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Iran conducted its longest range ballistic missile attack on Monday night, destroying the home of a Kurdish businessman in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region.
Among five civilians killed in Erbil were Kurdish business mogul Peshraw Dizayee and his family, including his 11-month-old daughter.
Iran also hit targets in eastern Syria in a separate missile attack on the same night.
In both instances, Iran claimed the attacks were in response to a January 3 bombing in Kerman, Iran, which killed nearly 100 people at an event commemorating Iranian general Qassem Suleimani’s death in a 2020 US air strike near Baghdad.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei had vowed a “harsh response” to the attack, which was claimed by ISIS, but which Tehran has blamed on Israel and the US.
The missile strike on Erbil was the second Iranian attack on the city in recent years, after a strike in 2022, which Iran says was in response to an Israeli attack on its territory with Kurdish assistance. That strike destroyed the home of Baz Karim Barzanji, a businessman who, like Mr Dizayee, was close to Erbil's ruling Kurdish Democratic Party.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Monday night's attacks were also in response to an Israeli air strike, this time in Syria, which killed two IRGC members.
“In response to the recent evil acts of the Zionist regime in martyring IRGC and resistance commanders, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, with its nobility and intelligence, targeted and destroyed one of the main headquarters of Israel’s spying agency Mossad in Iraq’s Kurdistan region by firing ballistic missiles,” the IRGC said.
“This Mossad headquarters has been working for espionage operations and a centre for terror attacks planning in the region, especially against our beloved country,” it added.
Iran calls ISIS “mercenaries” of Israel, while also claiming that the Kurdish regional government based in Erbil hosts Mossad bases – although no evidence has ever been provided for the long-standing claims.
It has raised questions as to whether Monday's attacks were linked to the continuing regional escalation between Israel and Iran.
According to one expert, Israel should not be concerned with the relatively limited nature of Iran's latest response.
“Israel should be satisfied with this kind of limited reaction,” Raz Zimmt of Israeli think tank INSS told The National.
“Iran is retaliating for both the ISIS attack in Kerman [which Tehran linked to Israel] and recent assassinations attributed to Israel, including that of an Iranian commander in Syria.
“If all they did in response was launch missiles at what they describe as a Mossad base in Iraq and some ... inside Syria, then Israel can be satisfied.
“The strike shows Iran’s missiles capabilities but also the constraints it is working with.”
Gaza regional escalation
Israel's war in Gaza has threatened to spill over to a wider regional war pitting Iran and its allies against Israel, the US and their allies.
Iran supports Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, both of which are fighting the Israeli military.
It also backs the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have clashed with the US-led maritime coalition in the Red Sea.
In Iraq and Syria, separate but related conflicts between Iran-backed militias and US allies were already simmering before the outbreak of the Gaza war, and have since escalated.
Iran-backed militias have intensified their attacks on American bases in both countries, prompting retaliatory US air strikes, while Israeli jets continue to strike Iran-linked targets in Syria.
Experts told The National the recent ballistic missiles are partly a demonstration of Iranian military power, showing how they can hit targets in Syria and Iraq, 1,200km away from Iran, simultaneously.
Iran is showing it can hit Israel with the strikes on groups in Idlib, said US defence analyst Mark Pyruz, a military historian focused on Iran, adding that Tehran had previously fired missiles at ISIS targets in Syria in 2017, but never at such a long range.
“There are so many parts of the Resistance currently at play during the Israeli Gaza campaign, as well as a number of recent terror incidents occurring inside Iran, Kerman and a string in Sistan and Baluchestan province, that multi-target demonstrative precision strikes may have been deemed in order,” he said.
Iran claimed the missiles used to attack Syria were Kheibar Shekan or “fortress breaker” missiles with a claimed range of 1,400km.
A US official on Tuesday said forces in the region had “tracked” the missiles to assess whether they were aimed at US bases.
While the specific tracking system was not mentioned, the US maintains a network of satellites called the Space-based Infrared System, which can detect missile launches, assess the type of missile used and intended target. The system was used successfully as an early warning system during a 2020 Iranian ballistic missile attack against US forces in Iraq.
“The attacks were demonstrative, as the intended audience may be more to the point, than the actual target values,” said Mr Pyruz. "Even if these strikes on targets in Syria turn out to be less operationally successful, recall the initial SSM [surface-to-surface missile] strikes during Operation Laylat Al Qadr in 2017 were followed the next year with indisputable success on Koya – confirming an IRGC-ASF precision strike capability."
He recalled missile strikes against ISIS in Syria, claimed by Iran in 2017 after an attack on an Iranian shrine. Those strikes prompted scepticism that Iran could accurately hit targets at long range, but this was dispelled following an extremely accurate missile attack on a Kurdish opposition group in Koya, Iraq, the following year.
Three years later, the world saw just how accurate Iranian ballistic missiles could be when Iran fired a volley of at least 12 ballistic missiles at a US base in Iraq after Maj Gen Suleimani’s death. Most of the missiles scored direct hits on the base, despite previous estimates of their accuracy being within hundreds of metres.
Kamaran Palani, a lecturer at Erbil’s Salahaddin University and author of Kurdistan’s De Facto Statehood, agreed with Mr Pyruz, saying the deadly strike on the Kurdish region was intended to demonstrate Iran's military power. He said Iran has no basis to claim Mossad are operating in the region.
“In terms of the reason behind the attack, there is no main reason behind the fact that Kurdistan's Erbil is an easy target for Iran. The fact that they have not targeted American facilities shows that the main objective is to create a show and send a message that they are active across the fronts,” he said.
“Erbil is facing a deep sense of insecurity, given the reluctance of the US support, and the increasing, diverse and multiple pressures of Iran and its proxies in Iraq as well as the Iraqi government.”
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
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The biog
Hobbies: Writing and running
Favourite sport: beach volleyball
Favourite holiday destinations: Turkey and Puerto Rico
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• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
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The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
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Rating: 3/5
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
MATCH INFO
Watford 1 (Deulofeu 80' p)
Chelsea 2 (Abraham 5', Pulisic 55')
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
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Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
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- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
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- Always create a different guest network for visitors
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
DUBAI WORLD CUP CARNIVAL CARD
6.30pm Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 2,410m
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6.30pm: Gifts Of Gold
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7.40pm Equilateral
8.15pm Dark Of Night
8.50pm Mythical Magic
9.25pm Franz Kafka
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
