Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Turkish police conducted raids on the offices of the opposition newspaper Bugün in Ankara on Tuesday, amid fears the government is cracking down on dissent before elections on November 1. A Turkish government source told Asharq Al-Awsat the raids were part of an investigation
From Egypt to Lebanon and Iraq, we are seeing a resurgence in street mobilization. Each of the protest movements in these countries are calling for the state to once again fulfill its proper role, after people have suffered as a result of politicians’ attempts to turn these countries into “nation sl
Kuwait, Reuters—Kuwait has charged 26 people with possessing weapons and having contacts with Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group in order to plot attacks against the Gulf state. The case relates to the seizure of an arms cache in Kuwait last month which local newspapers have reported was smuggled
Some claim the street protests organized by civil society activists in the Lebanese capital Beirut point to the collapse of Lebanon’s political elite. Well, this isn’t exactly true since the Lebanese political elite collapsed and went bankrupt a long time ago. Thus, there was no need for a couple of
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Two of Iraq’s three outgoing vice presidents say Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi’s decision to cancel their posts is unconstitutional. In exclusive comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Osama Al-Nujaifi, one of the three vice president post-holders, said that while he supported Abadi’
Jerusalem and Cairo, Reuters—Egypt’s historic gas discovery threatens to sink Israel’s fledgling gas export bonanza, which was counting on deals with Cairo to get it off the ground. Italian oil company Eni stunned markets on Sunday after declaring the Mediterranean’s biggest-ever a
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Lebanon’s army chief Jean Kahwaji will be appointed by lawmakers as the country’s president, in order to quell widespread public anger over a dysfunctional political system and a presidential vacuum that has now lasted for over a year. A source from the 14 March Alliance̵
Sana’a and Jeddah, Asharq Al-Awsat—Forces belonging to the anti-Houthi coalition led by Saudi Arabia have entered the Houthis’ northern stronghold Saada, according to Yemeni military sources. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said ground troops from the ten-country-strong coalition wer
London, Asharq Al-Awsat—Is Iran’s “Supreme Guide” Ali Khamenei created from the same substance as angels? The question is part of a galaxy of theories and counter-theories used to build up his personality cult as a figure beyond and above mere mortals. In the 17th century the theologian of Isf
Cairo, AP—Egypt on Sunday announced that long-awaited parliamentary elections will take place in October and November. Ayman Abbas, head of the Supreme Election Committee, said that half the country’s 27 governorates will vote on October 18–19. The second stage will take place for the re
Sana’a and Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—A coordinated ground operation including forces from the Saudi-led anti-Houthi coalition, the Yemeni army, and volunteers loyal to Yemen’s government will soon be launched to liberate areas of the country still under the control of the Iran-backed Houthi movem
The Iranian regime’s bad reputation is not merely propaganda that has been fabricated against it ever since the revolution against the Shah—as it maintains. It is actually the true face of a regime that has for more than 36 years exported conflict, revolution, violence, and extremist and hosti
Beirut, Reuters—A ceasefire in a Syrian town near the Lebanese border and in two villages to the north has broken down after renewed heavy shelling, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Saturday. The truce between the Syrian army and the Lebanese group Hezbollah on the on
Aden, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen’s exiled President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi on Friday ordered the formation of a new brigade consisting of about 5,000 fighters mainly from the strategic city of Aden in a push to integrate southern loyalists into army ranks, a presidential adviser said. Speaking to Asharq
Baghdad, Reuters—Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi on Friday ordered security forces to ease access to Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone and main streets, in an apparent bid to improve daily life for ordinary Iraqis as the country braces for fresh protests. The capital and many southern cities
All the 19 years he spent living in hiding and under assumed identities did not protect Ahmed Al-Mughassil from being eventually caught. Mughassil, who thought he had escaped from justice, was caught by the Saudi authorities in a complex intelligence operation this month. It is not surprising that M
Promoting the “deal” he claims he has made with Iran, President Barack Obama is trying to cast himself as heir to a tradition of “peace through negotiations” followed by US presidents for decades. In that context he has named Presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan as shining exa
Dammam, Asharq Al-Awsat—Ahmed Al-Mughassil, the suspected mastermind of the 1996 Kohbar Towers bombing, was arrested at Beirut’s airport by the Lebanese authorities three weeks ago, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said on Thursday, quoting a senior Lebanese security official. “Internal Security Forces (I
Washington, Reuters/Asharq Al-Awsat—A British hacker who US and European officials said became a top cyber expert for Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has been killed in a US drone strike, a US source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. It was the second reported killing of a senior IS
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Talks between the UN envoy and the Houthis in Oman are showing “positive signs” towards finding a political solution to the conflict that has gripped Yemen for almost a year, a minister from Yemen’s exiled government has said. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Yemen’s Human
