Aden, Reuters/Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemeni Prime Minister Khaled Bahah returned to the southern port city of Aden on Wednesday in a step towards restoring a government on home soil after months of working from exile with Gulf Arab allies to fight against Houthi control of the country. Government spo
Few would have expected the Syrian crisis to continue into a fifth year, when it has now become an open arena for extremist organizations while at the same time becoming the scene of a proxy war between the United States and Russia. Both have been indirectly involved in the conflict—in stark c
Anbar, Asharq Al-Awsat—The United States is seeking to give Anbar tribes a greater military role in the fight against the Islamic States of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) whose fighters seized much of the western province in early 2014, an informed tribal source has said. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the c
Tel Aviv, Asharq Al-Awsat—Israeli police attacked Palestinian protesters at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Tuesday for the third day in a row, in what the mosque’s media spokesman Firas Al-Dabs said was “the most violent day” at the site since Israeli forces stormed it on Sunday. A
Washington, Reuters—Russia has positioned about a half dozen tanks at an airfield at the center of a military buildup in Syria, two US officials said on Monday, adding that the intentions of Moscow’s latest deployment of heavy military equipment were unclear. Moscow has come under increased in
Sana’a and Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—A joint military operation to liberate the central Yemeni province of Ma’rib from Houthi rebels began at dawn on Sunday, according to Yemeni military sources. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, the sources said forces from the Yemeni army and volunteers loyal to Yemen’s
Khomeini, de Sade, and Me By Abnousse Shalmani Grasset, 177 pages Paris, 2014 If we are to believe Abnousse Shalmani, being a woman is hard work even in Western democracies boasting of gender equality and human rights. It is even harder in contemporary Iran where a sectarian regime rejects the conce
Algiers, Reuters—President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Sunday replaced the longstanding head of Algeria’s military intelligence agency, his latest move in a campaign to curb the spy chief’s influence in politics. The removal of Mohamed Mediène, chief of the DRS intelligence service for more
Cairo, Reuters/Asharq Al-Awsat—Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi on Saturday asked Oil Minister Sherif Ismail to form a new cabinet within one week after the government submitted its resignation, a statement from the presidency said. It was not immediately clear why the government resigned but
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Iraq will open after the Muslim Eid Al-Adha holiday on September 23, according to informed diplomatic sources, and will mark the resumption of full diplomatic ties between both countries for the first time in 25 years. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, th
The crisis of refugees—Syrians, Iraqis, Yemenis, and others—is everyone’s responsibility amid the international community’s failure to support them. No one, including Gulf countries, has an excuse to not help refugees displaced by conflicts and crises. The Arab Gulf states have recently
Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s ambassador to the United Nations said Friday that peace talks scheduled for next week will be based on UN Security Council resolution 2216 which calls for the immediate withdrawal of Houthi rebels from major cities. On Thursday, the UN said a fresh round of peace
Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat—A giant construction crane toppled over at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, killing at least 107 people and injuring 238, Saudi Arabia’s Civil Defense authority said. A spokesman for the administration of the mosques in Mecca and Medina said the accid
Moscow and Washington, Reuters—Russia called on Friday for military-to-military cooperation with the United States to avert “unintended incidents” as it stages navy exercises off the coast of Syria, where US officials believe Moscow is building up forces to protect President Bashar Al-As
Within days the US Congress is to reach a decision regarding the deal that President Barack Obama claims he has made with Iran for curbing its nuclear program. Regardless of that decision, however, Obama has stated that he would use his power to make sure the deal does not fall victim to political i
Washington, Asharq Al-Awsat—Rivals in Yemen have agreed to hold direct peace talks mediated by the United Nations next week, the international body said on Thursday. The UN said Special Envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed welcomed the commitment of Yemen’s exiled government, the Houthis and the General P
United Nations, Reuters—Palestine’s flag will fly at United Nations headquarters after the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a Palestinian resolution, infuriating Israel with a move that Palestinians described as a step toward UN membership. There were 119 votes in favor out of 193 U
Paris, Asharq Al-Awsat—The nuclear deal reached between Iran and six world powers fails to address Tehran’s destabilizing activities in the region, Bahrain’s top diplomat has warned. In an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa said th
Moscow, Beirut and Washington, Reuters—Russian forces have begun participating in military operations in Syria in support of government troops, three Lebanese sources familiar with the political and military situation there said on Wednesday. The sources, speaking to Reuters on condition they not be
News of Syrian refugees struggling to enter Austria and Germany from Hungary has dominated headlines around the world for the past week. None of the refugees wants to stay in Hungary or Serbia, or any of the countries they pass through on the way to Germany, according to the Hungarian prime minister
