Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in his Friday speech praised Yemen’s Houthi movement and mocked Operation Prosperity Guardian, the US-led multinational naval coalition formed to protect commercial traffic from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
While much of Mr Nasrallah's speech focused on condemning Israel and the US, he also turned his attention on an unexpected target – the small island nation of the Seychelles, which recently joined the maritime coalition.
“‘Senshel’, ‘Menshel’, whatever its name is … I had to google it to find out where it even is,” he said, laughing. “Turns out it’s an island at the end of the earth.”
The Seychelles is the smallest country in Africa and the least populated, with an estimated 100,600 people living there. It also has the most prosperous economy in sub-Saharan Africa and is reliant on tourism and fishing.
Meanwhile, Lebanon is in a state of protracted economic crisis that is considered by the World Bank to be among the worst in modern history.
The Seychelles is not, however, known for having a powerful navy.
Yemen's Houthis have attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea, disrupting global supply routes with the intended strategy of exerting international pressure on Israel to deter it from its invasion of Gaza.
Mr Nasrallah was mocking what he portrayed as the US inability to attract larger nations to join the maritime task force against the Houthis.
Some US allies have been reluctant to associate themselves with the coalition due to Washington's enduring support for Israel despite rising international criticism of the war. More than 22,438 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza so far.
The US says 20 countries have signed up for the naval coalition, but announced the names of only 12. And although Britain, Greece and others have publicly embraced the coalition, several countries mentioned in the US announcement, such as Italy and Spain, were quick to distance themselves from it.
“The countries he [US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin] announced as part of the coalition came out and said: ‘Bro, we aren't part of this coalition, no one talked to us about it, and we have nothing to do with it’ – and then they withdrew,” Mr Nasrallah joked.
Hezbollah has since October been embroiled in a cross-border conflict with Israel in an attempt to force it to split its focus amid its invasion of Gaza, in support of its ally Hamas, which controls the blockaded strip.
The group is part of the so-called Axis of Resistance, a coalition of Iran-backed groups with interconnected political agendas.
Mr Nasrallah’s mispronunciation of the Seychelles quickly grew popular on social media and a Change.org petition was created, to “change the name of the island to make it easier to google -we recommend Senshel Menshel”.
The US-led task force has so far failed to deter Yemen’s Houthis from attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
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The five pillars of Islam
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
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Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
THE BIO
Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist
Age: 78
Favourite destination: Always Al Ain “Dar Al Zain”
Hobbies: his work - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”
Other hobbies: football
Favorite football club: Al Ain Sports Club
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
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- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
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