Arab World News

Israeli Minister Says Army will Occupy All Gaza if Hamas Does Not Disarm

Arab World Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich visits Nariman House to pay his respects to the victims of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, in Mumbai, India, 09 September 2025. EPA/DIVYAKANT SOLANKI

Israeli Minister Says Army will Occupy All Gaza if Hamas Does Not Disarm

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that Palestinian Islamist group Hamas may soon be given a deadline to lay down its weapons. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World FILE PHOTO: A member loyal to the Islamic State waves an ISIS flag in Raqqa, Syria June 29, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer/Files

Four Syrian Security Personnel Killed in ISIS Attack

Four Syrian security personnel were killed in ISIS terrorist group attack in the northern city of Raqa, which was recently taken by Damascus from Kurdish…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World People check a fire-damaged area in the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Mosque following, according to Palestinian authorities, an attack by Israeli settlers on the West Bank village of Tell, near Nablus, Monday, February 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

Israeli Settlers Torch and Deface a West Bank Mosque during Ramadan

Israeli settlers vandalized a mosque in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Monday, spray-painting offensive phrases and setting a fire, according to the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World The Tunisian flag flies over the Palace of Justice building in the capital, Tunis, on May 13, 2024 (Reuters).

Family of Tunisian Lawyer Ahmed Souab Announces His Release

The family of prominent Tunisian lawyer Ahmed Souab said the Court of Appeal decided on Monday to release him. Souab, a strong critic of President Kais…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World 21 February 2026, Lebanon, Bednayel: Pro-Iranian Hezbollah supporters inspect damage of house that was hit by an Israeli air strike in the village of Bendayel in Lebanon's Bekaa valley. (dpa)

State Department Orders Nonessential US Diplomats to Leave Lebanon as Tensions with Iran Soar

The United States has ordered nonessential diplomats and their family members at the US Embassy in Beirut to leave Lebanon, the State Department said Monday,…

Asharq Al Awsat

Arab World Turkish President and his Somali counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Somali National News Agency)

Somalia Moves to Contain Public Criticism Over Türkiye Ties

Growing cooperation between Mogadishu and Ankara has drawn domestic criticism in Somalia over what some describe as a “one-sided benefit” for Türkiye,…

Mohamed Mahmoud (Cairo)
Arab World Palestinians gather between destroyed houses to break their fast together during the holy month of Ramadan in the northern Gaza Strip, 20 February 2026. (EPA)

Board of Peace Pledges on Gaza Face Test of Implementation on the Ground

The first meeting of the Board of Peace, chaired by US President Donald Trump and attended by Arab and Israeli representatives in the absence of the…

Mohamed Mahmoud (Cairo)
Arab World Members of the dissolved Southern Transitional Council attempted to storm the presidential palace in Aden (AP)

Yemen Presidential Leadership Council Vows to Confront Saboteurs

After elements loyal to what was known as the Southern Transitional Council attempted to storm the presidential palace in Aden, Yemen’s Presidential Leadership…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World 22 January 2026, Lebanon, Qnarit: People inspect the damage of a building that was destroyed by an Israeli air raid on the southern Lebanese village of Qnarit. (dpa)

Lebanon Says 12 Dead in Israeli Strikes on East, South

Lebanon said Israeli strikes on the country's east and south killed 12 people on Friday, with Israel's army saying it targeted Hezbollah and its Palestinian…

Arab World A Somali trader marks watermelons for sale at an open-air grocery market as Muslims start the fasting month of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, within Bakara market in Mogadishu, Somalia, February 18, 2026. (Reuters)

UN Says It Risks Halting Somalia Aid Due to Funding Cuts 

The UN's World Food Program (WFP) warned Friday it would have to stop humanitarian assistance in Somalia by April if it did not receive new funding. The Rome…

Arab World Makeshift tents of displaced Palestinian families among the ruins of their homes at sunset during the holy month of Ramadan in Jabaliya northern Gaza Strip on, 19 February 2026. (EPA)

Hamas Says Path for Gaza Must Begin with End to ‘Aggression’ 

Discussions on Gaza's future must begin with a total halt to Israeli "aggression", the Palestinian movement Hamas said after US President Donald Trump's Board…

Arab World This photograph shows a memorial for slain Lebanese Hezbollah longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah at the entrance of the southern village of Qannarit on February 16, 2026. (AFP)

Official Contacts Aim to Keep Lebanon out of War on Iran as Israel Raises Readiness on Northern Front 

Israel has raised the alert level of its military along the border with Lebanon, raising questions that Lebanon’s south may again be involved in a regional…

Caroline Akoum (Beirut)
Arab World Two Israeli soldiers launch a drone. (Israeli Army)

Israel Keen to Attack Iran’s Regional Proxies before they Can Join the War

The Israeli army is preparing to carry out “massive and unprecedented” strikes against groups backed by Iran, including the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in…

Nazeer Majli (Tel Aviv)
Arab World The Coordination Framework faces a dilemma after nominating Nouri al-Maliki for Prime Minister (INA)

Iraqi Confusion Over Allegations of US Warning of Sanctions

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said that the authorities have received an oral message from Washington, “clearing and explicitly” hinting at possible…

Hamza Mustafa (Baghdad)
Arab World Mourners carry the body of Palestinian-American Nasrallah Muhammad Jamal Abu Siyam, 19, who according to the Palestinian Health Ministry was shot by settlers on Wednesday night, during his funeral in the West Bank village of Mukhmas, east of Ramallah, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Israeli Settlers Kill 19-year-old Palestinian-American

Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank shot and killed a Palestinian-American during an attack on a village, the Palestinian Health Ministry and a witness…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Zindani government holds first meeting after ministers return to Aden (Saba News Agency)

Yemen PM Announces Comprehensive Reform Plan with Saudi Support

Yemen’s new government convened its first cabinet meeting on Thursday in the temporary capital Aden, with Prime Minister Shayea al-Zindani presiding after…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Aden)
Arab World Humanitarian and relief aid crosses Rafah Crossing (Egyptian Red Crescent)

Rafah Crossing Traffic Lags Two Weeks after Reopening

Despite nearly two weeks since the reopening of the Rafah crossing in both directions, the number of people and humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip falls…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World FILE - A Sudanese child, who fled el-Fasher city with family after Sudan's RSF attacked the western Darfur region, receives treatment at a camp in Tawila, Sudan, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mohammed Abaker, File)

US Slaps Sanctions on Sudan’s RSF Commanders over El-Fasher Killings

The United States announced sanctions on Thursday on three Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanders over their roles in the "horrific campaign" of the…

Arab World Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - File Photo/AFP

Israel's Netanyahu Says No Reconstruction of Gaza before Demilitarization

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday there would be no reconstruction of war-shattered Gaza before the disarmament of Hamas, as the …

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World US President Donald Trump speaking in Washington - AFP

Trump Tells First Meeting of Board of Peace that $7 billion Raised for Gaza

US President Donald Trump told the first meeting of his Board of Peace on Thursday that $7 billion has been contributed to a Gaza reconstruction fund that aims…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Children, part of a group of detainees, look through a fence at al-Hol camp after the Syrian government took control of it following the withdrawal of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Hasaka, Syria, January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Few People Left at Syria Camp that Held ISIS Families, Former Director Says

Fewer than 1,000 families remain at a camp where relatives of suspected ISIS militants had been held in Syria's northeast, the camp's former director said on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World FILE PHOTO: German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen visits the Transport Helicopter Regiment 30 (Transporthubschrauberregiment 30) at the Hermann-Koehl-Kaserne in Niederstetten, Germany, August 20, 2018. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

Germany Moves Troops Out of Iraq, Citing Mideast 'Tensions'

Germany's military has "temporarily" moved some troops out of Erbil in northern Iraq because of "escalating tensions in the Middle East," a German defense…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)

UN: At Least 15 Children Killed in Sudan Drone Strike

A drone strike on a displacement camp in Sudan killed at least 15 children earlier this week, the United Nations reported late on Wednesday. "On Monday 16…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World (FILES) A Palestinian man walks on his crutches to the Doctors Without Borders or Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) clinic, in the al-Rimal neighborhood of Gaza City on new year's Eve, December 31, 2025. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

MSF Will Keep Operating in Gaza 'as Long as We Can'

The head of Doctors Without Borders in the Palestinian territories told AFP the charity would continue working in Gaza for as long as possible, following an…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World The Commander of the Egyptian Air Force during his meeting with the Turkish Air Force chief in Cairo on Wednesday (Egyptian military spokesperson)

Egyptian-Turkish Military Talks Focus on Strengthening Partnership

Senior Egyptian and Turkish air force commanders met in Cairo on Wednesday for talks focused on strengthening military partnership and expanding bilateral…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Arab World A member of the Salhab family weeps as he sits on the on the rubble of apartment building after it was demolished by Israeli bulldozers near the Israeli settlement of Hagai, south of the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, on February 18, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

UN Says Israeli Actions Raising 'Ethnic Cleansing' Fears in West Bank, Gaza

Israel's increased attacks and forcible transfers of Palestinians "raise concerns over ethnic cleansing" in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the United…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Forces affiliated with the Rapid Support Forces in the city of el-Fasher, Darfur region (AFP)

UN Probe: RSF Actions in Sudan's el-Fasher Point to Genocide

Mass killings of non-Arab communities when the Rapid Support Forces captured the Sudanese city of el-Fasher bears hallmarks that point to genocide, an…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World The war in Sudan, ongoing since mid-April 2023, has caused extensive destruction across the country (AFP)

Sudanese Political, Civil Groups Propose Ramadan Truce

A broad coalition of Sudanese political and civil forces has made an urgent appeal to the leadership of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces …

Ahmed Younes (Kampala)
Arab World The late Iraqi poet Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri serves tea to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as portrayed in a Ramadan advertisement

Anger in Iraq Over Use of ‘Greatest Arab Poet’ in Ramadan Ad

Baghdad - A promotional video produced by a local platform and sponsored by several companies has sparked widespread criticism in Iraq over content described…

Fadhel al-Nashmi (Baghdad)