Hezbollah fighters carry the coffins of a fellow fighter and of one of his relatives who were killed in Israeli bombardment, in Bint Jbeil, in the south of Lebanon, on December 27. AFP
Hezbollah fighters carry the coffins of a fellow fighter and of one of his relatives who were killed in Israeli bombardment, in Bint Jbeil, in the south of Lebanon, on December 27. AFP
Hezbollah fighters carry the coffins of a fellow fighter and of one of his relatives who were killed in Israeli bombardment, in Bint Jbeil, in the south of Lebanon, on December 27. AFP
Hezbollah fighters carry the coffins of a fellow fighter and of one of his relatives who were killed in Israeli bombardment, in Bint Jbeil, in the south of Lebanon, on December 27. AFP

Four Hezbollah fighters killed and five Israeli troops wounded since start of year


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At least four Hezbollah fighters have been killed and five Israeli army soldiers wounded since the start of 2024, as the escalating cross-border conflict between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah group nears its third month.

Three Hezbollah fighters from the southern Lebanese town of Kfarkela were killed on Monday afternoon. They were named as Jihad Musa Cheet, Musa Hassan Cheet, and Hussein Ahmed Yahya.

A fourth Hezbollah fighter, Abdul Jalil Ali Hamza, from Bekaa, was killed in overnight Israeli strikes in the south of Lebanon, the group announced on Tuesday.

On Monday evening the Israeli military said at least five reservists had been wounded in rocket attacks near the Adamit Kibbutz on the border with Lebanon.

“A number of launches from the territory of Lebanon towards the Adamite area were detected,” Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on X, formerly known as Twitter.

A building damaged by an Israeli air strike in Kfarkela village, in the south of Lebanon on the border with Israel, on December 31. EPA
A building damaged by an Israeli air strike in Kfarkela village, in the south of Lebanon on the border with Israel, on December 31. EPA

As a result of the launches, five Israeli reserve soldiers were "slightly injured", he said.

"The soldiers were evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital, and their families were informed,” Mr Hagari added.

Since October 8, Iran-backed Hezbollah has engaged Israel in a mid-intensity frontier conflict in an attempt to divert Israel from its assault on the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah is a strategic ally of Hamas, which governs Gaza and also receives Iranian backing.

Despite initiating the conflict, Hezbollah has remained relatively restrained, striking mostly Israeli military targets and wary of igniting a full-scale war in Lebanon.

Israel has responded aggressively, consistently intensifying its responses. It has occasionally struck deeper into south Lebanon, although the fighting has largely remained confined to border areas on either side.

Israel’s threats to launch a full-scale war against Hezbollah have escalated in the last month.

On Monday a senior Israeli official told Reuters that some withdrawing Israeli troops in Gaza would be repositioned in north Israel in preparation for a potential escalation against Hezbollah.

"The situation on the Lebanese front will not be allowed to continue. This coming six-month period is a critical moment," the official told Reuters.

The deputy leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, addressed Israel directly on Sunday.

"We say to them: Israel is not in a position to impose its options," he warned. "The persistent bombing of civilians in Lebanon means the response will be stronger and proportionate to the Israeli aggression."

Israel "must first stop the Gaza war in order to stop the war in Lebanon," Mr Qassem added.

The fighting along the Lebanon-Israel frontier has displaced tens of thousands of residents on both sides.

In Lebanon, the conflict has killed more than 160 people – mostly Hezbollah combatants and members of allied militias, and at least 20 civilians.

On the Israeli side, at least five civilians and nine soldiers have been killed, according to the military.

The%20specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E261hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400Nm%20at%201%2C750-4%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C999%20(VX%20Luxury)%3B%20from%20Dh149%2C999%20(VX%20Black%20Gold)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company Profile

Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi

INDIA V SOUTH AFRICA

First Test: October 2-6, at Visakhapatnam

Second Test: October 10-14, at Maharashtra

Third Test: October 19-23, at Ranchi

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'

Rating: 3/5

Directed by: David Yates

Starring: Mads Mikkelson, Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Jude Law

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

'Skin'

Dir: Guy Nattiv

Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
RESULTS

Bantamweight title:
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) bt Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
(KO round 2)
Catchweight 68kg:
Sean Soriano (USA) bt Noad Lahat (ISR)
(TKO round 1)
Middleweight:
Denis Tiuliulin (RUS) bt Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
(TKO round 1)
Lightweight:
Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) bt Joachim Tollefsen (DEN)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 68kg:
Austin Arnett (USA) bt Daniel Vega (MEX)
(TKO round 3)
Lightweight:
Carrington Banks (USA) bt Marcio Andrade (BRA)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 58kg:
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) bt Malin Hermansson (SWE)
(Submission round 2)
Bantamweight:
Jalal Al Daaja (CAN) bt Juares Dea (CMR)
(Split decision)
Middleweight:
Mohamad Osseili (LEB) bt Ivan Slynko (UKR)
(TKO round 1)
Featherweight:
Tarun Grigoryan (ARM) bt Islam Makhamadjanov (UZB)
(Unanimous decision)
Catchweight 54kg:
Mariagiovanna Vai (ITA) bt Daniella Shutov (ISR)
(Submission round 1)
Middleweight:
Joan Arastey (ESP) bt Omran Chaaban (LEB)
(Unanimous decision)
Welterweight:
Bruno Carvalho (POR) bt Souhil Tahiri (ALG)
(TKO)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:

- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools

- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say

- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance

- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs

- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills

- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month

- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues

MATCH INFO

First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs

Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets

Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13

 

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: CVT auto

Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km

On sale: now

Price: from Dh195,000 

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jesse%20V%20Johnson%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Michael%20Rooker%2C%20Bruce%20Willis%2C%20John%20Malkovich%2C%20Olga%20Kurylenko%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO

Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)

Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm

Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm

Strait of Hormuz

Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.

The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.

Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.

Updated: January 02, 2024, 11:26 AM