An Israeli tank in northern Israel near the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday. AP
An Israeli tank in northern Israel near the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday. AP
An Israeli tank in northern Israel near the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday. AP
An Israeli tank in northern Israel near the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday. AP

Israel launches ground invasion in Lebanon


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The Israeli military early on Tuesday said it had launched a "targeted and precise" ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

"A few hours ago, the IDF began limited, localised, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon," the military said on X.

"These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel."

The strikes would further expand the campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after Israel’s killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday. His death followed a series of walkie-talkie and pager explosions hitting thousands of Hezbollah members.

Israel launched its ground operations even as the US, the EU and Arab nations have called for a ceasefire. Israel has shifted its focus to Lebanon with its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip at a standstill.

The Israeli military said it is operating according to a "methodical plan" for which soldiers had spent months training.

Pro-Hezbollah outlet Al Mayadeen reported, however, that no ground invasion had been observed.

Israeli officials notified the US that the operations would be limited in scope, scale and duration, two American officials told NBC News.

The US State Department earlier said the Israeli military had launched small military operations against Hezbollah.

The Israelis “have been informing us about a number of operations", State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

“They have at this time told us that those are limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border. But we're in continuous conversations about it,” Mr Miller said.

There were no reports of direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants, who last fought on Lebanese soil during a month-long war in 2006.

Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged fire almost every day since the war in Gaza began, displacing tens of thousands of people in Israel and Lebanon.

Israel says it will continue to strike Hezbollah until it is safe for families to return to their homes near the Lebanese border. Hezbollah has promised to keep firing rockets into Israel until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

It was not immediately clear if Israel had made a final decision on a broader ground operation in Lebanon.

Hours earlier on Monday, the US military said it is sending several thousand more troops to the Middle East as it seeks to stop the current Israel-Hezbollah conflict from expanding into a broader regional war.

The “few thousand” extra troops will mainly be supporting additional air assets that are being sent to the region, including F-15E Strike Eagles, F-16s, A-10s and F-22 fighter jets, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters.

“They are there for the protection of US forces. And they are there should they be needed for the defence of Israel," Ms Singh said.

Spare

Profile

Company name: Spare

Started: March 2018

Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah

Based: UAE

Sector: FinTech

Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

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Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

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Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

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Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
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Life lesson: A person is not old until regret takes the place of their dreams

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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

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Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

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Norway

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Inter Milan v Juventus
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Watch the match on BeIN Sports

The currency conundrum

Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”

Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.

This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.

Updated: October 01, 2024, 6:52 AM