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Hamas's deputy leader Saleh Al Arouri, one of Israel's most wanted militants, left himself exposed in Beirut when he held a meeting with other senior Hamas officials in an office that his allies had specifically warned them against using, The National has learnt.
In early January, the senior official and six others were killed in an Israeli strike on a building housing a Hamas office in the residential Beirut suburb of Dahieh, where some leaders-in-exile of the Palestinian group reside under the protection of the powerful Hezbollah party.
Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and others accused Israel of assassinating Mr Al Arouri to claim a much-needed victory against the armed group as its army struggles to defeat Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip, despite relentless air and ground assaults that have killed thousands of civilians.
“Going to the building was a reckless move. He shouldn't have gone there,” a senior Lebanese official told The National of the night Mr Al Arouri was killed in the apartment in Dahieh, a southern residential suburb of Beirut.
Mr Al Arouri, who for years had been on Israel’s kill list and was considered one of the Middle East’s most wanted men, had been living in Dahieh since 2015.
A warning by Hezbollah against using that specific building had previously been delivered to him after the Iran-backed group came to suspect that its location had become compromised to Israeli intelligence.
“Hezbollah had even delivered a written warning” to ensure the Hamas office was not used, the senior Lebanese official with close ties to Hezbollah and Hamas explained.
Mr Al Arouri’s use of the office left him vulnerable to the assassination.
Additionally, the group of Hamas officials had brought their phones, putting them at risk of Israeli surveillance.
“Altogether, there were seven phones in that meeting,” the official with deep knowledge of Lebanon's security apparatus added.
The office was also furnished with at least one computer with a Wi-Fi connection, potentially giving Israeli forces another method of locating the men.
“Once the laptop started, the strike hit the office,” said the official.
Asked if there were suspicions that an intelligence asset may have played a role in giving Israeli officials information about the meeting, he said that “the presence of that many phones is alone enough for Israel to pinpoint someone’s location”.
Hezbollah confirmed the information to The National.
“We had warned them not to use the office,” an official for the Iran-backed party said.
It was not immediately clear why the Hamas officials would use an office that had been potentially compromised, or why they would bring mobile devices to the meeting.
The National contacted several Hamas officials for comment but received no response.
Hamas-Hezbollah ties
Mr Al Arouri, along with a number of senior Hamas officials living in exile in Lebanon, resided in the southern suburb of Beirut under the auspices of the Hezbollah group.
Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, is a longtime ally of Hezbollah.
Mr Al Arouri – who was head of Hamas in the occupied West Bank and the deputy of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh – was particularly close to Hezbollah and credited with strengthening relations between the two parties.
In December, a Hamas official told The National that a strike on members of the group’s leaders in Dahieh was unlikely, as it would signal a major escalation on Hezbollah's territory.
Hezbollah is engaged in an intense cross-border conflict with Israel from southern Lebanon in support of its ally that threatens to spill into the rest of Lebanon. The group said its conflict with Israel on the Lebanon-Israel frontier is an attempt to divert Israel – which has pledged to eradicate Hamas following the October 7 attacks – from its assault on Gaza.
Mr Al Arouri was killed along with two senior leaders in Hamas’ armed wing the Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades: the head of military operations outside Gaza, Azzam Al Aqra, and Lebanon’s chief of operations, Samir Fendi.
The strike killed four other members of the party: Mahmoud Zaki Shaheen, Mohammed al-Rayes, Mohammed Bashasha and Ahmed Hamoud.
The assassination was first thought to have been a drone strike on the apartment building housing the Hamas office, but the latest security assessments indicate it was most likely a precision strike fired from over the Mediterranean Sea.
Lebanese security officials suspect that a stealth plane, such as an F-35, fired precision-guided missiles into the building.
“It was a plane that was not picked up on our radars,” a security official with knowledge of the Lebanese investigation into the assassination told The National. “The radars that we have are civil radars – we don’t have military radar capability that can pick up on the presence of stealth planes.”
What is Bitcoin?
Bitcoin is the most popular virtual currency in the world. It was created in 2009 as a new way of paying for things that would not be subject to central banks that are capable of devaluing currency. A Bitcoin itself is essentially a line of computer code. It's signed digitally when it goes from one owner to another. There are sustainability concerns around the cryptocurrency, which stem from the process of "mining" that is central to its existence.
The "miners" use computers to make complex calculations that verify transactions in Bitcoin. This uses a tremendous amount of energy via computers and server farms all over the world, which has given rise to concerns about the amount of fossil fuel-dependent electricity used to power the computers.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
BIG SPENDERS
Premier League clubs spent £230 million (Dh1.15 billion) on January transfers, the second-highest total for the mid-season window, the Sports Business Group at Deloitte said in a report.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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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
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
