Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Israeli jet fighters struck southern Lebanon, Beirut and the eastern Bekaa Valley on Tuesday, in a second day of air assaults targeting Hezbollah that have killed more than 550 people according to Lebanese authorities.
The Ministry of Public Health reported that the Israeli strikes, the largest aerial attack since the 2006 war between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group, have resulted in 558 deaths, including 50 children and 49 women, with 1,835 injured.
In Beirut, at least six people were killed and 15 others injured in an air strike on a residential building in a southern suburb of the capital, according to local health authorities. The Israeli military said the strike on Ghobeiry killed Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Qubaisi, who it said was responsible for attacks on Israel. Hezbollah has not confirmed his death.
The Israeli army said on Tuesday it is conducting “extensive strikes” on Hezbollah sites in Lebanon. Officials said the assault aims to eliminate Hezbollah's military capabilities to allow northern Israeli residents to return home after months of displacement, after cross-border fighting began on October 8, a day after the Hamas attack on southern Israel and the start of Israel's war in Gaza war which has since killed more than 41,400 Palestinians.
The operation also aims to pressure Hezbollah to halt its attacks on Israel, which the group says will continue until Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza. Negotiations for a truce have so far failed, mainly due to Israel's insistence on occupying a southern corridor along the border with Egypt.
Despite the high toll on the Lebanese side, the escalation between Hezbollah and Israel appears calculated. Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut remains largely untouched aside from a few targeted strikes, and the group has focused on military targets in Israel, keeping the door open for diplomacy.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian at the Grand Serail on Tuesday morning, a day after France called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to address the situation in Lebanon.
Tuesday's strikes hit residential buildings across Baalbek in the east, causing “destruction and massacres”, the National News Agency reported, adding that “among the martyrs were families whose entire members perished under the rubble”.
Israeli attacks encircled Baalbek city from all sides, with at least 28 towns and villages struck by Israeli jets, the NNA reported. Mosques opened their doors for people fleeing the air strikes. Bakeries and petrol stations in the city were packed on Tuesday as residents rushed to stock up on basic supplies.
Air strikes were reported across the south overnight, including in Qasiba, Kfar Sir and Tambourit, while attacks were reported near Tyre, Baalbek and nearby towns and villages on Tuesday morning.
Thousands of people in southern and eastern Lebanon have fled their homes due to the attacks, with the roads out of the southern city of Sidon gridlocked on Monday night as families rushed to head north.
The Israeli army has said it will increase attacks on the Bekaa Valley, where it says Hezbollah is embedded in civilian homes and using the population as “human shields”.
In a video message, Israeli military spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari also threatened a ground invasion if changes are not made “immediately”.
About 90 temporary shelters have been set up in schools to host the displaced, Lebanese caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin, who is co-ordinating the crisis response, told Reuters, with capacity for more than 26,000 people as civilians flee “Israeli atrocities”.
Israeli air strikes had already displaced about 100,000 civilians across southern Lebanon before the latest escalation.
In Israel, the government declared a “special situation” nationwide, allowing the military to issue widespread orders to the public in the name of safety, which can include closing schools and banning gatherings, among other measures. The military has not yet issued nationwide orders, but special restrictions have been in place in northern regions for several days.
Rocket fire targeting Israel continued on Tuesday, with several buildings damaged in direct hits on Kiryat Shmona, Israel's northernmost city. No casualties were immediately reported. The army said around 50 rockets were fired at the area and its surroundings.
Hezbollah said it targeted the city “in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza” and in defence of Lebanon.
About 20 rockets were fired at the Afula area on Tuesday morning, with shrapnel found across the city and nearby Nazareth, the northern district's largest city and home to a mostly Arab population.
Sirens also rang throughout the night in the northern city of Haifa, where thousands ran to bomb shelters after Hezbollah fired rockets at the area on Monday night. The city is home to Rambam hospital, one of Israel's major health facilities, which has been preparing for war for months, including the possibility it will have to move to an underground bunker.
Hezbollah, a political party and militia, is embedded in Lebanon’s government, institutions and society, leading many Lebanese to worry that Israeli strikes could lead to a high civilian death toll.
Last week, senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil was killed, along with 16 other members of the group, in an Israeli strike on Dahieh in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The attack also claimed the lives of dozens of civilians.
The attack came after thousands of booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members exploded last week on two consecutive days, killing dozens of people, just after Israel announced a shift in focus from Gaza towards its conflict with Hezbollah.
On Monday evening, Senior Hezbollah commander Ali Karaki was the target of an Israeli strike in Dahieh. Hezbollah published a statement saying that Mr Karaki was well and in a safe place after the Israeli strike, responding to the “allegations of the Zionist enemy regarding the assassination.
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
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The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
Kalra's feat
- Becomes fifth batsman to score century in U19 final
- Becomes second Indian to score century in U19 final after Unmukt Chand in 2012
- Scored 122 in youth Test on tour of England
- Bought by Delhi Daredevils for base price of two million Indian rupees (Dh115,000) in 2018 IPL auction
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
