Israel’s Foreign Minister said on Saturday evening that Hezbollah is facing “all-out war” and had ''crossed all red lines'' after a barrage of rockets struck a football pitch in the Golan Heights killing 12 people and injuring at least 13.
Israeli officials said the rocket had been fired from Lebanon. But Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that has been trading tit-for-tat rocket fire with Israel most days since October, denied being behind the strike on the mainly Druze town of Majdal Shams.
However, the attack – whose victims were said by local officials to include children as young as 10 – threatens to provoke a major escalation on the Israel-Lebanon border, which has been looming for months.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said his country is facing an “all-out war”.
“There is no doubt that Hezbollah crossed all red lines,” he told Israeli outlet Channel 12.
“Hezbollah fired a rocket at children playing football in northern Israel. It then lied and claimed they did not carry out the attack,” said the military's chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
He called it the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians since the Hamas attack on October 7.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was returning to Israel early and as soon as possible from his trip to the US, his office said.
An Israel reservist has told The National he fears the attack could be the trigger for war.
“In a normal world this would easily be a trigger for war, but this is Israel in 2024,” Lior Shelef said from the Golan Heights.
“I’ve been on reserves for almost 300 days and my family is evacuated in a hotel. If that’s not a trigger for a war already then I don’t know what is. Honestly, I don’t know, but this should be a trigger for war.
The population in Majdal Shams is mostly from the Druze minority, most of whom do not have Israeli citizenship but are loyal to the state of Israel, which governs the area, provides services and security.
The Lebanese government condemned “all acts of violence and attacks against all civilians” in a statement following the rocket attack.
Police and the army confirmed rockets had hit several sites on Saturday, with the army blaming Hezbollah.
The Jerusalem Post reported the attack came after four Hezbollah fighters were killed earlier in the day.
Hezbollah has said three of its fighters have been killed in an Israeli strike.
The Iran-aligned Al-Mayadeen network said 100 rockets were fired in the attack in the Golan Heights.
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Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
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Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
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National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
Rashmee Roshan Lall: Sound of silence in South Asia
Fanar Haddad: The Iranian response will be gradual
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
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Austria 2
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Germany 1
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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 four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
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- Con Coughlin: Choice of the British people will be vindicated
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Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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Tomorrow 2021
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• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Teri%20Baaton%20Mein%20Aisa%20Uljha%20Jiya
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Plastic tipping point
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- 600-seat auditorium
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
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Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
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Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
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Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
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- Sam Williams: Departure is influenced by its sense of place
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- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
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- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
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- Torrijos Palace dome
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All%20We%20Imagine%20as%20Light
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Honeymoonish
All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
Up in the air
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Rashmee Roshan Lall: Sound of silence in South Asia
