Arab News
Settler, 19, held over violent attack on Palestinian village
Israeli police on Thursday arrested a 19-year-old illegal settler over a violent attack on the village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinian homes were besieged for nearly three weeks. Dozens of mostly young settler thugs attacked the...
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Chinese president urges region to resist interference, reshape security
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday urged Middle East states to resist external interference and reshape their security order amid the chaos of the US-Iran war. Xi also said China was ready to work with regional countries to safeguard shipping...
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Chinese president arrives in Cairo for three-day state visit
Chinese President Xi Jinping began a three-day state visit to Egypt on Tuesday as the two countries deepen economic ties, expand cooperation in technology and defense, and increasingly align on key regional and international issues It is the Chinese...
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Political, military chiefs hold first meeting under Makkah defense pact
Political and military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan met in Istanbul on Monday for the first time since the three countries signed the Makkah mutual defense pact on Aug. 7. The Strategic Political and Defense Committee formed under...
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Syrian family searching for cardiologist missing since 2012
Hassan Mahmoud is once again confronting the question that has shaped his family for more than 14 years: Where is his brother, Dr. Hayan Mahmoud? Hayan, a cardiologist at Al-Mujtahid Hospital in Damascus, was arrested by intelligence officers of the...
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Israel-backed settlers attack homes
Dozens of masked Israeli settler militants attacked homes surrounding the occupied West Bank village of Qusra on Saturday, the first major attack since a siege by settlers in the area earlier this month drew an international outcry. The settlers...
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Southern Lebanon hit hard by Israel
Residents on Friday check what is left of a house that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Arab Salim village, southern Lebanon. Israeli forces are operating inside a self-declared ‘security zone,’ which runs around 10 km deep inside Lebanese territory...
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Syria back in global financial network
Al-Sharaa paid by card for coffee at a restaurant in the historic Old City of Damascus, alongside Central Bank governor Mohammed Safwat Raslan. “To witness ... the first payment using a Visa card to take place in the heart of Damascus on the day...
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Israeli troops torch farmland and forests in south Lebanon ‘ecocide’
Israeli troops have set fire to vast tracts of forest and farmland in southern Lebanon in what Lebanese Environment Minister Tamara Elzein condemned as “ecocide.” The fires were started deliberately, she said. Haidar Qoteish, 36, who watched fires...
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China defies US sanctions threat to countries that trade with Iran
China reacted with defiance on Tuesday after the US threatened to impose sanctions on countries that traded with Iran. “Cooperation between China and Iran has always been conducted within the framework of international law and should not be interfered...
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Saudi Arabia signs deal with France to build $7bn theme parks near Paris
Saudi Arabia and France signed an agreement on Monday for $7 billion of Saudi investment to build three giant amusement parks on the outskirts of Paris. One of the parks developed by the creators of Qiddiya City in Riyadh is expected to be inspired by...
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French-Saudi partnership seeks to promote stability
On the occasion of his visit to France, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. This visit takes place in a meaningful year, as France and Saudi Arabia celebrate the centenary of the establishment of their...
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Former envoys urge joint French, UK action to save Palestinian territories
Dozens of former senior French and UK diplomats on Saturday urged their governments to work together to uphold international law in the Palestinian territories, accusing Israel of seeking to “destroy” any prospect of a viable Palestinian state. The...
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Yemeni military vows ‘decisive battle’ to drive out the Houthis
Yemen’s military on Thursday pledged a “decisive battle” to defeat the Houthis and recapture Sanaa and other areas controlled by the Iran-backed militia. Government forces launched more than 80 military operations in the past 24 hours, killed a number...
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Japanese foreign minister in Riyadh
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan receives his Japanese counterpart, Toshimitsu Motegi, in Riyadh on Wednesday. Motegi stressed the importance of peace and maritime security in the Middle East.
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KSA leads nations condemning Israel’s rejection of Gaza plan
Saudi Arabia, together with seven other Arab and Islamic countries, condemned Israel’s rejection of US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza on Sunday, saying the stance threatens international efforts to end the war in the Palestinian territory. In...
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Pressure grows on Israel to end settler siege of Palestinian village
About 15 Palestinian family members have been trapped in their homes in the village of Qusra for the past six days, with no access to food, water or power, and the settlers have fought off attempts by the Israeli military to dislodge them. The US has...
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US blasts Israel over settler siege and occupation of south Lebanon
Trump administration officials launched a rare barrage of criticism at Israel on Thursday over settler violence and Israel’s continued military occupation of southern Lebanon. The condemnation came as settlers laid siege to homes in a Palestinian...
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Settlers fight off Israeli military in occupied West Bank village siege
A gang of illegal settlers laying siege to three Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank fought off an attempt by the Israeli military on Wednesday to disperse them The settlers had set up a tent outpost in front of the homes in the village of...
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Four crew killed in Houthi strikes on vessel in Red Sea
The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen killed four people on Tuesday in two missile strikes on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea. The Egyptian-owned Tihamah was carrying cargo from Salalah in Oman to Mocha in Yemen via Djibouti when it was attacked...
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UN experts condemn escalation in attacks against Palestinians
UN experts on Monday condemned the sharp escalation of attacks against Palestinian civilians across the Occupied Palestinian Territory in July, registering a sharp deterioration of an already catastrophic human rights situation. “Despite a ceasefire...
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Saudi Arabia welcomes UN condemnation of Houthis
Saudi Arabia — along with its regional allias — welcomed the UN Security Council’s condemnation of Houthi missile attacks against the Kingdom and commercial shipping, while reaffirming its right to take necessary measures to defend its territory,...
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Israeli troops ‘build earth barrier in Lebanese army-held village’
Israeli troops infiltrated a Lebanese village placed under the control of Lebanon’s army as part of a June agreement, building an earthen barrier there, state media and the local mayor said on Saturday. An AFP correspondent saw the barrier, situated...
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‘Attack on one is attack on all’
Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed a mutual defense agreement on Friday enshrining the principle that an attack on one of the three countries would be treated as an attack against all. The historic pact was signed in a ceremony at Al-Safa...
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Pakistan premier arrives in Jeddah
Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Jeddah on Thursday. He was received at King Abdulaziz International Airport by the deputy governor of the Makkah region, Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, alongside Saudi Minister of...
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Crisis talks over Israeli ‘takeover’ of Al-Aqsa
Arab foreign ministers held emergency talks in Jordan on Wednesday amid fears of an “imminent” takeover of Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem by extremist Israeli settler groups. The talks followed a series of incursions into the compound, including...
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Houthi attacks ‘had no impact,’ Aramco says as profits surge
Attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen had “no material impact on our capabilities,” Aramco president and chief executive Amin Nasser said on Tuesday as the Saudi energy giant reported a 44 percent increase in profits. The Houthi strikes...
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Children among 15 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza
Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza for a second straight day on Sunday, killing at least 15 Palestinians, medics said, despite a US announcement of a breakthrough in efforts to implement last year’s ceasefire agreement. From dawn, Israeli warplanes hit Gaza...
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Israel bombs medicine storage warehouses in Gaza
Israel’s military on Saturday killed two Palestinians in Gaza and destroyed two warehouses near a hospital that were said to be storing medicine in separate strikes, amid uncertainty over whether Israel has accepted a deal reached with Hamas over the...
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Hopes for Gaza peace rise after Hamas agrees to give up arms
Hopes for peace in Gaza rose on Friday after Hamas agreed to give up its weapons and end nearly 40 years of armed “resistance” against Israel. Saudi Arabia immediately welcomed the agreement and commended US President Donald Trump’s “leadership and...
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Saudi Arabia launches global maritime defense alliance
The Kingdom hosted a meeting on Thursday of military chiefs from 43 countries and the EU to discuss a Saudi initiative to establish a multinational maritime defense alliance. The initiative reflects the growing international interest in strengthening...
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Trump vows to ‘hit Iran hard’ as lull in Middle East war ends
US President Donald Trump threatened on Wednesday to “hit Iran hard” after joint Saudi-US strikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq. Those strikes followed two days of drone attacks from Iraqi territory on Saudi energy infrastructure as the Middle East...
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Israeli forces arrest 25 Palestinians and demolish homes in West Bank
Israeli forces on Tuesday arrested at least 25 Palestinians and demolished more Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank. Eight people were detained in Nablus, seven in Tulkarm and its suburbs, three south of Hebron and one in Kafr Qaddum. In...
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Farmer returns to damaged home
Farmer Khalil Qasim Turkiyeh walks up to his damaged house in Zawtar Al-Gharbiyeh in southern Lebanon as Lebanese soldiers deploy to the area following the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
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Oil tanker explodes in Strait of Hormuz after hitting naval mine
An oil tanker exploded in the Strait of Hormuz after colliding with a naval mine, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Sunday. Tasnim said the tanker struck the mine after leaving the route designated by Iran in the strategic...
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UN chief seeks global support for Syria’s transition
UN chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for an end to Israeli violations in the Syrian Arab Republic, and urged international support for the country’s transition on his first visit under the new authorities following years of civil war. Foreign...
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Mayhem in the West Bank
Mayhem erupted in the occupied West Bank on Friday after armed gangs of illegal Israeli settlers attacked five Palestinian villages around the city of Nablus. Four Palestinians and two Israeli soldiers protecting the settlers were killed in one attack...
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Explosion by Israel shakes Lebanon village
Smoke rises from the site of a blast carried out by the Israeli military in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Tibnit on Thursday. The Israeli bombardment has caused widespread destruction.
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Israel demolishes Palestinian home
A Palestinian man helps move salvaged belongings of families whose house was demolished by Israeli forces in the village of Nahalin, southwest of Bethlehem in the occupied West Bank, on Wednesday.
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US ‘going to help Lebanon a lot,’ Trump tells Aoun
Donald Trump pledged substantial American support for Lebanon on Tuesday at a historic meeting in the White House with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Lebanon deserved to be treated with respect after decades of instability and conflict, the US...
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‘This is full-scale war’
Iran is fighting a “fullscale war” with the US, its president said on Monday as the combatants exchanged drone and missile attacks for a 10th day since their interim peace deal collapsed. After another overnight bombardment, on Monday the US battered...
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EU, GCC reject Iran’s control over Hormuz amid rising violence
US and Iranian strikes extended into Sunday, with Washington saying it was punishing Tehran for the deaths of two US servicemen in Jordan and Gulf states announcing responses to Iranian attacks. The EU joined the GCC in condemning Iranian attacks on...
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GCC calls Iran attacks on Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan ‘war crimes’
Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi on Saturday condemned Iran’s recent attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan, describing the strikes on civilian infrastructure as “war crimes.” He said Iran’s actions “constitute a...
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Iran and US turn their fire to civilian infrastructure targets
US military forces struck bridges and an airport in Iran on Friday and Tehran responded by hitting a power and desalination plant in Kuwait, as targets in the Middle East war switched to civilian infrastructure. At least five bridges were struck in...
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US expands its strikes on Iran as Kuwait, Bahrain repel new attacks
Kuwait and Bahrain repelled new attacks from Iran on Thursday as Tehran and Washington again exchanged strikes in the battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said its targets were radar systems, an air defense system and fuel storage at Ali...
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New Iran threat to Gulf: ‘We all export oil or no one does’
The Revolutionary Guards in Tehran on Wednesday threatened to attack all energy exports from the Gulf unless the US lifted its new blockade of Iranian ports and vessels carrying Iranian cargo. US President Donald Trump reimposed the blockade early on...
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Hot enough for you? It’s 50C and heading for a record
The highest recorded temperature in Saudi Arabia was 53C, at Al-Qaisumah in the summer of 2021 — but that record may be about to be broken. Weather chiefs at the National Center for Meteorology said in June that temperatures would soar this summer,...
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Palestinian worker shot dead trying to cross ‘apartheid wall’ in Jerusalem
A Palestinian worker was shot dead by Israeli forces on Monday as he tried to climb over the notorious “apartheid wall” that separates Jerusalem from the occupied West Bank. The incident happened near the town of Bir Nabala, northeast of Jerusalem....
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Al-Sharaa urges People’s Assembly to uphold dialogue
President Ahmad Al-Sharaa on Sunday called on members of the Syrian Arab Republic’s newly inaugurated People’s Assembly to make the legislature a model of responsibility, competence and institutional governance, urging them to promote dialogue, uphold...
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US president warns Iran ‘1,000 missiles are locked and loaded’
US and Iranian leaders traded threats on Saturday as the interim deal to end the war buckled under crossfire in the Middle East and efforts continued to keep talks going. President Donald Trump made threats on social media of further missile attacks...
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Israel alerts US to ‘new plot by Iran to assassinate Trump’
Israel has passed information to the US about a new plot by Iran to kill President Donald Trump, it was revealed on Friday. Washington has been constantly monitoring intelligence about possible plans to assassinate the president, “but the warning from...
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Peace Board plans ‘humanitarian zone’ in Gaza’s devastated Rafah
The Board of Peace set up under the ceasefire deal in Gaza is planning a “humanitarian zone” in Rafah in the south of the Palestinian enclave devastated by Israel’s war. The zone would aim to accommodate tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians...
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Egyptian team ‘robbed by referee’
Arab fans reviled French referee Francois Letexier as the most hated man in football on Tuesday after his bizarre decisions cost Egypt the historic opportunity to knock champions Argentina out of the World Cup. Mo Salah’s heroes came within an...
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Hamas steps down from ruling Gaza after 20 years in power
Hamas on Monday dissolved its government in Gaza and signaled its readiness to hand over power to a group of Palestinian technocrats. The militant group has run Gaza since its fighters seized control in 2007 after winning legislative elections the...
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Israel vows to push ahead with campaign against Hezbollah
Israel’s military chief visited forces deployed around Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon on Sunday, vowing to push ahead with the campaign against Hezbollah. The military “will continue to operate decisively to remove threats from Lebanese territory...
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Iran lays late supreme leader to rest
The body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lay in state in the vast Grand Mosalla in Tehran on Friday as clerics, visiting dignitaries and mourners paid their respects to Iran’s late supreme leader. Iran is staging a week of mass funeral processions for...
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Iran issues new threat to ships trying to cross Strait of Hormuz
Commercial vessels trying to cross the Strait of Hormuz by a route not approved by Iran face new attacks, officials in Tehran threatened on Thursday. The issue of free navigation in the vital waterway threatens to derail continuing discussions between...
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Trump’s top team arrives in Doha amid confusion over new Iran talks
The visit by US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff followed a weekend of crossfire in the Gulf over efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to free navigation. The US and Iran were expected to resume...
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Anger as Syrian villagers forced to flee Israeli violence in southern province
Syria on Monday condemned Israeli incursions and bombardment in the southern province of Deraa after villagers were forced to flee the violence. Angry residents tried to block a road with stones to stop an Israeli patrol in the village of Abidin in...
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Trump threatens to ‘complete the job’ as US, Iran trade strikes
Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned, in the strongest terms, Iran’s latest attacks Kuwait and Bahrain, as well as on “the security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.” Iran launched missiles and drones at US military sites in Kuwait and...
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Airstrike on Gaza tent kills siblings
A boy appears devastated at the funeral of 15-year-old Islam Moussa and her 30-year-old brother Abdallah, who were both killed in their tent in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Saturday. A ceasefire has been in place in the strip since October, but...
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Three more killed in new strikes by Israel on Lebanon
Three people were killed on Thursday in an Israeli strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon. The attack happened on the road between Zawtar and Mayfadoun. It was the third deadly incident since Tuesday, bringing the number of people killed in Israeli...
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US backs plan for Israeli troops to pull out of southern Lebanon
The US on Wednesday backed a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon and pass security control to the Lebanese army. Lebanese troops involved in the proposal would undergo US training and vetting to ensure they were not linked to...
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Israel kills 2 in south Lebanon in first attack for days
Israeli machinegun fire killed two people in southern Lebanon on Tuesday in the first outbreak of violence since Saturday night. The two victims were standing next to a bulldozer that was unblocking a road in Nabatieh Al-Fawqa when they were shot dead....
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13 killed in massive ‘accidental’ blast at Ras Laffan gas supply hub in Qatar
At least 13 people were killed and 66 injured in a massive blast early on Monday at the Ras Laffan gas hub in Qatar. The explosion was “an accident and not sabotage or hostile in nature,” Energy Minister Saad Al-Kaabi said. “It will not affect...
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Iran closes Hormuz over Israel’s continued attacks on Lebanon
Iran on Saturday said it had closed the Strait of Hormuz because of Israel’s continued attacks in Lebanon and warned that while negotiators were going to Switzerland for talks with the US on their interim agreement, not much likely will happen if the...
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It’s a deal! Now come 60 days of tough US-Iran nuclear talks
At least 60 days of hard bargaining between the US and Iran aimed at bringing lasting peace to the Middle East will begin in Switzerland on Friday. After days of secrecy and confusion, US President Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian, president of...
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