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Lebanon's Hezbollah said it held Israel fully responsible for Tuesday's "sinful attack" that injured nearly three thousand people and killed at least nine, including a child, when thousands of pagers simultaneously detonated across Lebanon.
“A number of message-receiving devices known as 'pagers' and carried by a number of people in various Hezbollah units and institutions exploded,” the powerful Lebanese group said.
"After examining the facts, current data and available information ... We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for the criminal aggression that also targeted civilians and led to the martyrdom of a number of people and the injury of a large number with various injuries," Hezbollah said.
Lebanon's Health Minister said that more than 2,800 people were injured and eight killed in the pager bombings across Lebanon. At least 200 of the injuries are critical, he said.
Among those injured – mostly Hezbollah fighters, security sources confirmed to The National – was Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani. The Iranian embassy said his wounds were superficial and that he was in good condition.
The detonations occurred shortly after Israel’s Shin Bet security service announced it foiled a Hezbollah plot to assassinate an Israeli former security official using a remote-detonated bomb.
Images on social media showed people in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahieh lying in blood, some with charred and mangled pagers nearby.
In Beirut, the sound of wailing ambulance sirens echoed through the city hours after the attack.
Many of Lebanon's residents flocked to hospitals to donate blood. A blood donor at the Maqassed hospital in Tariq Jdeedeh told The National that “at least 50 wounded are being treated here. Most injuries are in the eyes, or broken arms and legs, some people are missing fingers … It’s chaos.”
In the Geitawi Hospital, an emergency team rushed into the emergency entrance carrying a man on a stretcher, his head covered in blood and white gauze. The man was one of at least seven critically wounded people currently being treated at that hospital.
“They are all currently undergoing surgery,” medical director Naji Abi Rached told The National, adding that he could not yet comment on their prognosis. “And we are ready to receive more wounded,” he added.
The Health Ministry asked hospitals across the country to prepare themselves “to meet the urgent need for emergency health services”. It requested that health workers head to hospitals “urgently”.
Lebanese citizens were urged by the Internal Security Services to clear roads as rescue services treated and evacuated the injured.
The Lebanese Red Cross said more than 30 of its ambulances were being used throughout the country and that 50 additional ambulances had been put on high alert. The ministry also called on all citizens to stay clear of mobile devices for their safety following the incident.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in February asked residents of south Lebanon to stop using mobile devices and CCTV, as Israeli intelligence services could hack them. It is thought the Lebanese group's use of pagers is an attempt to limit communication that could be exploited by Israel because cell phones can be used to track a user's location.
The United States said it was not involved in nor aware of the pagers detonations that targeted Hezbollah and urged Iran and its allies not to escalate.
“I can tell you that the US was not involved in it, the US was not aware of this incident in advance and, at this point, we’re gathering information,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
"We would urge Iran not to take advantage of any incident to try to add further instability and to further increase tensions in the region," he added.
Hanin Ghaddar, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy called the pager attack “totally unprecedented.”
Ms Ghaddar surmised that Israel, who have not claimed responsibility for the string of explosions yet, must have infiltrated the Lebanese militant group’s supply chain somehow.
“Definitely, there was an interception, they intercepted the supply chain, they intercepted the shipment, they added the explosive component to it, and they waited for the right moment,” Ms Ghaddar told The National.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
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The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
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
6.30pm Handicap (TB) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Switzerland, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner Lord Giltters, Adrie de Vries, David O’Meara
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
9.25pm Al Fahidi Fort Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Land Of Legends, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
10pm Dubai Dash Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner Equilateral, Frankie Dettori, Charles Hills.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Scoreline
Swansea 2
Grimes 20' (pen), Celina, 29'
Man City 3
Silva 69', Nordfeldt 78' (og), Aguero 88'
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
Read more about the coronavirus
'Project Power'
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Rating: 3.5/5
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
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
Defence review at a glance
• 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
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Company%20profile
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Company%20Profile
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Planes grounded by coronavirus
British Airways: Cancels all direct flights to and from mainland China
Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific: Cutting capacity to/from mainland China by 50 per cent from Jan. 30
Chicago-based United Airlines: Reducing flights to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong
Ai Seoul: Suspended all flights to China
Finnair: Suspending flights to Nanjing and Beijing Daxing until the end of March
Indonesia's Lion Air: Suspending all flights to China from February
South Korea's Asiana Airlines, Jeju Air and Jin Air: Suspend all flights
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 60kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed Electronic Precision Shift
Power: 204hp
Torque: 360Nm
Range: 520km (claimed)
Punchy appearance
Roars of support buoyed Mr Johnson in an extremely confident and combative appearance
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