Cross-border raids continue amid increasing Israel-Hezbollah war rhetoric

Cross-border air strikes, rocket and drone attacks between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah continued into Monday, amid threats by both sides that a far bigger conflict could be looming.

A build-up of tensions between both sides has led to fears of a destructive, full-tilt war that could include thousands of attacks a day, compared to the dozens, sometimes scores a day now.

Even still, many residents of southern Lebanon say the situation already feels like full-scale war.

Israeli air strikes hit southern Lebanese border towns – Rab al Talatine, Kafr Kela, and Blida – overnight into Monday.

The night of heavy strikes followed the injury of 18 Israeli soldiers – one of them severely – in a Hezbollah-claimed drone strike in the Israel-occupied Golan Heights earlier on Sunday.

As hopes for a ceasefire in Gaza dwindle, so do hopes for one in Lebanon. Hezbollah and its allies have repeatedly linked a truce on one in Gaza. The powerful Iran-allied group opened the southern Lebanese front on October 8, in support of its ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Lebanon and Israel 'one mistake' from war that could devastate both countries

The cross-border conflict – a war that has so far remained contained mostly to the border area – has displaced tens of thousands of people from both sides of the frontier. Israeli officials have expressed concern that Israel’s citizens will feel unease with returning to northern communities so long as Hezbollah maintains a presence in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli war cabinet has approved an operational plan for a military offensive on Lebanon. Officials aim to push Hezbollah north of the Litani River.

For its part, Hezbollah has promised to use its full military capabilities if such an offensive were to take place, with the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah promising “no restraint, no rules, and no ceilings”.

Over the weekend, Hezbollah ally and backer Iran warned that “all resistance fronts” – a coalition of Iran and its regional allies including Syria, Yemen's Houthis and Iraqi militias – would join the confrontation in an “obliterating war” against Israel if the latter were to launch an offensive on Lebanon.

Iran has dismissed Israeli threats of a large offensive as “psychological warfare”.

While both sides have increased their war rhetoric, they have relatively scaled down their attacks in the last week. While the daily cross-border strikes between Israel and Hezbollah continue, they have largely remained contained.

The fighting has so far killed about 485 people in Lebanon, according to AFP – the vast majority of whom are Hezbollah fighters.

In Israel, at least 15 soldiers and 11 civilians have been killed.

Tips to stay safe during hot weather

Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.

UAE currency

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

On Women's Day

Dr Nawal Al-Hosany: Why more women should be on the frontlines of climate action

Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?

Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality

The National Editorial: Is there much to celebrate on International Women's Day 2021?

Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face

The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.

The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.

Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.

"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.

Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.

The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills