sudan will require nutrition assistance in 2026.

This includes approximately 5 million children under the age of five and 3.4 million pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Of the 8.4 million in need, OCHA estimated that 4.2 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding women are projected to be acutely malnourished across Sudan, including over 824,000 cases of children under five suffering from Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).

Recent SMART surveys show further deterioration in the nutrition situation, with 31 out of the 61 validated SMART surveys reporting global acute malnutrition (GAM) prevalence of 15% and above the WHO emergency threshold, out of which one survey recorded GAM of 34.2 %, which is the famine threshold.

Kordofan and Darfur Battles

At the field level, military pressure is significantly escalating in the Kordofan and Darfur regions.

Earlier this month, the UN said road blockades and siege-like conditions have exasperated the delivery of food and health care to several areas, including the city of Kadugli and the city of Dilling in south Kordofan.

For months, the RSF and its ally, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement, have imposed a harsh siege on the two cities, with recurring artillery and drone strikes that led to 800,000 internally displaced people.

Military operations have targeted markets and troop concentrations, including an attack that killed 12 people and left tens of injuries, according to local reports.

Also, fierce battles took place in Habila and Kertala.

Meanwhile, the use of drones in combat zones in Sudan constitutes to play a leading role in the fighting between the two warrying parties.

This month, drones have been heavily documented in El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, and surrounding areas in Sudan, as part of the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Army and the RSF.

More than 13 people, including children and women, were reportedly killed by drone attacks in and around El-Obeid, amid widespread targeting of vital facilities in the city.

Local reports said violent clashes happened in axes linking North Kordofan to strategic areas, increasing the risk of limiting access to supplies and the movement of civilians.

The UN said gaps in humanitarian nutrition is projected to further deteriorate in 2026 due to expanding conflict, food security decline, compromised health and water services, and prolonged and recent displacements.

It warned that the actual number of malnourished individuals, particularly among IDPs, returnees, and non-displaced communities, are expected to exceed the current projected People in Need (PIN) figures as the situation worsens.

Turk’s Warnings

UN Human Rights commissioner Volker Turk said on Sunday he is alarmed by the increasing militarization of society by all parties to the conflict in Sudan, also expressing his worries that the atrocity crimes committed during and after the takeover of El Fasher would be repeated in the Kordofan region.

Speaking at a press conference in Port Sudan, where the government had been operating as a temporary capital since the conflict began, the UN envoy said the proliferation of advanced military equipment, in particular drones, across Sudan has enhanced the military capabilities of both the Sudanese army and the RSF, prolonging hostilities and deepening the crisis for civilians.

Turk said the international community must ensure that the perpetrators of the horrific violations in Sudan face justice, regardless of their affiliation.