Before a year ago, mystery, intrigue and frustration surrounded the search for any report, photograph, or fact relating to Qassem Suleimani, the leader of Iran’s Quds Force, a division of its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. For more than two decades Suleimani’s mission has been to export the val
As the world focuses its attention on fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), from Syria and Iraq to Libya, the serious dangers posed by Iran-backed Shi’ite militias in Iraq are barely noticed. US President Barack Obama’s clear enthusiasm for the war on ISIS and his recent overtures tow
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi on Sunday accused the Shi’ite Houthi movement, former Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh, and Iran of conspiring to destabilize Yemen. Informed sources said the comments came following meetings Hadi held on Sunday with a delegation rep
Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—”Malicious” attempts aimed at damaging Saudi–Egyptian ties are doomed to fail, Egypt’s ambassador to the Kingdom said, as the leaders of the two Arab states met in Riyadh on Sunday. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, ambassador Afifi Abdel Wahab said: “Regardless
Washington, Reuters—The United States and Israel showed signs of seeking to defuse tensions on Sunday ahead of a speech in Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he will warn against a possible nuclear deal with Iran. Policy differences over the negotiations with Iran remained
Reuters—Spain’s center-right Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy hit back on Sunday against accusations from Greece’s leftist premier that Spain and Portugal had led a conservative conspiracy to topple his anti-austerity government. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Spain and Portugal ha
The UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura has succeeded in achieving only one thing: arousing anger in most Syrians. He started his mission four months ago with a disappointing plan based on a ceasefire in Aleppo. But he is yet to accomplish anything. Although he focused his ambitions on a cessation
Beirut and Erbil, Asharq Al-Awsat—Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdish armed separatist movement the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), on Saturday called on members of the PKK to take an “historic” decision and end a decades-long armed insurgency against Turkey. The announcement came
Sana’a and Riyadh, Asharq Al-Awsat—Yemen and Iran’s civil aviation authorities on Saturday signed an agreement to operate direct flights between both countries, according to Yemen’s state news agency SABA, a move many in the region will see as another sign of Tehran’s growing influence in the Arabia
Cairo, AP—An Egyptian court on Sunday ruled as unconstitutional a clause in the election law that draws voting districts, a verdict that is almost certain to delay parliamentary elections scheduled to start later this month. President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said in a statement that he has ordered the
Moscow, Reuters—Opposition supporters will march through Moscow on Sunday in memory of Kremlin critic Boris Nemtsov, whose murder has increased concern about Russia’s future among opponents of President Vladimir Putin. Thousands of people laid flowers and lit candles on Saturday on a bridge ne
Al-Baghdadi (Al-Anbar), Asharq Al-Awsat—Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters are continuing to advance towards the strategic Ain Al-Assad air base where US Marines are training Iraqi troops, a local commander told Asharq Al-Awsat. The move comes as part of ISIS’s attempts to take fu
Ankara, AP—Imprisoned Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan has called on his fighters to lay down arms as part of a peace process to end a 30-year insurgency, Turkey’s main Kurdish party said Saturday. Ocalan is asking his Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, to hold an extraordinary congre
Cairo, Asharq Al-Awsat—From his office in Cairo, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat about the path he is carving out for his country since taking power eight months ago. While admitting that Egypt still has many obstacles to overcome, the president was confident t
Baghdad, Reuters—Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants who destroyed priceless antiquities from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul have kept some artifacts to sell, Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi said on Saturday, vowing to prevent the radical Islamists from smuggling them to market. Respon
Sana’a, Asharq Al-Awsat—Questions have been raised once again about the viability of national dialogue in Yemen to resolve the deteriorating political situation as factions failed to agree on a city to host the UN-brokered negotiations. UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar has been tasked with nami
Beirut, AP—Backed by US-led coalition airstrikes, Kurdish fighters fought their way Friday into a northeastern Syrian town that was a key stronghold of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants, only days after the group abducted dozens of Christians in the volatile region, Syrian activists a
Moscow, AP—A few hours after going on the radio to denounce President Vladimir Putin’s policies as mad, charismatic opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was gunned down early Saturday as he walked near the Kremlin. Colleagues in Russia’s beleaguered and marginalized opposition pointed fingers
Several facts these days give the impression that the Arab world has no clear vision as to where it stands in the unfolding Middle East developments. Most Arab countries seem as if they are unable to respond rationally to these developments which now endanger their national unity, if not their very
A UN probe has stated that former president of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh amassed a fortune of up to 60 billion US dollars during his time in power. It is an unimaginable number, even when judged by the standard of wealthy nations. His actual wealth is probably less than a quarter of this amount, but
