Arab World News

How Gaza Armed Gangs Recruit New Members

Arab World Security personnel guard trucks carrying aid as they arrive in Rafah, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the southern Gaza Strip January 17, 2024. (Reuters)

How Gaza Armed Gangs Recruit New Members

As Hamas moves to strike armed gangs operating in areas of the Gaza Strip under Israeli army control, the groups are responding with defiance, stepping up…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Palestinians attend Friday prayers in a mosque following an attack that local Palestinians said was carried out by Israeli settlers, in the village of Deir Istiya near Salfit in the Israeli-occupied West Bank November 14, 2025. REUTERS/Sinan Abu Mayzer

Israel Permits 10,000 West Bank Palestinians for Friday Prayers at Al Aqsa

Israel announced that it will cap the number of Palestinian worshippers from the occupied West Bank attending weekly Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

EU Exploring Support for New Gaza Administration Committee, Document Says

The European Union is exploring possible support for a new committee established to take over the civil administration of Gaza, according to a document…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighborhood, after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, October 21, 2025. (Reuters)

Israel Military Says Soldier Killed in Gaza 

The Israeli military announced that one of its soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Gaza on Wednesday, but a security source said the death appeared…

Arab World People sit outdoors surrounded by nature, with the Tigris river flowing in the background, following a long atmospheric depression, near the Syrian-Turkish border in Derik, Syria, February 16, 2026 REUTERS/Orhan Qereman

Syria: SDF’s Mazloum Abdi Says Implementation of Integration Deal May Take Time

Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the process of merging the SDF with Syrian government forces “may take some time,” despite…

Souad Jarous (Damascus)

Arab World A Hamas banner reading “We Are the Flood… We Are the Day After” during the handover of a group of Israeli hostages (file photo – AFP)

After Two Years of War, Tally of Israel-Hamas Prisoner Swaps

Israel’s military on Friday released new footage of the rescue of two hostages, Fernando Simon Marman and Norberto Louis Har, Israeli nationals who also hold…

Asharq Al Awsat (Gaza)
Arab World Syrian Democratic Forces members stand by vehicles, as they withdraw from the front lines, following an agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Hasakah, Syria, February 10, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman

European Parliament Says Parties Encouraged to Uphold Existing Ceasefire Deal in Northeast Syria

The European Parliament on Friday strongly condemned all acts of violence against civilians in northeast Syria and called upon the government and the Syrian…

Asharq Al Awsat (Strasbourg)
Arab World Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, speaks as Mahmoud Ali Youssouf (R), Chairperson of the African Union Commission listens on during the closing press conference of the Second Italy-Africa Summit at the Addis International Convention Center (AICC) in Addis Ababa on February 13, 2026. (Photo by Marco Simoncelli / AFP)

African Union Chair: ‘Extermination' of Palestinians Must Stop

The "extermination" of the Palestinian people must end, the chairman of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, said on Saturday as he launched the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Saudi support for Yemen as part of the economic stability programs (X)

International Report Sees Improvement in Yemeni Liberated Areas Thanks to Saudi Support

The food insecurity crisis in Yemen continues to worsen, especially in Houthi controlled areas, despite relative stabilized conditions in regions controlled by…

Mohammed Nasser (Aden)
Arab World People fill water tanks from a mobile tanker in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza (AFP)

Hamas Bid to Join Gaza Administration Faces Rejection

Hamas has repeatedly declared its readiness to hand over authority to the Gaza Administration Committee immediately. However, the transfer has yet to…

Mohamed Mahmoud (Cairo)
Arab World Members of Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces during earlier security measures at the start of the year (File Photo– ISF)

Lebanon Moves to Curb Illegal Weapons Sources

Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) said on Friday they carried out a raid as part of efforts to combat the illicit trade in military-grade weapons,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World  Flames rise from a building that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Ain Qana village, south Lebanon, on Feb. 2, 2026. (AP)

Lebanon Detains 41 Since War on Suspicion of Collaborating with Israel

Lebanon’s State Security agency has arrested a Syrian national suspected of communicating with Israelis for commercial purposes, just two days after entering…

Youssef Diab (Beirut)
Arab World Trump and leaders and representatives of participating states sign the founding charter of the Board of Peace in Davos on Jan. 22, 2026. (AFP)

Egypt Rallies Support on Gaza Before ‘Board of Peace’ Meeting

Egypt intensified contacts with Arab and Islamic countries to align positions on Gaza ahead of a planned Board of Peace meeting, pressing for the “full and non…

Waleed Abdulrahman (Cairo)
Arab World Remnants of a shell that targeted the refugee center, in El Fasher, Sudan, October 7, 2025. REUTERS/Mohyaldeen M Abdallah

War crimes committed in Sudan's El-Fasher: UN report

The UN rights office on Friday accused Sudan's Rapid Support Forces of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity during the capture of El-Fasher, saying…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World US military vehicles move ahead of buses transporting ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq, according to a security source from the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Qamishli, Syria. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman

US Military Completes Transfer of 5,700 ISIS Detainees from Syria to Iraq

The US military has completed the transfer of thousands of ISIS group detainees from Syria to Iraq, where they are expected to stand trial in the future, the…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Farmers in the North African kingdom have for the past few years endured severe drought © - / AFP

Floods Wreak Havoc in Morocco Farmlands after Severe Drought

In the Moroccan village of Ouled Salama, 63-year-old farmer Mohamed Reouani waded through his crops, now submerged by floodwaters after days of heavy downpours…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World A street in Moroccan capital Rabat (File photo/AFP)

Maroc Telecom Reports $760 Million Profit in 2025

Maroc Telecom, Morocco's largest telecoms operator, said on Friday its net profit soared to 6.969 billion dirhams ($760 million) in 2025, distorted by a very…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and members of the Lebanese government attend a parliament session in Beirut, Lebanon July 15, 2025. REUTERS/Emilie Madi

Lebanon's Berri Says Parliamentary Election Must be Held on Time

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said on Friday he was committed to holding a parliamentary election as scheduled on May 10, despite calls from some…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese listens to a journalist during an interview ahead of the conference on "A Cartography of Genocide: Israel's Conduct in Gaza since October 2023", an investigative project on Israeli-Palestinian conflict, at the Roma Tre University, in Rome, Italy, October 6, 2025. (Reuters)

UN Voices Concern Over Criticism of Expert on Palestinian Rights 

A UN human rights spokesperson said on Friday she was very worried about attacks on independent UN experts after European governments criticized the…

Arab World Two Lebanese army soldiers at a military border post with Israel in the village of Alma El Chaab in southern Lebanon (Archive - AP)

Lebanese Army Support Hinges on Disarmament Plan North of Litani

The Qatari capital is set to host a preparatory meeting on Sunday ahead of an international conference in Paris aimed at supporting the Lebanese Armed Forces…

Michel Abou Najm (Paris)
Arab World UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg addresses the Security Council. (Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen/ Abdel Rahman Alzorgan)

Grundberg Warns Against Reversal of Gains in Yemen, Broader Conflict 

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg noted on Thursday a relative improvement in conditions in areas held by the legitimate government, warning, however,…

Asharq Al Awsat (Aden)
Arab World Iraqi security forces lead suspected ISIS militants for questioning, after they were transferred from Syria to Iraq, at Al-Karkh Central Prison in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

ISIS Suspects Transferred from Syria to Iraq are Interrogated in a Baghdad Prison

Inside a heavily guarded detention facility in Baghdad, men from scores of different countries and nationalities were brought one after another into…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World Lebanese truck drivers block the road on the Lebanese side of the Masnaa border crossing in protest against Syria's decision to ban non-Syrian trucks from entering its territory, on February 10, 2025. (Photo by Hassan JARRAH / AFP)

Lebanon, Syria Reach Temporary Solution for Freight Trucks Crisis

Lebanon has secured temporary exemptions for freight vehicles hauling certain goods after a recent ban by Damascus on foreign trucks. Damascus had issued a…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World A general view of Al-Hol camp located in a desert region of Hasakeh province in Syria. Reuters file photo

Humanitarian Organizations: Most Families of Foreign Militants Left Al-Hol Camp in Syria

Most foreign families have left northeast Syria's Al-Hol camp, which holds relatives of ISIS militants, since the departure of Kurdish forces who previously…

Asharq Al Awsat (Beirut)
Arab World File photo of the Heglig oil field in southern Kordofan, Sudan (Reuters)

Sudan Oil Minister Says War Losses in Billions

Sudan’s Oil and Energy Minister Al-Mutasim Ibrahim said the estimated cost of heavy losses and damage inflicted on the oil and energy sector by the war amounts…

Asharq Al Awsat (Khartoum)
Arab World Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency

US Increases its Pressure on Iran in Iraq

US pressure over Iranian influence in Iraq is increasing amid consultations to form a new government and messages from Washington affirming its willingness to…

Asharq Al Awsat (Baghdad)
Arab World Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

German Parliament Speaker Visits Gaza

The speaker of Germany's lower house of parliament briefly visited the Israeli-controlled part of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the body told AFP. Julia…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World FILE: Members of the Maghawir al-Thawra Syrian opposition group receive firearms training from US Army Special Forces soldiers at the al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria in 2018. (AP/Lolita Baldor)

Syria Says its Forces Have Taken over al-Tanf Base after a Handover from the US

Syrian government forces have taken control of a base in the east of the country that was run for years by US troops as part of the war against the ISIS group,…

Asharq Al Awsat
Arab World People stand outside a closed court during a nationwide strike in Tunis, Tunisia November 22, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

Appeal Trial of Tunisia Jailed Prominent Lawyer Starts

The appeal trial of a prominent Tunisian lawyer jailed on anti-terror charges started on Thursday, after the judge rejected the defense's demand of his…

Asharq Al Awsat