Category: Arab News

Businesses are increasingly using social media — even the illegal ones. Now, even smugglers have taken to the Facebook to woo their clients. The human smugglers are offering desperate migrants passage across the Mediterranean to Europe, according to a Financial Times report. The paper reported the existence of several Facebook pages in Arabic offering passage…

Israeli forces attacked a position in the north of the Gaza Strip, an immediate response to a Palestinian rocket launched at its neighbour’s southern front, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. “In response to rocket attack against Israel, the IDF targeted a terrorist infrastructure in northern Gaza,” the statement said. No damages…

  Chinese President Xi Jinping said that his country stands ready to work with relevant parties to hammer out a fair, balanced and all-win agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue. He made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, during which the Chinese leader welcomed the recent framework deal Iran reached with…

The Saudi Arabia-led coalition command announced on Wednesday the end of its military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen after receiving a message from President Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, evoking welcome reactions from several countries. The coalition stated that the airstrikes conducted as part of the “Operation Decisive Storm” military campaign managed “to successfully remove…

  An Egyptian court  sentenced Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted as president in 2013, to 20 years in prison for inciting the killings of protestors outside the Ittihadiya presidential palace in December 2012. This is the first verdict issued against Morsi since his ouster on July 3, 2013. However, Morsi and all other 14 defendants…

  The US has bolstered its naval presence in the waters off the war-torn Yemen by sending an aircraft carrier and a guided missile cruiser following the spectre of Iran sending weapons to the Shia Houthi rebels to fight the Yemen government. The US Navy confirmed in a communique that the US had decided to…

 The UN Security Council (UNSC) has called for “unhindered humanitarian access” to the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp near the Syrian capital of Damascus and stressed on “the protection of civilians” there. “The members of the security council called for unhindered humanitarian access to the Yarmouk camp and for the protection of civilians inside the camp,”…

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin  granted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a two-week extension to form a new government, a media report said. On March 25, Rivlin tasked Netanyahu with the responsibility of forming the next government and gave him 28 days to do so — a deadline which will be reached this week, Xinhua reported. Netanyahu,…

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon slammed a Russian decision to lift a ban on selling an advanced missile defence system to Iran as a “direct result” of a framework nuclear agreement reached between six world powers and Tehran. “The S-300 deal we’re hearing now, which is in fact the Russian approval to resume transactions they…

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said  that he will ask for more support from the US during his visit to Washington to fight the Islamic State (IS) terorist group. “During our visit to the United States, we look forward to the development of our bilateral relations in accordance with the strategic framework agreement that would…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced fear that Iran will comply with a nuclear deal reached with six major world powers earlier this month until a final deal is sealed by the end of June, a media report revealed. This came about during a cabinet meeting held on April 3, a day after Iran…

Forbes Middle East has released the names of the 100 richest Arab personalities in the world, the first position going to Saudi Arabia’s Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud with an estimated fortune of $22.6 billion. While Joseph Safra occupies second spot with $17.3 billion, the top 10 this year include members of the United…

  US President Barack Obama dismissed a suggestion by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that any nuclear deal with Iran be conditioned on the Islamic republic’s recognition of Israel. “The notion that we would condition Iran not getting nuclear weapons in a verifiable deal on Iran recognising Israel is really akin to saying that we…

Iranian Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan said that US threats to revert to a military option in case of failure to reach a nuclear agreement were repetitive and hollow. Dehghan’s remarks were in response to statements by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter in a television interview in which he said “the military option certainly will remain…

  Iraqi forces, aided by Shia militiamen, re-captured the northern city of Tikrit which was earlier controlled by the Islamic State (IS) terror group, media reported. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Tikrit  to claim the victory, which took place a year after the city was first attacked by the IS, CNN reported. Al-Abadi,…

  Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Arab League member states have agreed on the formation of an Arab military force to counter growing security threats. A high-level committee will be formed to start implementation of the joint Arab force decision, Xinhua cited Sisi as saying. In his speech on the final day of the…

Iran has exhibited the necessary flexibility during the course of nuclear negotiations, calling on the P5+1 group of world powers to take the turn and the final steps, said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. “We have come close to sensitive days. Iran has shown the crucial flexibility during the talks, and now it is the opposite…

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud said  that the Saudi-led military airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen will continue until security is restored in the country. “The Decisive Storm Operation will continue until the Yemeni people enjoy security and stability,” the Saudi king told the 26th session of the Arab Summit presided over…

Delegates from major powers and Iran continued nuclear talks into its final stretch to ink a framework agreement ahead of a March 31 deadline. After 90 minutes of negotiations with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters: “Our feeling is that we certainly will be able to reach…

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu  began negotiations for the formation of the next government, a process that will continue at best until the second half of April. Negotiations kicked off with delegates of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, which won the March 17 elections with 30 seats, to be followed by a series of meetings in…

Iran condemned Saudi Arabia-led air strikes on Yemen, urging an immediate end to the military strikes against the country, media reported. Describing the move as an aggression, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Marzieh Afkham said launching military strikes against Yemen would complicate the crisis in the country and kill opportunities for peaceful resolution to the crisis…

Jordan, Sudan, Morocco, Egypt and Pakistan have declared their willingness to participate in Saudi Arabia’s ‘Al-Hazm against the Shia Houthi militia in Yemen, Saudi Press Agency reported. Arabia and its Gulf region allies launched military operations including airstrikes in Yemen to counter the Shia Houthis besieging the southern city of Aden. Gulf broadcaster al-Arabiya TV…

The US has begun airstrikes to support Iraqi government efforts to recapture the city of Tikrit from the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group, overcoming earlier resistance to its intervention, Efe news agency reported. “At the request of the government of Iraq, coalition forces are providing support to Iraqi security forces as they combat ISIL (as…