Arab World News

Arab World Al-Hol camp in Hasakah province, northeastern Syria, on Feb. 24, after Syrian authorities closed the camp, which had been under Kurdish control (AFP)

Syrian Interior Ministry: Conditions in Al-Hol Camp ‘Shocking’

Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba said Syrian forces were surprised by the withdrawal of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from Al…

Souad Jarous (Damascus)
Arab World Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, attend a World Health Organisation roundtable hosted by Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and regional WHO leadership, along with key donors and humanitarian partners, in Amman, Jordan, February 25, 2026. World Health Organisation (WHO)/Handout via REUTERS

Prince Harry and Meghan Visit Hospitalized Children from Gaza, Refugee Camp during Jordan Trip

Prince Harry and Meghan visited a refugee camp and hospital in Jordan on Wednesday to kick off a trip spotlighting organizations that help civilians affected…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Sudanese child who fled the city of El Fasher with his family receives treatment at a camp in the town of Tawila (file photo - AP)

Sudan Health Minister: War Has Inflicted $11bn in Health Sector Damage

Sudan’s health system has suffered an unprecedented collapse since war erupted in mid-April 2023, with most hospitals in the capital, Khartoum, and other…

Asharq Al Awsat (Khartoum)
Arab World Hezbollah supporters are seen during the funeral of slain member Hussein Yaghi in the eastern Bekaa, Lebanon. (AFP)

Israeli Agent Confession Reveals How Deep Hezbollah Has Been Infiltrated

Investigations into detainee “A.M.”, a native of the southern town of Ansar arrested last week on charges of collaborating with Israel, show he did more than…

Youssef Diab (Beirut)

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 © Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP

Morocco Flood Evacuees Mark Muted Ramadan Away from Home

When floods forced Ahmed El Habachi out of his Moroccan village, he thought the displacement was temporary. Weeks later, he broke his Ramadan fast in a tent,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World This handout picture made available by the Iraqi prime minister's office shows Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (R) receiving US Special Envoy to Iraq Tom Barrack (L) before attending the signing of agreements between Chevron Corporation and the Basra, Dhi Qar, and North Oil Companies at the government palace in Baghdad on February 23, 2026. (Iraqi Prime Minister’s Press Office / AFP)

Iraq Says Ankara Agrees to Take Back Turkish Citizens Among ISIS Detainees Transferred from Syria 

Iraq's foreign minister said on Monday Türkiye had agreed to take back Turkish citizens from among thousands of ISIS detainees transferred to Iraq from Syria…

Arab World Children poke their heads and arms through holes in makeshift fabric fences in the strategic opposition-controlled town of Akobo, Jonglei State, on February 12, 2026. (AFP)

Chad Govt Shuts Sudan Border Until Further Notice 

Chad's government said on Monday it was closing the border with Sudan until further notice, following several clashes between Chadian soldiers and armed groups…

Arab World Men watch as a US military mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) armored fighting vehicle moves in a convoy along a highway outside Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province on February 23, 2026. (AFP) 

Report: US Forces to Complete Withdrawal from Syria within a Month 

US forces that led the anti-ISIS coalition in Syria started leaving a major base in the northeast on Monday and should complete their withdrawal from the…

Arab World A female member of the al-Ghafir family, sits of the debris of the al-Hasayna Mosque as she recites from a copy of the Quran, during the holy month of Ramadan in western Gaza City on February 21, 2026. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

Israeli Team in Peace Council Reveals Vision for Gaza Reconstruction

While many observers remain skeptical about the chances of success for President Donald Trump’s comprehensive Middle East peace plan, figures close to the US…

Nazir Magally (Tel Aviv)
Arab World Members of the Al-Wadiah battalion boast extensive experience allowing them to thwart ongoing smuggling attempts. (Al-Wadiah battalion) 

Al-Wadiah Border Security Foils Attempt to Smuggle Thousands of Captagon Pills from Yemen 

The “Al-Wadiah Port Security and Protection Battalion” thwarted an attempt to smuggle 4,925 Captagon pills bound for Saudi Arabia from areas under Houthi…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Arab World Hemedti at the presidential palace in Entebbe on Feb. 20, 2026 (President Museveni’s page on X).

Sudan Government Condemns Ugandan President’s Talks with Hemedti

The Sudanese government has condemned “in the strongest terms” Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s meeting with Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed…

Mohammed Amin Yassin (Nairobi)
Arab World A Syrian government soldier outside Al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa, which holds ISIS detainees (AFP)

ISIS Lashes Out at Syria's Sharaa, Announces ‘New Phase of Operations’

Syria’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday that a Syrian army soldier and a ‌civilian were killed a day earlier by “unknown assailants” in the northern city of…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Arab World Tents are erected to house displaced Palestinian families in the al-Zahara neighborhood, north of the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central of Gaza Strip on February 21, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)

Hamas Official Says Group in Final Stage of Choosing New Chief

A senior Hamas official told AFP on Sunday that the Palestinian movement was in the final phase of selecting a new leader, with two prominent figures competing…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (Lebanese parliament)

Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Parliamentary Elections Will Be Held on Time 

Lebanon continues to come under pressure to postpone the parliamentary elections in May with international powers believing that priority in the country lies…

Mohamed Choucair (Beirut)
Arab World US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee looks on during an interview with Reuters in Jerusalem, September 10, 2025. (Reuters)

US Says Ambassador’s Comments on Middle East and Israel Were Taken Out of Context 

An uproar continued Sunday after the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, said Israel has a right to much of the Middle East, as more Arab and Muslim…

Arab World 18 February 2026, Syria, Al-Hol: A view of al-Hol camp. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa

Syria Closes ISIS-linked al-Hol Camp after Emptying it

Syrian authorities have closed al-Hol camp, which long housed relatives of suspected ISIS militants, after emptying the formerly Kurdish-controlled facility, a…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)

Palestinian Foreign Ministry Condemns US Ambassador to Israel’s Statements

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned statements by the US ambassador to Israel, in which he claimed that Israel has the right…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Israel Carries Out More Strikes in Lebanon amid Lack of Int’l Assurances on Wider Regional Escalation

Lebanese officials say the country has yet to obtain firm or decisive Western guarantees that it will be spared from a larger confrontation in the region as…

Caroline Akoum (Beirut)
Arab World Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa shakes hands with Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Damascus on March 10, 2025. (SANA)

Syrian President Confident in Implementation of SDF Agreement

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is confident in both the mechanism and the pace of implementation of the agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),…

Souad Jarous (Damascus)
Arab World US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee is seen during an interview in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025.(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg, File)

US Ambassador Causes Uproar by Claiming Israel has a Right to Much of the Middle East

Arab and Muslim nations on Saturday sharply condemned comments by the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who said Israel has a right to much of the Middle…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A family walks on their way to shop for Ramadan decorations ahead of the holy month of Ramadan in Benghazi, Libya, February 16, 2026. (Reuters)

Libya’s Ramadan Celebrations Tempered by Economic Woes

Libyans have been enjoying Ramadan with feasts and fireworks -- but soaring prices, a devalued currency and political divisions have left many with little to…

Arab World Head of Libya's Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid Dbeibah. (GNU)

Libya PM Undergoes 'Successful' Treatment at Heart Hospital

Libya's Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah has undergone "successful" treatment at a heart hospital, his office said Saturday, but his specific ailment was not…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A bulldozer clears debris near heavily-damaged buildings in the village of Bednayel in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley region on February 21, 2026, following Israeli strikes. (AFP)

Eight Hezbollah Members Killed in Israel’s Friday Strikes on Lebanon

Attacks carried out by Israel on Friday in eastern Lebanon killed eight members of Hezbollah, an official from the group told AFP on Saturday. Lebanon's…