Antoine Khoury

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is expected to take part in the Russia–Arab summit scheduled for October in Moscow, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak announced during a visit to Damascus.

The President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has appointed Fadhl Salem Saeed Al-Kaabi as the UAE’s new ambassador to Lebanon. 

The leader of Lebanon’s Kataeb Party, MP Sami Gemayel, has expressed confidence in the government’s determination to move forward with plans to disarm Hezbollah, calling it a necessary step toward restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a telephone conversation today with Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman, focusing on the deep-rooted fraternal relations and cooperation between the two nations.

The United Nations Security Council is set to vote Thursday on what could be the final extension of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL), with plans for a full withdrawal by 2027. 

The Lebanese Forces (LF) fired back on Tuesday at comments made by Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, accusing the Iran-backed group of undermining Lebanese sovereignty while refusing to disarm.

Egypt will host the inaugural AI Everything Middle East & Africa summit and exhibition from February 10–12, 2026, highlighting practical applications of artificial intelligence across critical sectors.

The Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, accused Souheil Bahij Harb, head of military intelligence in southern Lebanon, of cooperating with Hezbollah to cover up the killing of Irish UN peacekeeper Sean Rooney in Aaqibiyé.

Iraq has defended a “memorandum of understanding” signed this week with Iran, stressing that it is merely a continuation of a previous border cooperation deal and not a broader security agreement, as some reports have suggested.

The Iraqi government announced on Saturday that it will prosecute those involved in deadly clashes that shook a public administration office on the outskirts of Baghdad, directly blaming the pro-Iranian armed faction Kataeb Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades).

Turkey is seeking to strengthen its regional influence by rallying Muslim nations around the Palestinian cause, while maintaining close ties with Hamas leadership based in Ankara and Istanbul.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry called on the international community to block Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed military takeover of Gaza City, accusing Israel of attempting to forcibly displace Palestinians and render the territory “uninhabitable.”