Arab News

Lebanon is ramping up security and logistical preparations ahead of the funeral procession for former Hezbollah Secretary-Generals Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, set to take place on Sunday, in Beirut, including gun restrictions during the period. A high-level security meeting was held on Friday at the Baabda Presidential Palace, chaired by President Joseph Aoun, to prevent escalations […]

Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi was extradited to the UAE last month after criticising the government on social media [Getty] Amnesty International has called for urgent action to be taken to secure the immediate release of the Egyptian-Turkish poet Abdul Rahman al-Qaradawi amid growing fears for his safety in detention in the UAE. The opposition writer has

Ghotmeh poses beside of The Serpentine Pavilion in Kensington Gardens in London in 2023 [Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty] The British Museum said Friday it had chosen French-Lebanese architect Lina Ghotmeh to redesign a third of the venue’s gallery space – including a section housing the disputed Parthenon Marbles. The museum, one of London’s biggest tourist

Keir Starmer has been accused of banning entry of Palestinians seeking refuge to the UK [Getty] UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been accused of banning entry to Gazans after branding a legal provision that allowed a Palestinian family to seek refuge in Britain as a “loophole”. The family of six, including four children, had

On the evening of 8 December 2025, terms like ‘walls had ears’, ‘mint’ (no longer just referring to green mint leaves), and ‘Molokhia’ – the delectable, lemony, leafy dish – all had completely different meanings. These popular euphemisms, used by Syrians under the Assad regime, were among the many prohibited expressions, and openly mentioning them

No details on what was discussed between Sharaa and the Chinese ambassador were given [Getty/file photo] Syria’s Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa met China’s ambassador to Damascus in the first public engagement between the two countries since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December, Syrian state media said on Friday. China, which backed Assad, saw its

Iraq’s oil minister made a surprise announcement on Monday that exports from Kurdistan would resume next week [Getty/file photo] US President Donald Trump’s administration is piling pressure on Iraq to allow Kurdish oil exports to restart or face sanctions alongside Iran, eight sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. A speedy resumption of

The 7 October attack, which took Israeli forces by surprise, has been the subject of multiple reviews amid accusations of security lapses [Getty] The late commander of Hamas‘ military wing, Mohammed Deif, had considered calling off Operation Al-Aqsa Flood just hours before it took place on 7 October 2023, Israeli media reported on Friday. Deif

A funeral ceremony held in Baghdad for Abu Haidar al-Hafaji, a commander of the Iraqi Shia faction Kata’ib Hezbollah, who was killed in an Israeli attack in Damascus, on September 22, 2024. (Photo by Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty] Iraq is bracing itself for possible US sanctions if the government does not disarm Iran-linked Iraqi armed factions and break

Israel has sparked global outrage after dropping leaflets over the besieged Gaza Strip, warning Palestinians to either cooperate with its forces or face forced displacement or eradication. The messages, written in Arabic, carried explicit threats, including the chilling statement: “The world map will not change if all the people of Gaza cease to exist.” The move, condemned