Iranians burn an Israeli flag during a rally marking Al Quds Day in Tehran on Friday. EPA
Iranians burn an Israeli flag during a rally marking Al Quds Day in Tehran on Friday. EPA
Iranians burn an Israeli flag during a rally marking Al Quds Day in Tehran on Friday. EPA
Iranians burn an Israeli flag during a rally marking Al Quds Day in Tehran on Friday. EPA

Israel 'ready for any scenario' as Iran threatens embassies


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Israel remains on high alert for Iran's expected retaliation to the Israeli strike that killed several commanders at the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

The Israeli military is ready for "any scenario that may develop vis-à-vis Iran," said a statement from the Defence Minister Yoav Gallant after he held an "operational situation assessment" with senior military officers on Sunday.

Israel halted all leave for combat units and drafted reservists to boost its aerial defences last week, after Tehran promised to retaliate for the attack on April 1 that killed several Iranian generals including Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Forces in Lebanon and Syria.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied that it carried out the attack, which levelled the Iranian consulate in Damascus and killed 12 people in total, including seven IRGC members and a member of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.

The consular section resumed activities on Sunday after being closed for four days following the attack, Iran's Isna news agency reported.

Gen Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s joint chief of staff, told mourners gathered for the funeral of Gen Zahedi on Friday that Iran will decide how and when to retaliate for the attack.

“The time, type, plan of the operation will be decided by us, in a way that makes Israel regret what it did," he said. "This will definitely be done.”

The Hezbollah General Secretary Hassan Nasrallah, who is based in Lebanon and aligned with Tehran, had described the attack as a "turning point" and pledged that the Iran-led "axis of resistance" would respond.

On Sunday, one of the senior advisers to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggested retaliation could come against Israeli embassies.

“The embassies of the Zionist regime are no longer safe,” Yahya Rahim Safavi told Iran's Isna news agency.

Israel temporarily closed 28 of its embassies across the world over the weekend.

Isna also shared a graphic of nine missiles in the Iranian arsenal that it said could strike Israel.

On Thursday, residents across central Israel had reported that GPS services were being disrupted, an apparently deliberate measure to electronically jam guided missiles.

Iran has the option of retaliating against Israel using one of its proxy organisations across the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, a range of militias in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthis in Yemen.

The Houthis launched rockets and drone attacks at British, Israeli and US ships in the Red Sea on Sunday.

The Iran-aligned group said it had targeted a British ship and a number of US frigates in the Red Sea, while in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean it had attacked two Israeli vessels heading to Israeli ports. It said the attacks had taken place during the last 72 hours, without giving further details.

US Central Command said it had shot down one mobile surface-to air missile and an unmanned aerial vehicle launched by the Houthis. It said the attacks caused no injuries or damage.

Amid this threat of regional war, the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian travelled to Oman on Sunday on the first leg of a tour across the Middle East.

"Amir-Abdollahian is travelling to Oman as the first destination of his regional tour at the head of a political and parliamentary delegation. Bilateral and regional issues such as Gaza will be discussed," the Iranian foreign ministry said.

Oman has traditionally played a neutral role in the region and often mediates between regional enemies.

Mr Amir-Abdollahian will then travel onwards to Syria on Monday, reported Iran's Tasnim agency.

Israel has repeatedly attacked Iranian targets in Syria since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October, and the subsequent cross-border clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah on Israel's northern border with Lebanon.

More than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in six months of Israel's war in Gaza. Israel has come under mounting international pressure to halt its operations in Gaza this month, following the killing of foreign aid workers and with the death toll rising in the enclave.

The US has also repeatedly sought to avoid a regional escalation despite Israel's escalatory strikes on Iranian and allied targets.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Racecard

5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m

6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m

6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m

7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m

7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m

BLACK%20ADAM
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jaume%20Collet-Serra%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dwayne%20Johnson%2C%20Sarah%20Shahi%2C%20Viola%20Davis%2C%20Pierce%20Brosnan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Miss Granny

Director: Joyce Bernal

Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa

3/5

(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)

Ramy%3A%20Season%203%2C%20Episode%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAri%20Katcher%2C%20Ryan%20Welch%2C%20Ramy%20Youssef%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERamy%20Youssef%2C%20Amr%20Waked%2C%20Mohammed%20Amer%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarla%20Gutierrez%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Frida%20Kahlo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience

by David Gilmour

Allen Lane

The Facility’s Versatility

Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
 
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
 
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
 
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
 
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
 
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket

Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars

ILT20%20UAE%20stars
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Updated: April 08, 2024, 5:01 AM`