The biggest and most followed events of 2025 were the region’s wars: Iran-Israel, Gaza, Sudan and Yemen. Our audience certainly followed them, but a closer look at the most popular stories on our platforms shows they were also drawn to various, often original story lines.
These were the five most read stories of 2025 on alhurra.com:
- “Sisi And Two Surprising Decisions…Why Now?” Our most read of the year dissected Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s choice to return a bill on criminal procedure to the Egyptian Parliament and issue a presidential pardon for prominent political activist Alaa Abdel Fattah. Was this a humanitarian turn, or political maneuvering? (Spoiler: it’s a bit of both.)
- “China Issues Strongly Worded Warning to Israel.” China was furious at Israel following a secret visit by Taiwan’s deputy foreign minister to Israel.
- “Khartoum Courts Washington.” The behind-the-scenes details of talks between a Sudanese army delegation and the US administration, which paved the way for the imposition of U.S. sanctions on foreign entities and others involved in the ongoing war in Sudan.
- “The Two-State Solution… in Yemen.” Exclusive interview with Aidarous Al-Zubaidi, president of the powerful Southern Transitional Council, in which he shared his two-state solution for Yemen and create a new country called “South Arabia.”
- “U.S.–Algeria: Beyond Normalization and Sahara.” How Washington and Algiers are quietly deepening cooperation on security and energy despite unresolved rifts over Israel and Western Sahara.
And the most popular videos:
- “We just got $4 trillion — and you’re disappointed?” That was President Trump’s response to a reporter after signing massive deals with the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar – and our most watched video of the year.
- “I think President Erdogan is the one responsible for Syria,” President Trump said during White House talks with the Turkish leader.
- B-2 stealth bombers fly overhead as Trump receives Putin in Alaska for talks on the Ukraine crisis.
- What did Trump say about the “closure” of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque?
A remark by the U.S. president sparked wide debate after the mosque was closed for the first time in its history to receive him during his official visit to the UAE. - A blunt message from Israeli Druze Knesset member Hamad Amar to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, invoking shared history and challenging the persistence of sectarian rhetoric, quickly drew wide attention.
