Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese border village of Tayr Harfa on April 6. AFP
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese border village of Tayr Harfa on April 6. AFP
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese border village of Tayr Harfa on April 6. AFP
Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese border village of Tayr Harfa on April 6. AFP

Israeli jets bomb targets deep inside Lebanon after drone shot down


  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza

Hezbollah shot down an Israeli drone flying over Lebanon on Sunday as Israeli jets launched strikes deep within the country, in the Bekaa valley region.

A source close to Hezbollah earlier told AFP in the Baalbek region in eastern Lebanon that the strikes had targeted Janta and Sinfri in the Bekaa Valley.

Israel launched similar strikes against Hezbollah targets in the Bekaa Valley in February after the group said it had shot down another Israeli drone.

Hezbollah said it fired "dozens of Katyusha rockets" at two Israeli bases on Sunday "in response to the enemy's attacks on the Bekaa area". Katyusha rockets are named after Soviet rockets from WW2 but Hezbollah uses modern variants of the unguided weapon.

The militant group said the drone shot down on Sunday was a Hermes 900, according to a Telegram statement. It posted a video of the aircraft being targeted.

According to Janes, a British defence consultancy, each Hermes 900 costs up to $6.8 million. Israel has lost about three fixed-wing drones since fighting broke out on the border on October 8, a day after Hamas launched a huge raid into southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people.

Israel responded with bombardment and invasion of Gaza killing more than 33,000 Palestinians, leading to intervention by Hezbollah and, in Yemen, the Houthis who launched a blockade of the Red Sea. In Syria and Iraq, Iran-backed militias have also launched drone attacks towards Israel.

The Israeli army acknowledged that its drone was shot down. It also said Hezbollah air defence systems had been targeted in retaliation. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said the target of the Israeli strikes in Sifri was a "hangar".

Israel struck a military compound as well as three air defence compounds in the Bekaa Valley "in response to the shooting down of the Air Force aircraft last night", it said on X.

Hezbollah air defences

Hezbollah has access to shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles capable of shooting down very low-flying jets, drones and helicopters.

Last year, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank, said Iran may have transferred more capable systems to the group, such as the Iranian 358 anti-aircraft missile, which has been used by Iraqi militias and the Houthis in Yemen, supplied by Iran.

Since the latest Hezbollah-Israel war began, there have been fears clashes could transform into a much larger conflict. Israel bombs southern Lebanon, and occasionally targets further north such as Baalbek, on a near-daily basis, while Hezbollah frequently fires rockets into Israel.

Israeli shelling has killed about 270 Hezbollah fighters and 50 civilians. In southern Lebanon, about 90,000 people have also been displaced, while more than 96,000 Israelis have been displaced from the country's northern border area.

A wider war would be far more destructive, analysts say, involving thousands of Israeli air strikes and up to 1,000 Hezbollah rocket and missile attacks per day.

The last war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, lasting little over one month, killed about 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians including around 250 Hezbollah members, while about 4,500 people were injured.

In Israel, 44 civilians were killed, nearly 1,300 were injured and 121 soldiers were killed in a short-lived invasion of southern Lebanon.

Analysts say neither side wants a repeat of such a conflict, but are nonetheless preparing for a major escalation. In December, Israeli War Cabinet member Benny Gantz warned, "if the world doesn’t get Hezbollah away from the border, Israel will do it."

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Friday that his movement had not yet used its "main" weapons, and reiterated that Hezbollah would cease its attacks only when the war in Gaza ends.

Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

The biog

Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates

Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.

Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.

Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.

Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile 

Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran

Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep

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 

The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience

by David Gilmour

Allen Lane

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M3%2C%208-core%20CPU%2C%20up%20to%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.6-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201664%2C%20224ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%2FUSB-4%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%2C%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206E%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2052.6Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2018%20hours%2C%20MagSafe%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201080p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20Apple%20ProRes%2C%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-speaker%20system%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20support%20for%20Dolby%20Atmos%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20and%20dynamic%20head%20tracking%20(with%20AirPods)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Midnight%2C%20silver%2C%20space%20grey%2C%20starlight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Air%2C%2030W%2F35W%20dual-port%2F70w%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C-to-MagSafe%20cable%2C%202%20Apple%20stickers%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh4%2C599%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tomb%20Raider%20I%E2%80%93III%20Remastered
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Aspyr%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Aspyr%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20series%20X%2FS%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage

Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid 

Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani

Rating: 4/5

Timeline

1947
Ferrari’s road-car company is formed and its first badged car, the 125 S, rolls off the assembly line

1962
250 GTO is unveiled

1969
Fiat becomes a Ferrari shareholder, acquiring 50 per cent of the company

1972
The Fiorano circuit, Ferrari’s racetrack for development and testing, opens

1976
First automatic Ferrari, the 400 Automatic, is made

1987
F40 launched

1988
Enzo Ferrari dies; Fiat expands its stake in the company to 90 per cent

2002
The Enzo model is announced

2010
Ferrari World opens in Abu Dhabi

2011
First four-wheel drive Ferrari, the FF, is unveiled

2013
LaFerrari, the first Ferrari hybrid, arrives

2014
Fiat Chrysler announces the split of Ferrari from the parent company

2015
Ferrari launches on Wall Street

2017
812 Superfast unveiled; Ferrari celebrates its 70th anniversary

Temple numbers

Expected completion: 2022

Height: 24 meters

Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people

Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people

First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time

First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres  

Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres

Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor 

When is VAR used?

Goals

Penalty decisions

Direct red-card incidents

Mistaken identity

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
McLaren GT specs

Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed

Power: 620bhp

Torque: 630Nm

Price: Dh875,000

On sale: now

'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

Without Remorse

Directed by: Stefano Sollima

Starring: Michael B Jordan

4/5

 

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
​​​​​​​Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books

Updated: April 07, 2024, 11:38 AM`