Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati hit out at Iran's “blatant interference” in Lebanese affairs after Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran was ready to negotiate with France on the implementation of a UN Security Council resolution.
Mr Mikati later said he had instructed his Foreign Minister to summon Iran's charge d'affaires over the remarks by Mr Ghalibaf, who visited Beirut last week.
His reaction marks a rare spat between the Lebanese government and Iran, which is an ally of some of Lebanon 's most important factions, including Hezbollah.
“We are surprised by this position, which constitutes a blatant interference in Lebanese affairs and an attempt to establish an unacceptable guardianship over Lebanon,” Mr Mikati said.
“The issue of negotiation to implement the Resolution 1701 is being undertaken by the Lebanese state and everyone is required to support it in this direction, not to seek to impose new mandates that are rejected by all national and sovereign considerations.”
Security Council Resolution 1701, which was agreed on to end the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, states that only the Lebanese army and Unifil, the UN peacekeeping force, should be deployed in southern Lebanon, but the provision has never been enforced. Some Lebanese officials, including Mr Mikati, have been pushing for the resolution's enforcement in a bid to end the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israel has in recent weeks been pounding southern and eastern Lebanon, areas where Hezbollah holds sway. In Lebanese border villages, the group and Israeli soldiers have been engaged in close-range combat since Israel launched a ground invasion last month.
The Israeli army said on Friday it was calling up an additional reserve brigade for operations in northern Israel, amid fighting against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
“This will enable the continuation of combat efforts against the Hezbollah … and the achievement of the goals of the war, including the safe return of the residents of northern Israel to their homes,” the army said in a statement.
Drone shot down
Unifil peacekeepers have also faced attacks from invading Israeli forces as they monitor the UN-demarcated Blue Line separating Israel and Lebanon. Spokesman Andrea Tenenti said on Friday that self-defence against Israel “can be used” but de-escalation is important. “The devastation and destruction of many villages along the Blue Line, and even beyond, is shocking,” he added.
Mr Tenenti also spoke about Unifil's shooting down of a drone that approached its ship off the Lebanese coastline on Thursday. “The drone was coming from the south but circling around the ship and getting very, very close, a few metres away from the ship.”
He said an investigation had detected “a trace of the possible use of white phosphorous” by the Israeli army close to a Unifil base. Israel has been regularly accused of using white phosphorus on Lebanese farmland.
Hezbollah said it was launching “a transition to a new and escalatory phase” in its war against Israel and would use precision-guided missiles against enemy troops for the first time.
The announcement came after the Israeli military on Thursday said it had killed Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, Hezbollah's close ally. The statement, however, made no mention of Mr Sinwar.
“Hundreds of fighters … are fully prepared to counter any Israeli ground incursion into southern Lebanese villages,” it said, noting that attacks on Israel have increased in recent days. It said Hezbollah rocket strikes “escalate day by day”, with “precision-guided ones … being deployed for the first time”.
Barrage of missiles
The militia on Friday said its fighters were firing a barrage of missiles at Israeli soldiers near Ayta ash Shab and in Kfar Kila. Israel said its air force had struck about 150 targets in Gaza and Lebanon in the past 24 hours, including weapons depots and underground shafts, as well as sniper and observation posts. It also claims to have killed Muhammad Hassin Ramal, Hezbollah’s commander of the Tayibe area in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli army said five soldiers were killed and several injured during combat in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced late on Thursday that 45 people were killed and 179 wounded as a result of Israeli air strikes in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of casualties since the start of the war to 2,412 and 11,285 injured.
Israel stepped escalated its attacks on Lebanon last month, killing Hezbollah's long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike on Beirut on September 27. It says its aim is to force Hezbollah to retreat from the border to ensure its displaced citizens can return to their homes in northern Israel. However, its attacks are not limited to Hezbollah strongholds and the military has struck the heart of the capital several times.
The NNA quoted Minister of Environment Dr Nasser Yassin, also co-ordinator of the Lebanese Government Emergency Committee, as saying that 96 air strikes have been recorded in the past 24 hours across the country, bringing the total number to 10,246 since the war began.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Israel to halt its military operations in Lebanon, respect its sovereignty and avoid expanding the conflict.
He made the comments on Thursday after an EU leaders' summit in Brussels. Mr Macron said that while France stands alongside Israel in support of its security, this does not necessarily prevent disagreements with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Tesalam Aleik
Abdullah Al Ruwaished
(Rotana)
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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.
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
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