Voices from the Arab press: Davos 2026, Trump's Board of Peace, Saudi Arabia, feminism
A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.
Middle East
Algeria cancels UAE air service agreement after accusing it of regional destabilization
Iran executes at least 13 prisoners on Saturday morning as regime increases use of death penalty
Syria continues to deploy forces, integrate SDF into defense establishment following agreement
Syria, Saudi Arabia ink mega investment deals in push for reconstruction after years of war
The deals follow Syria's hosting of the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Chevron and a Qatar-based company to pursue offshore oil and gas exploration.
Can US-Iran war be averted as Tehran obfuscates in Oman talks? - analysis
“Iranian officials often say they want negotiations, but when negotiations start, they hesitate,” said Serhan Afacan, head of the Center for Iranian Studies in Ankara.
If US attacks, Iran says it will strike US bases in Middle East
"It would not be possible to attack American soil, but we will target their bases in the region,” Araghchi said.
Syria’s only female minister warns: 'We can’t survive without unity'
“I don't feel that I am a Christian or a woman when I do my job. I feel like I am a Syrian citizen. The minute I start feeling like I’m a minority or I’m a woman, I will lose my legitimacy," she said
Iran’s Araghchi: Missile program ‘defensive,’ forever off the table for negotiations
"The missile issue is purely defensive” for the Iranian regime and “cannot be negotiated, neither now nor in the future,” Araghchi asserted.
Syria’s Sunni Islamist regime consolidates power, ending Kurdish autonomy
BEHIND THE LINES: The arrival of Syrian forces to Qamishli sets the seal on the effective demise of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
Reports point to defiance within IRGC after mass killings in Iran
Some Iranian military personnel are dissatisfied with the killing of protesters; a member of the IRGC in Tehran says he has resigned.
Fire breaks out in Iranian military complex, no injuries reported
Iranian firefighters extinguished the blaze and reported no injuries after it erupted at a carpentry workshop in a Tehran military complex.
Satellite images show Iran is rebuilding missile arsenal, nuclear sites - New York Times
Despite Iran’s three main nuclear facilities remaining inoperative, images show visible work underway.
Hezbollah accepts resignation of senior security official Wafiq Safa, sources say
Safa, who heads Hezbollah's liaison and coordination unit responsible for working with Lebanese security agencies, survived an Israeli assassination attempt in October 2024.
