Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Israel is bracing for a major attack as fears mount that spiralling tension in the Middle East could lead to unprecedented strikes on the country by its regional adversaries.
The Israeli military is also preparing for the possibility of a significant attack on its air defence systems, it said on Monday.
“Israel must protect, first and foremost, its vital capabilities such as air force bases, military headquarters and vital infrastructure,” Brig Gen Amir Avivi told The National.
“We’ll do everything we can to defend the cities but if the attack is overwhelming, there is no 100 per cent. There might be hits.
“Iran and Hezbollah need to take into account that if this happens, there will be a full-scale war. They will pay heavily for attacking us.”
Israel’s military spokesman said on Sunday that there was “no change in the defence policy of the Home Front Command”, the military body responsible for civilian protection.
Brig Gen Avivi said this would only change when “there is specific intelligence that says an attack is about to happen or under way”.
“A big part of Israel’s ability to deal with this long war is keeping the economy flowing and society resilient. A big part of that resilience is keeping everyday life normal as much as possible,” he added.
In the northern port city of Haifa, a possible Hezbollah target, the municipality cancelled events involving large gatherings.
Authorities are also removing hazardous materials from the port, which is vital to the country’s economy.
While Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire since October 8, the situation rapidly deteriorated last week after a senior Hezbollah commander was killed in Beirut and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, attacks widely believed to have been carried out by Israel.
Tawfik, 21, a resident of the city of Akka, north of Haifa, told The National that the situation was critical and “countries and institutions must address it before we descend into a regional escalation that will be difficult to escape from”.
Adel, also a resident of Akka, is less concerned. “I don’t care. No one’s stockpiling. I don’t think Iran’s retaliation will be that big. It’s already in the middle of an effective retaliation: terrifying the Israeli populace,” he said.
Israeli authorities have long acknowledged that there could be major disruptions to electricity, water and communications infrastructure in the event of a large-scale attack by Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Iran and its regional proxies.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told G7 counterparts on Sunday that an Iran-Hezbollah attack on Israel could happen as early as Monday, news website Axios reported.
A number of foreign countries have updated travel advice for Israel, with some urging citizens to avoid all travel.
Last week, the Home Front Command unveiled new technology that sends personal messages to phone users in an area suddenly deemed to be in danger.
The country’s ambulance service also completed a major drill last week simulating a widespread attack on Israel that could lead to communication disruptions and mass casualties.
Brig Gen Avivi said Israel was in “full readiness” and that there was “also very tight co-operation with the global coalition led by the US to defend against a possibly Iranian or Hezbollah attack”.
The US galvanised an international coalition that intercepted projectiles during an Iranian attack on Israel in April.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant briefed US counterpart Lloyd Austin on Monday night about the situation in the region.
Mr Gallant discussed “a series of scenarios and corresponding defensive and offensive capabilities”, his office said.
He also “highlighted the importance of US leadership in forming a coalition of allies and partners to defend Israel and the region from a range of aerial attacks”.
There are fears this time that the US will struggle to muster the same number of allies, particularly among Arab states.
But Brig Gen Avivi said that the coalition was stronger than it was in April, citing forces that the US has moved to the region recently and high-level political visits from allied states, such as last week's trip to Tel Aviv by the UK’s military chief Admiral Sir Tony Radakin.
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The view from The National
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
RESULTS
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Rajeh, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi (trainer)
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes – Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Get Back Goldie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Sovereign Prince, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Hot Rod Charlie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Withering, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
9.30pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Creative Flair, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
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.
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more about the coronavirus
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
