Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Israel launched attacks on at least five locations in south Lebanon overnight on Thursday, as its conflict with Hezbollah continues even after tension seemingly cooled.
Israel's military pounded areas near and within the villages of Tayr Hafa, Yaroun, Naqoura, Yarine and Majdal Zoun, while Hezbollah also struck parts of northern Israel late at night.
The attacks came after Hezbollah finally launched, last Sunday, its retaliation for an attack on Beirut last month that killed Fouad Shukr, a top commander in the group.
It launched more than 300 missiles at least 11 Israeli military sites, Hezbollah's largest assault yet since October. Israel for its part claimed it had launched pre-emptive strikes on Hezbollah sites.
The region had been on tenterhooks awaiting Hezbollah's retaliation for the killing of Mr Shukr – alongside several civilians – and Israel's response.
While it may have been Hezbollah's largest attack yet, the relatively restrained response – at least compared with what was potentially predicted – and Israel's ability to claim it had launched pre-emptive strikes have actually served to cool tension for the moment.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Lebanon could “breathe and relax,” while the country's flight schedule returned to normal.
The fighting, which broke out on October 8, in parallel to Israel's war on Gaza, has seemingly returned to its retaliatory cross-border exchanges.
Israel attacked a lorry north of the city of Baalbek this week in the Bekka Valley, far away from the border area. The lorry was reportedly carrying Hezbollah weapons, although the driver was not killed.
It also assassinated three members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group alongside a Hezbollah member while they were travelling in Syria, near the Lebanese border, along a motorway that links Beirut and Damascus.
The cross-border violence since October has killed about 605 people in Lebanon, mostly Hezbollah fighters but including at least 131 civilians, according to an AFP tally.
On the Israeli side, including in the annexed Golan Heights, authorities announced the deaths of at least 24 soldiers and 26 civilians.
More than 100,000 people have been displaced from south Lebanon while tens of thousands have left northern Israel.
The attacks come as ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel in Gaza continue to stutter.
Israel's Defence Minister said ensuring “the safe return of northern communities to their homes” was crucial.
Hezbollah said it would not end its attacks on Israel until the latter halted its brutal bombardment of the Gaza Strip, where more than 40,500 Palestinians have been killed.
The killing of Mr Shukr came only hours before Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran, in an attack widely blamed on Israel. Iran has yet to respond to the killing but has threatened to do so.
Retired Israeli Brig Gen Amir Avivi claimed Iran had held back in its response because they “really want to see a ceasefire and Israel withdrawing” from Gaza and “that they understand that maybe there is one last chance to save Hamas”.
“And then they have to take in account that there is a whole coalition ready to deal with the shooting, and there is a big chance that the shooting will be ineffective – following that, this time, Israel is not going just to shoot one missile on a radar. Israel is going to retaliate and hit Iran very hard, possibly oil production, possibly their nuclear plants,” he said.
But the retired general cautioned that, overall, Iran was not very deterred. “I think they feel strong, and they feel that the US is not fully backing Israel. So, this emboldens them.”
An Iraqi diplomatic source said “the Israeli recklessness led by Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] and the insistence on the continuation of the war and the cruel military machine against the Palestinians in Gaza, and the lack of hearing of international advice will make the pro-Iranian factions in both Syria, Lebanon and Iraq also insist on responding, and the result is negative for everyone.”
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Read more about the coronavirus
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
RACECARD%20
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JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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HIV on the rise in the region
A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.
New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.
More coverage from the Future Forum
FIXTURES
Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney
Note: d/n = day/night
57%20Seconds
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Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
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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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
UAE squad
Men's draw: Victor Scvortov and Khalifa Al Hosani, (both 73 kilograms), Sergiu Toma and Mihail Marchitan (90kg), Ivan Remarenco (100kg), Ahmed Al Naqbi (60kg), Musabah Al Shamsi and Ahmed Al Hosani (66kg)
Women’s draw: Maitha Al Neyadi (57kg)
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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