عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

SDF Denies ISIS Presence in Afrin, Acknowledges Foreign Fighters in its Ranks

Plumes of smoke rise on the air from inside Syria, as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey on January 20, 2018. (AP)
Plumes of smoke rise on the air from inside Syria, as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey on January 20, 2018. (AP)
TT
TT

SDF Denies ISIS Presence in Afrin, Acknowledges Foreign Fighters in its Ranks

Plumes of smoke rise on the air from inside Syria, as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey on January 20, 2018. (AP)
Plumes of smoke rise on the air from inside Syria, as seen from the outskirts of the border town of Kilis, Turkey on January 20, 2018. (AP)

The Syrian Democratic Forces denied on Wednesday Turkish military claims that the ISIS terrorist group was present in the Afrin region in northern Syria where it has been waging a military offensive against Kurdish factions.

“The whole world knows ISIS is not present in Afrin,” Redur Xelil, a senior SDF official, told Reuters.

He said the Turkish military had greatly exaggerated SDF casualties, though he declined to say how many had been killed.

The Turkish army had announced on Tuesday that at least 260 People’s Protection Units and ISIS members had died in the offensive that it launched last week.

Xelil said that the SDF had killed dozens of Turkish soldiers and their allies in the Free Syrian Army. He declined however from giving an exact figure.

In addition, he revealed that foreign fighters, including Americans, Britons and Germans, were fighting with the Kurdish factions against the Turkish offensive.

Meanwhile, a US official expected President Donald Trump to contact his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday to express his concern about Ankara’s Afrin operation.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

CENTCOM: Uncrewed Aerial System Launched from Yemen's Houthi Area, No Injuries Reported

FILED - 19 November 2023: A handout photo, made available on 21 November 2023, by the Houthi Military Media Center, depicts Houthi helicopter flying over the cargo ship 'Galaxy Leader' as they seize it in the Red Sea off the coast of Hodeidah. Photo: dpa
FILED - 19 November 2023: A handout photo, made available on 21 November 2023, by the Houthi Military Media Center, depicts Houthi helicopter flying over the cargo ship 'Galaxy Leader' as they seize it in the Red Sea off the coast of Hodeidah. Photo: dpa
TT
TT

CENTCOM: Uncrewed Aerial System Launched from Yemen's Houthi Area, No Injuries Reported

FILED - 19 November 2023: A handout photo, made available on 21 November 2023, by the Houthi Military Media Center, depicts Houthi helicopter flying over the cargo ship 'Galaxy Leader' as they seize it in the Red Sea off the coast of Hodeidah. Photo: dpa
FILED - 19 November 2023: A handout photo, made available on 21 November 2023, by the Houthi Military Media Center, depicts Houthi helicopter flying over the cargo ship 'Galaxy Leader' as they seize it in the Red Sea off the coast of Hodeidah. Photo: dpa

An uncrewed aerial system was launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen into the Gulf of Aden on Friday, with no injuries or damage reported by US coalition, or commercial ships, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday.
CENTCOM later said it had destroyed three aerial systems launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen into the Red Sea.

Arab World

UN Voices Concern over Fighting in Sudan's Darfur Involving 'Heavy Weaponry'

El-Fasher has been rocked by fighting involving "heavy weaponry" - AFP
El-Fasher has been rocked by fighting involving "heavy weaponry" - AFP
TT
TT

UN Voices Concern over Fighting in Sudan's Darfur Involving 'Heavy Weaponry'

El-Fasher has been rocked by fighting involving "heavy weaponry" - AFP
El-Fasher has been rocked by fighting involving "heavy weaponry" - AFP

A major city in Sudan's western region of Darfur has been rocked by fighting involving "heavy weaponry", a senior UN official said Saturday.

Violence erupted in populated areas of El-Fasher, putting about 800,000 people at risk, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, said in a statement.

Wounded civilians were being rushed to hospital and civilians were trying to flee the fighting, she added, AFP reported.

"I am gravely concerned by the eruption of clashes in (El-Fasher) despite repeated calls to parties to the conflict to refrain from attacking the city," said Nkweta-Salami.

"I am equally disturbed by reports of the use of heavy weaponry and attacks in highly populated areas in the city center and the outskirts of (El-Fasher), resulting in multiple casualties," she added.

For more than a year, Sudan has suffered a war between the army, headed by the country's de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than 8.5 million to flee their homes in what the United Nations has called the "largest displacement crisis in the world".

The RSF has seized four out of five state capitals in Darfur, a region about the size of France and home to around one quarter of Sudan's 48 million people.

UN chief Antonio Guterres said Saturday he was "very concerned about the ongoing war in Sudan".

"We need an urgent ceasefire and a coordinated international effort to deliver a political process that can get the country back on track," he said in a post on social media site X.

Arab World

Biden Says Gaza Ceasefire Possible 'Tomorrow' If Hamas Frees Hostages

Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Thursday, May 9, 2024. © Abdel Kareem Hana, AP
Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Thursday, May 9, 2024. © Abdel Kareem Hana, AP
TT
TT

Biden Says Gaza Ceasefire Possible 'Tomorrow' If Hamas Frees Hostages

Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Thursday, May 9, 2024. © Abdel Kareem Hana, AP
Displaced Palestinians arrive in central Gaza after fleeing from the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Thursday, May 9, 2024. © Abdel Kareem Hana, AP

US President Joe Biden said Saturday that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war was possible as soon as "tomorrow" if the militant group released its hostages.

"There would be a ceasefire tomorrow if Hamas would release the hostages," Biden said at a fundraiser outside Seattle, at the home of a former Microsoft executive, after avoiding the topic at three similar events on Friday.

"Israel said it's up to Hamas, if they wanted to do it, we could end it tomorrow. And the ceasefire would begin tomorrow," Biden told the crowd of about 100 people, AFP reported.

The president raised the issue after warning Israel on Wednesday that he would stop supplying artillery shells and other weapons if its forces attack the city of Rafah, in southern Gaza, as he deplored the fact that civilians had been killed by the dropping of US bombs.

"If they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used... to deal with the cities," Biden said in a televised interview with CNN.

"We're not gonna supply the weapons and the artillery shells that have been used."

Hamas and Israel have so far failed to reach a ceasefire deal despite repeated rounds of indirect negotiations.

Some 250 people were abducted to the Gaza Strip on October 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel.

Israeli officials say 128 of them are still held captive in the Palestinian territory, including at least 36 who are dead.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Arab World

Saudi Arabia's KSrelief, IRVD Sign Deal to Operate Artificial Limbs, Rehabilitation Center in Yemen

The agreement was signed by the Center’s Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs, Engineer Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz, at the KSrelief's headquarters in Riyadh, SPA.
The agreement was signed by the Center’s Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs, Engineer Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz, at the KSrelief's headquarters in Riyadh, SPA.
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia's KSrelief, IRVD Sign Deal to Operate Artificial Limbs, Rehabilitation Center in Yemen

The agreement was signed by the Center’s Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs, Engineer Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz, at the KSrelief's headquarters in Riyadh, SPA.
The agreement was signed by the Center’s Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs, Engineer Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz, at the KSrelief's headquarters in Riyadh, SPA.

TheKing Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) signed a joint cooperation agreement this week with the international Wars and Disaster’s victims’ protection Association (IRVD) to implement the Artificial Limbs and Rehabilitation Center in Seiyun in Yemen's Hadhramout.
The agreement was signed by the Center’s Assistant Supervisor General for Operations and Programs, Engineer Ahmed bin Ali Al-Baiz, at the KSrelief's headquarters in Riyadh, SPA reported.
The Director of the Health and Environmental Aid Department at KSrelief, Dr. Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Muallem, said in a statement that the agreement intends to provide physical rehabilitation services to people with special needs and following up on them to enable them to serve their community, through diagnosis and determining the treatment plan for each patient individually, the installation of artificial limbs and functional rehabilitation services for prosthetic limbs.
The agreement will deal with raising the capabilities of the medical and technical staff professionally and scientifically and qualifying them to deal with specific cases, in addition to minimizing the migration of specialized medical and technical staff. The agreement aims to benefit 1,625 individuals.
The agreement comes within the framework of a series of humanitarian and relief projects implemented by the Kingdom through its humanitarian arm, the KSrelief to alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people as a result of the humanitarian crisis they are currently experiencing.

Arab World

Tunisia Punishes Swimming Federation in Dispute Over Flag

Tunisian President Kais Saied shaking hands with Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani - (Presidency)
Tunisian President Kais Saied shaking hands with Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani - (Presidency)
TT
TT

Tunisia Punishes Swimming Federation in Dispute Over Flag

Tunisian President Kais Saied shaking hands with Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani - (Presidency)
Tunisian President Kais Saied shaking hands with Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani - (Presidency)

Tunisian President Kais Saied ordered the board of the national swimming federation dissolved after the country's flag was covered at a meet in Tunis in response to sanctions by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Images on social media showed the flag covered by a red cloth on Friday during the Tunisian Open Masters championship, organized by the national swimming federation at the Rades Olympic pool.

At the end of April, WADA suspended Tunisia's National Anti-Doping Agency (ANAD) for non-compliance with its code. Among the punishments, said WADA, "Tunisia's flag will not be flown at regional, continental or world championships".

On Friday night, a video released by the president's office showed Saied visiting the pool, near Tunis, raising the flag and singing the national anthem, AFP reported.

In a meeting with Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani and other cabinet members, Saied said the country cannot "tolerate this. Tunisia comes before the Olympic Committee and before any other committees".

An apparently agitated Saied called the flag covering "an act of aggression".

In a statement issued overnight Friday-Saturday, the Tunisian youth and sports ministry announced the dissolution of the swimming federation board, as well as the dismissal the ANAD chief and a sports official in Ben Arous governorate near Tunis.

The decision followed "instructions" by President Saied "to take immediate measures... against those responsible for the incident of hiding the national flag", the statement said.

Announcing the ban, WADA said that until Tunisia complies with the revised World Anti-Doping Code introduced in 2021, it would not host major sporting events and is barred from flying its flag at sporting events, including at the upcoming Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in July and August.

Tunisian authorities have announced amendments meant to bring the country in line with the code, but WADA has yet to lift its sanctions.

Tunisia has one defending Olympic swimming champion, the 2021 400m freestyle gold medallist Ahmed Hafnaoui, but the 21-year-old said on May 8 he was suffering from an unspecified injury and might not compete in Paris.

Arab World

KSrelief Pumps Over 1 Million Liters of Water in Yemen's Hodeidah

Photo by SPA
Photo by SPA
TT
TT

KSrelief Pumps Over 1 Million Liters of Water in Yemen's Hodeidah

Photo by SPA
Photo by SPA

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) has continued implementation of the water supply and environmental sanitation project in Al-Khawkhah district in Hodeidah governorate, Yemen.
During the period from April 3rd to April 9th, 2024, 644,000 liters of usable water were pumped, and 630,000 liters of potable water were pumped into the tanks.

Also, 25 shifts worked to remove waste from camps housing displaced people. These services have benefitted 9,800 individuals.

Arab World

Germany's Scholz: Ground Attack on Rafah Would Be Irresponsible

Internally displaced Palestinians prepare to leave with their belongings after an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, near the Egyptian border in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 11 May 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Internally displaced Palestinians prepare to leave with their belongings after an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, near the Egyptian border in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 11 May 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
TT
TT

Germany's Scholz: Ground Attack on Rafah Would Be Irresponsible

Internally displaced Palestinians prepare to leave with their belongings after an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, near the Egyptian border in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 11 May 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD
Internally displaced Palestinians prepare to leave with their belongings after an evacuation order issued by the Israeli army, near the Egyptian border in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, 11 May 2024. EPA/HAITHAM IMAD

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Saturday that a ground attack on Gaza's southern city of Rafah by Israel would be irresponsible and lead to a massive loss of civilian lives.
"We think an offensive on Rafah would be irresponsible. We warn against it," Scholz said at a webcast event organized by German newspaper group RND, according to Reuters.
"We don't believe that there is any approach that would not lead in the end to incredible loss of human life of innocent civilians," Scholz said, adding that he had told this to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Despite heavy US pressure and alarm expressed by residents and humanitarian groups, Israel has said it will proceed with an incursion into Rafah, where more than 1 million displaced people have sought refuge during the seven-month war.
Israel called on Saturday for Palestinians in more areas of Rafah to evacuate and head to what it calls an expanded humanitarian area in Al-Mawasi, in a further indication that the military is pressing ahead with its plans for a ground attack.

Arab World

Hamas Says Another Israeli Hostage Held in Gaza Is Dead

Relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7 protest outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on April 25, 2024. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
Relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7 protest outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on April 25, 2024. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
TT
TT

Hamas Says Another Israeli Hostage Held in Gaza Is Dead

Relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7 protest outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on April 25, 2024. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)
Relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza since October 7 protest outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv on April 25, 2024. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP)

Hamas said on Saturday that another one of the hostages abducted during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel has died.

Hamas released a video saying that Nadav Popplewell, who was taken hostage from the southern Israeli community of Kibbutz Nirim, died after being wounded in an Israeli strike in Gaza.

The Israeli military did not offer immediate comment on the latest video. It has referred to previous videos of hostages released by Hamas as psychological terror. It has also denied some of the previous accusations by Hamas that hostages were killed by Israeli fire, Reuters reported.

Earlier on Saturday Hamas released an undated video of the 51-year-old captive in front of a white wall, with a bruise on his right eye, and speaking his name.

Hours later, in the second video, it said Popplewell died of wounds sustained a month ago in an Israeli air strike.

Hamas said Popplewell, whom it said was also a British citizen, was being detained with a woman hostage when the place they were being held was targeted by an Israeli missile.

"He died because he didn't receive intensive medical care at medical facilities because of the enemy's destruction of hospitals in Gaza," the Hamas armed wing spokesman, Abu Ubaida, said in a statement.

Of 252 people abducted on Oct. 7, 128 remain in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. At least 36 of them have been declared dead by an Israeli forensic committee.

Israel says securing the release of the hostages is the aim of its offensive in Gaza, along with eliminating Hamas, which has ruled the enclave since 2007.

Popplewell, according to the hostages support group, was captured with his mother from her home in Kibbutz Nirim. His brother was killed during the attack. His mother was freed during a brief truce in November.

Arab World

Libyan House of Representatives Urges End to Widespread Arms Chaos

A session of the Libyan House of Representatives (Libyan House of Representatives)
A session of the Libyan House of Representatives (Libyan House of Representatives)
TT
TT

Libyan House of Representatives Urges End to Widespread Arms Chaos

A session of the Libyan House of Representatives (Libyan House of Representatives)
A session of the Libyan House of Representatives (Libyan House of Representatives)

The Libyan House of Representatives is urging an end to the widespread presence of weapons across the country following recent clashes in Al-Jumail city, near Tripoli. They’ve called for the immediate removal of all armed groups from the city, except for the regular police and army.

The situation worsened after clashes between armed groups from outside Al-Jumail, leaving at least one dead and nine injured.

The House emphasized the need to stop unauthorized armed presence in all Libyan cities, condemning attacks on citizens and state institutions in Al-Jumail.

In the meantime, Libya’s Government of National Unity reported that its leader, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, held separate meetings with the ambassadors of Iran and South Korea to Libya.

They discussed cooperation opportunities with their respective countries.

According to Dbeibeh’s office on Thursday evening, the Iranian ambassador expressed Iran’s interest in hosting the 13th session of the Iran-Libya Joint High Committee in Tehran.

They also talked about organizing an exhibition and economic forum for Iranian industries in Libya, as well as cooperation in nuclear medicine and other medical fields.

Dbeibeh expressed willingness to work together with Iran in various areas and to organize the joint committee meeting between the two countries.

As for his meeting in Tripoli with South Korea’s Ambassador, his assistant, and the economic advisor, Dbeibeh discussed the comeback of Korean companies to finish ongoing projects and start new ones across Libya’s cities and regions.

Dbeibeh and the South Korean officials praised Hyundai’s return to Libya, restarting work on a power station project near Tripoli after a 10-year pause. This move was seen as a positive sign of big companies returning to Libya, aiding its development needs.

Dbeibeh emphasized the need to tackle challenges facing Korean companies in all sectors and suggested organizing an economic and industrial forum for them in Libya to foster partnerships between both countries’ private sectors.

Arab World

Lebanon’s Hotels Hit Hardest by War in the South, Businesses Mourn Lost Season

Smoke billows over the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila following Israeli bombardment on May 10, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)
Smoke billows over the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila following Israeli bombardment on May 10, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)
TT
TT

Lebanon’s Hotels Hit Hardest by War in the South, Businesses Mourn Lost Season

Smoke billows over the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila following Israeli bombardment on May 10, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)
Smoke billows over the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila following Israeli bombardment on May 10, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)

The mood is somber in Lebanon's tourism industry as leaders look ahead to the summer season. Reflecting on the promising summer of 2023, which followed three years of setbacks, they are now losing hope for a rebound, especially with the threat of war in the south casting a shadow.

Israeli predictions suggest a hot summer ahead for Lebanon, adding to concern about tourism.

Pierre Ashkar, who heads the Hotel Owners Syndicate, says hotel bookings have been practically non-existent since October. He blames this on the expected heat and ongoing conflict in the south.

Ashkar noted that many hotels, especially in Beirut, are partially closed without official announcements. In Mount Lebanon, about 90% of hotels are mostly shut down, though their owners haven’t made it public. This has led to fewer staff, with uncertainty about what’s next.

Reflecting on last year’s summer season, Ashkar recalled it as “excellent” after years of struggle. He attributed this success to a significant influx of foreign tourists. However, he now acknowledged a bleak outlook due to embassy warnings against travel to Lebanon, which discourages potential visitors.

Ashkar stressed that a ceasefire announcement would quickly improve the situation.

“This and next month are crucial for Lebanon’s tourism. If the war stops, we'll see a surge in bookings. But if it continues, we’ll lose the summer season gradually,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Highlighting Lebanon’s heavy reliance on tourism, which contributes 40% to the GDP, Ashkar warns of significant losses if the security situation in the south remains unstable or deteriorates due to war.

“Tourism drives Lebanon’s economy. If the season falters, it will hurt the flow of foreign currency, slow down spending, and lead to job losses, especially for young people,” warned economic expert Walid Abu Sleiman.

Assessing the losses, Abu Sleiman noted that direct tourism revenues last year reached about $3.5 billion. He estimated losses in the sector during the eight-month war at around $200 million, with restaurants and cafes hit hard, and hotels suffering the most.