Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Tuesday that his country received a US "guarantee" that Israel would reduce the escalation in the southern suburbs and Beirut, despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing to continue attacks against Hezbollah without mercy.
"During our contacts with the US side last week, we received a form of guarantee to reduce the escalation in the southern suburbs and Beirut and the Americans are serious in pressuring Israel to reach a ceasefire", Mr Mikati said in statements to Al Jazeera channel, carried by Lebanon's National News Agency.
He added that ongoing efforts are aimed "to boost the army's role on the border and enforce the UN Security Council resolution 1701", which calls for the border area of southern Lebanon to be free of weapons or troops other than those of the Lebanese state.
He reiterated the Lebanese government's commitment to enforcing the resolution 1701 and sending army troops to the south.
Mr Mikati's remarks come as Israel's military carried out air strikes on Tuesday on eastern Lebanon, after Mr Netanyahu vowed to attack Hezbollah without mercy. Numerous air strikes hit the Bekaa Valley, putting a hospital in Baalbek city out of service, Lebanon's official National News Agency said.
"We will continue to strike Hezbollah without mercy everywhere in Lebanon – including Beirut," Mr Netanyahu said on Monday during a visit to a Golani Brigade training base. "Everything is according to operational considerations. We have proven this recently and we will continue to prove it in the coming days as well."
His threat came a day after four Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hezbollah drone attack on an Israeli base that also injured 60 others, rescuers said.
On Tuesday, the Iran-backed group said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops who were trying to infiltrate on the outskirts of Rab Tlatin village. Hezbollah also launched missiles at enemy soldiers, it said, as well as a barrage of rockets at northern Israel, while the military reported sirens blaring near the border.
Hezbollah also said its fighters shot down an Israeli military drone after midnight.
The group's Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem warned in a speech that if the war continues, "number of evacuated towns in northern Israel will increase, more than two million people will be in danger".
The Israeli army, meanwhile, said that over the past day its air force had struck more than 200 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and deep within the country, including anti-tank missile posts and surface-to-surface missile launchers. Troops killed dozens of Hezbollah fighters "in close-quarters combat" and in air strikes, dismantled militant infrastructure and found vast quantities of weaponry, it added.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah started a year ago when the militant group began firing rockets at Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas at the start of the Gaza war. It has escalated sharply in recent weeks, with Mr Netanhayu's government vowing not to stop until tens of thousands of people displaced from their homes in northern Israel can return.
The conflict has killed at least 2,309 people and injured 10,782 others since October 8 last year, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. At least 690,000 people have been displaced, according to figures last week from the International Organisation for Migration.
According to a report by The Washington Post on Tuesday, Mr Netanyahu has agreed to limit his country’s retaliation against Iran to military targets. Israel has vowed to counterattack after Iran fired ballistic missiles on October 1, launched in response to Israel's killing of Tehran-aligned militant leaders in the region, along with a general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The Prime Minister has told US President Joe Biden's administration that Israel would strike those types of targets rather than Iranian oil infrastructure or nuclear installations, the US paper reported, citing two official sources.
The Washington Post quoted one of the officials as saying the retaliation for the Iranian missile barrage on Israel would be calibrated to avoid the perception that Israel was interfering in next month’s US election. "We listen to the opinions of the United States but we will make our final decisions based on our national interests," Mr Netanyahu's office said, in a statement quoted in the newspaper article.
Mr Biden's administration has repeatedly urged Israel not to strike Iranian nuclear or energy sites over fears of the conflict in the Middle East escalating further.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tomb%20Raider%20I%E2%80%93III%20Remastered
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Aspyr%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Aspyr%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20series%20X%2FS%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Kill%20
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SPEC%20SHEET
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The biog
Favourite car: Ferrari
Likes the colour: Black
Best movie: Avatar
Academic qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in media production from the Higher Colleges of Technology and diploma in production from the New York Film Academy
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
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Read more from Johann Chacko
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Opening weekend Premier League fixtures
Weekend of August 10-13
Arsenal v Manchester City
Bournemouth v Cardiff City
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Huddersfield Town v Chelsea
Liverpool v West Ham United
Manchester United v Leicester City
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton v Burnley
Watford v Brighton & Hove Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD%204
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Law%2041.9.4%20of%20men%E2%80%99s%20T20I%20playing%20conditions
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SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
Top%2010%20most%20competitive%20economies
%3Cp%3E1.%20Singapore%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Switzerland%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Denmark%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Ireland%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Hong%20Kong%0D%3Cbr%3E6.%20Sweden%0D%3Cbr%3E7.%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E8.%20Taiwan%0D%3Cbr%3E9.%20Netherlands%0D%3Cbr%3E10.%20Norway%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
The specs: 2018 Dodge Durango SRT
Price, base / as tested: Dh259,000
Engine: 6.4-litre V8
Power: 475hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 640Nm @ 4,300rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
Defending champions
World Series: South Africa
Women’s World Series: Australia
Gulf Men’s League: Dubai Exiles
Gulf Men’s Social: Mediclinic Barrelhouse Warriors
Gulf Vets: Jebel Ali Dragons Veterans
Gulf Women: Dubai Sports City Eagles
Gulf Under 19: British School Al Khubairat
Gulf Under 19 Girls: Dubai Exiles
UAE National Schools: Al Safa School
International Invitational: Speranza 22
International Vets: Joining Jack
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
Star%20Wars%3A%20Episode%20I%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Phantom%20Menace
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Big%20Ape%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20LucasArts%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PC%2C%20PlayStation%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
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
