Israeli fighter jets struck deep inside Lebanese territory early on Thursday, the first such attack to target south Lebanon since the month-long war between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.
Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar TV said Israeli jets struck twice an uninhabited area on the outskirts of Mahmoudieh town in south Lebanon.
The attack came hours after Israel fired artillery shells into Lebanon in response to rocket fire that targeted the Qiryat Shemona area.
The unclaimed attacks have increased in frequency in recent weeks, with the previous one on July 20.
There was no claim of responsibility for the rocket fire, launched from an area of south Lebanon under the sway of Hezbollah guerrillas. There were no casualties.
The Israeli military later said its fighter jets struck the “launch sites and infrastructure used for terror in Lebanon from which the rockets were launched”.
The head of the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon, Maj Gen Stefano Del Col, urged all sides to "explore ways to reinforce security and stability" during a tripartite meeting of senior officers from the Lebanese army and Israeli military at a UN post in Ras Al Naqoura border region.
“In this period of regional volatility, more than ever, UNIFIL’s liaison and coordination role must be respected by all sides,” he said. “In the most imperfect times, this mechanism has served you well and now is the time to recommit to it, not allow the spoilers to have the better of us.”
Lebanese President Michel Aoun said the attack signalled Israel’s “escalatory and aggressive intentions” against the backdrop of continuous threats and violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
"What happened is a flagrant and dangerous violation of Security Council Resolution 1701 and a direct threat to security and stability in the south,” Mr Aoun tweeted.
The cross-border exchange was the most significant since Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett took office in mid-June, although no casualties were reported on either side.
It was also the first aerial attack on south Lebanon in more than a decade, raising concerns of a potential retaliation by Hezbollah.
The leader of the Iran-backed party, Hassan Nasrallah, has vowed on numerous occasions to retaliate against Israeli attacks on Lebanon, saying last year that Hezbollah had doubled its arsenal of precision guided missiles and could strike anywhere in Israel.
Ibrahim Bayram, a Hezbollah expert, downplayed the possibility of a major escalation with Israel under the current circumstances.
Although the Israeli attack is a significant development and the first of its kind since the last war, Mr Bayram said it is important to note that it follows more frequent rocket attacks on Israel and the first on Qiryat Shemona in years.
The nature of the rocket attacks, which caused fires and panic among residents, prompted Israel to send a more harsh message, Mr Bayram said.
“But the exchange of strong messages is unlikely to lead to a war now,” he said.
The Israeli-Lebanese border has been relatively stable since the war that began in July 2006 when Israel launched a major offensive in response to the kidnapping of two of its soldiers. The 33-day conflict ended with a UN-brokered ceasefire. Sporadic rocket attacks since then were blamed on Palestinian factions.
The Israeli air strike comes amid increasing tensions between Iran and its US-allied regional rivals over alleged Iranian attacks on shipping in the Gulf.
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
more from Janine di Giovanni
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
More from UAE Human Development Report:
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