US Labels Sudan's Muslim Brotherhood as 'Terrorists'
A man photographs the main entrance of the original Muslim Brotherhood office, that is sealed with official wax after it was raided and shut down by police, in Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, April 13, 2016 - AP
US Labels Sudan's Muslim Brotherhood as 'Terrorists'
A man photographs the main entrance of the original Muslim Brotherhood office, that is sealed with official wax after it was raided and shut down by police, in Amman, Jordan, Wednesday, April 13, 2016 - AP
The United States said Monday it will label the Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan as a terrorist organization and accused the group of receiving support from Iran.
The designation, which will be effective in a week, comes after the United States in January declared several other Muslim Brotherhood branches to be terrorist organizations, including in its historic base of Egypt.
"The Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood uses unrestrained violence against civilians to undermine efforts to resolve the conflict in Sudan and advance its violent Islamist ideology," the State Department said in a statement.
The Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood "has contributed upwards of 20,000 fighters to the war in Sudan, many receiving training and other support from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps," the elite ideological wing of Tehran's military, the State Department said.
The State Department accused the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood of having "conducted mass executions of civilians in areas they captured."
The army has been engaged for nearly three years in a brutal civil war against the Rapid Support Force (RSF), with the fighting claiming tens of thousands of lives, displacing more than 11 million people and plunging areas into famine-like conditions.
Officials Exert Efforts to Unify Lebanon’s Stance on Negotiations with Israelhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5267684-officials-exert-efforts-unify-lebanon%E2%80%99s-stance-negotiations-israel
Officials Exert Efforts to Unify Lebanon’s Stance on Negotiations with Israel
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun receives MP Melhem Riachi (Lebanese Presidency)
Efforts are underway to unify Lebanon’s position on negotiations with Israel amid disagreements on how to approach the issue, particularly as Hezbollah objects to the process and wages what critics describe as a systematic campaign against President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, even as both enjoy broad support among most political factions.
A meeting between Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Salam is expected to be held this week in an effort to consolidate Lebanon’s position.
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said his country had no intention of seizing Lebanese territory.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric, Saar said: “Israel has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon. Our presence in areas along our northern border serves one purpose only: protecting our citizens,” referring to the deployment of Israeli forces in parts of southern Lebanon.
His remarks came as the Israeli military continues air and ground operations against Hezbollah despite the ceasefire.
Aoun has drawn broad domestic backing since a first-of-its-kind statement Monday in which he accused Hezbollah of betrayal, saying: “The traitor is the one who dragged his country into war in pursuit of foreign interests.”
In a sign of support, MP Melhem Riachi visited him as an envoy of Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.
After the meeting, Riachi said: “We held wide-ranging talks on current developments, particularly negotiations between Lebanon and Israel aimed at securing a ceasefire and containing the situation in the south.”
“I expressed full support for the president’s efforts,” he added.
Referring to reports about a possible meeting involving Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, Riachi said: “We encourage him to meet (US) President Donald Trump, and if other meetings are to take place, they should come at the appropriate time .... We have no objection to any step that spares Lebanon and its people, especially our people in the south.”
Echoing his remarks, the political bureau of the Kataeb Party, meeting under the chairmanship of MP Sami Gemayel, said Aoun’s position “expressed the will of the Lebanese, who reject a militia - Hezbollah - unilaterally imposing its will on the Lebanese in service of the interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
It added that the roadmap laid out by Lebanon to reach peace is being translated in practice through the negotiating track launched under Arab and international sponsorship.
The political bureau called for creating the conditions necessary for the Israeli withdrawal, the end to attacks, the return of detainees, the end to war, the deployment of the Lebanese army and the launch of reconstruction.
Asharq Al-Awsat Reveals Details of New Gaza Proposalhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5267680-asharq-al-awsat-reveals-details-new-gaza-proposal
Asharq Al-Awsat Reveals Details of New Gaza Proposal
People fetch drinking water at the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on April 28, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)
Asharq Al-Awsat has obtained details of a new proposal drafted by representatives of the Board of Peace, including the board’s high representative, Nickolay Mladenov, mediators from Egypt, Qatar and Türkiye, as well as the United States, concerning the Gaza Strip, particularly on the issue of disarmament.
The document - described as a “roadmap” for completing implementation of US President Donald Trump’s comprehensive peace plan for Gaza - has 15 provisions to carry out the second phase of the ceasefire agreement that entered into force on Oct. 10, 2025.
A senior Hamas source told Asharq Al-Awsat the proposal had also been conveyed to Israel, and meetings in Cairo could begin Wednesday to discuss responses from all parties, including Hamas and other factions.
The source declined to clarify Hamas’ position following internal consultations. Other sources said Monday that Mladenov would visit Israel before arriving in Egypt on Tuesday for discussions on Israel’s position on the proposal.
Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace's lead envoy for Gaza, speaks during an interview with Reuters during a visit to Brussels, Belgium April 20, 2026. REUTERS/Christian Levaux
The document calls for establishing a committee known as the Implementation Verification Committee, to be created by the High Representative for Gaza and composed of guarantor states, the International Stabilization Force and the Board of Peace, to ensure all parties fulfill their obligations. The committee would be reinforced through an enhanced monitoring mechanism.
In its first provision, the document stresses the importance of all parties fully implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and Trump’s comprehensive plan, describing them as an agreed international framework to guide the process toward restoring civilian life, enabling Palestinian governance, reconstruction, security and economic recovery, and creating conditions for a credible path to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.
The proposal adopts Palestinian demands recently presented by a Hamas and factional delegation, requiring Israel to complete all outstanding commitments from the first phase in full and without delay before moving to the second phase, under the supervision of the verification committee.
According to the document, movement from one stage of the second phase to the next would be conditional on completing all obligations in the preceding stage, under monitoring by the verification committee.
It grants the Board of Peace a mandate to oversee governance, reconstruction and development in Gaza until a reformed Palestinian authority can resume its responsibilities and conditions are created for a credible path to Palestinian statehood.
28 April 2026, Palestinian Territories, Gaza: Palestinian Civil Defense personnel and civilians inspect a vehicle after it was targeted by an Israeli missile on Gaza. Photo: Hadi Daoud/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
The Board of Peace would also be authorized to establish the International Stabilization Force and make arrangements necessary to implement the plan’s objectives.
The document explicitly states Hamas and all Palestinian factions would have no direct or indirect role in governing Gaza. Current civil servants affiliated with Hamas serving in civilian ministries would be dealt with legally and fairly, with full respect for their rights.
It says Gaza must be governed according to the principle of one authority, one law and one weapon, with arms permitted only for individuals authorized by the national committee, while all armed groups would cease military activities.
Newly trained police personnel would be integrated into existing police structures and subjected to security vetting. Those who fail to meet standards would be offered alternative unarmed roles or compensation packages. All police weapons would be transferred to committee control upon its entry into Gaza.
On weapons control, the document outlines a phased disarmament process linked to an agreed implementation timetable, monitored and supported by the office of the High Representative and the verification committee.
The process would be under Palestinian leadership, with weapons transferred to the national committee. All armed groups would participate in inventorying infrastructure and collecting all weapons, though they would not be required to transfer weapons to Israel. The process would be monitored by the verification committee.
The national committee for administering Gaza would have sole authority to register weapons, issue and revoke licenses, and collect unlicensed arms, primarily personal weapons.
Through a gradual process using buyback programs, reintegration assistance and social support, the national committee would oversee weapons collection, with factions committed to cooperating.
The document says surrender of personal weapons by armed members would occur only in parallel with the handover of militia weapons, under conditions ensuring security and police capacity to guarantee personal safety.
It also calls for signing a social peace agreement to prevent internal fighting and violence, ban shows of force, military parades and armed demonstrations, and halt retaliatory acts.
Regarding the International Stabilization Force, the document says it would deploy between areas controlled by Israeli forces and areas under the national committee’s control, but would not conduct policing activities. It would be permitted to support disarmament and humanitarian operations and provide protection for them.
The proposal calls for Israel to complete a phased withdrawal toward Gaza’s borders according to an agreed and implementable timetable, linked to verified progress in the disarmament process.
The national committee would address any security breaches in areas where weapons have been collected.
It also says reconstruction of the enclave would proceed through the entry of building materials into areas where disarmament has been carried out and which are effectively under the administration of the national committee.
Rubio Says Both Lebanon, Israel Agree on Dismantling Hezbollahhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5267660-rubio-says-both-lebanon-israel-agree-dismantling-hezbollah
Rubio Says Both Lebanon, Israel Agree on Dismantling Hezbollah
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks at the State Department, Friday, April 24, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that both the Lebanese and the Israeli governments want the same thing: peace and Hezbollah gone.
In an interview with Fox News, Rubio said the Lebanese people are the victim of the pro-Iran organization, claiming that Israel has no territorial claims on Lebanon.
Asked about the Trump administration’s efforts to try and reach an agreement between Israel and Lebanon, the Secretary of State said the current ceasefire between the two nations “is very unique” because Lebanon and Israel are not at war.
“Israel’s problem is with Hezbollah. Unfortunately, Hezbollah happens to be inside of Lebanon conducting attacks against Israel,” he explained.
The top diplomat said both the Lebanese and the Israelis seek peace.
“They have no problem with one another. Israel has no territorial claims on Lebanon. There isn’t some part of Lebanon that Israel claims belongs to them.”
According to Rubio, the problem Israel has is not with Lebanon but with Hezbollah inside of Lebanon.
Also, he noted, the Lebanese have acknowledged that Hezbollah is a problem for them. “Not only is Israel the victim of Hezbollah, but so are the Lebanese.”
The US official noted that the efforts now focus on the ceasefire and to make sure that Israel has a right to defend itself from an imminent attack or an ongoing attack from Hezbollah elements, who will do everything they can to disrupt the ceasefire.
He said both sides agree that the answer is a Lebanese Armed Forces with the capability to go after and disarm and dismantle Hezbollah inside of their country.
“And that’s what we’re working towards establishing, is a system that actually works where vetted units within the Lebanese Armed Forces have the training, the equipment, and the capability to go after elements of Hezbollah and dismantle them so Israel doesn’t have to do it,” he added.
Rubio said US officials urged Israelis to measure themselves in their response, to make sure their responses are proportional and targeted, and so far that appears to be the case.
“I don’t know what’s happened since I’ve been in this room with you, but that’s so far the case because that’s important,” he said, adding that it’s acknowledged in the agreement that Israel has a right to deal with threats that Lebanon can’t deal with.
Asked whether he sees a scenario where Lebanon joins the Abraham Accords, Rubio said: “We’re not there yet.”
He added: “I mean, obviously that would be very promising, but we’re not at that point. I think what we perceive – and it’s pretty clear – is by and large there is no Lebanese-Israeli conflict per se.”
The Secretary of State said he thinks what needs to happen inside Lebanon is not just that the overwhelming majority of the country, the Sunnis and the Christians, say Hezbollah has been a nightmare for us, but even within the Shiite population that there be a rejection of Hezbollah.
“There should be one government, one armed forces inside of Lebanon, and it should belong to the Lebanese government. And that’s who we should be empowering,” he affirmed.
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