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Israel bombarded Beirut's southern suburbs and other parts of Lebanon on Sunday night following a warning by the army that it would attack "important economic targets" associated with Hezbollah.
There were at least 11 air strikes on the capital's southern suburbs, including at least three on branches of Al Qard Al Hassan, a Hezbollah-linked charity that functions like a bank. An Israeli attack on one branch on the ground floor of an eight-storey residential building flattened the structure in Chiyah. A security source said it had been emptied of residents before being hit.
“In the coming days, we will reveal how Iran finances Hezbollah's terror activities using civilian institutions and associations as cover,” Israeli military spokesman Adm Daniel Hagari said in a statement.
A senior Israeli intelligence official said the attacks were also aimed at “units within Hezbollah responsible for the organisation's economic system”.
The Israeli army had issued eviction orders to residents of “several buildings located near Hezbollah facilities” in Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley.
Al Qard Al Hassan, a Hezbollah-affiliated financial institution founded in 1983 and registered as an NGO in Lebanon, has grown to become the country’s largest provider of microcredit, particularly among the Shiite community. It has more than 30 branches across Lebanon, including 15 in Beirut and its suburbs.
According to Joseph Daher, a scholar and expert on Hezbollah's political economy, Israel's strikes demonstrated its strategy to "militarily and politically weaken Hezbollah by claiming their civil institutions as legitimate targets".
The strikes on Al Qard Al Hassan are not the first on Hezbollah's civil structure since the war began but possibly the clearest, he said.
"These branches are mostly located in Shiite-majority areas, but in recent years branches have also opened in more religiously mixed areas", as the institution slowly gained in popularity with other subsets of Lebanon's population, he said, particularly after the country's financial crisis deepened post-2019.
Lebanon's fiscal problems have left most of the traditional banking sector insolvent. Al Qard Al Hassan provides interest-free microloans against gold or jewellery collateral. It operates according to the principles of Islamic finance and is part of Hezbollah's extensive network of social welfare services.
But the organisation is "not a huge source of income for Hezbollah's armed activities and definitely not a primary source, although it probably plays a role in laundering money for the party's illicit activities", Mr Daher said. The institution was a tool of soft power for the Lebanese group that helps consolidate its popular Shiite base, he added.
"It's more of an intermediary role than a main source of revenue for the group. Hezbollah's main source of income remains Iran, as well as its hand in licit and illicit markets such as smuggling networks and Captagon trade."
Nadim Houry, executive director at the Arab Reform Initiative think tank, said the attacks on Al Qard Al Hassan suggested the Israeli army now considers all Hezbollah-affiliated institutions to be military targets.
“Israel has decided – it already did so in 2006 to a certain extent but now a lot more – that anything remotely tied to Hezbollah will be attacked to weaken Hezbollah's community of support,” Mr Houry said.
Civilians institutions “would lose their protected status as a civilian object only if they were somehow directly contributing to the war effort. But being a lending institution that benefits people close to Hezbollah does not make them a legitimate target,” he added.
Fate of gold deposits
It is not the first time Al Qard Al Hassan's branches have been struck by Israeli fire. In the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel hit six of the nine existing branches.
"Around 5,000 deposits of gold were also hit," Mr Daher said. "But according to the institution, all of the depositors were able to get their money back."
But the fate of the gold that clients have currently put up as collateral at the bank is unclear.
Al Qard Al Hassan posted a statement on its website after the strikes, saying it had taken “all measures since the beginning of the war” and that these were “sufficient to preserve the trust of the people’s deposits and their life savings”.
Nour, 24, who tried to close her account and withdraw her gold collateral from Al Qard Al Hassan last week, said she was told: “We can’t return your gold right now.”
“They said you can give us the money but we won’t be able to return your money to you now, so it’s better to hold on to it for the time being,” she said. Like other depositors who spoke to The National, she asked to be identified by only her first name.
“Under usual circumstances, we would return the loan in cash to them and our gold would be returned to us within a maximum of 15 days. But this time they said, ‘keep the cash because we can’t tell you when your gold will return'.”
She said she was unsure whether that meant gold had been moved to keep it safe, but she was otherwise unperturbed by the prospective loss: "We're alive," she said. "That's the important thing."
Hassan, another displaced resident, arrived on a bike to survey the scene of the levelled branch in Chiyah. He said he had two ounces of gold deposited which were worth about $2,700 each, but was not concerned.
“It's worth it for the resistance. Anyway, they've guaranteed that the money will return. They put out a statement. We hope that this is the case,” he said. “The resistance has never wronged us in the past and there's no reason for them to wrong us now.”
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
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Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi
“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
“When eating nigiri, you must dip the fish – not the rice – in soy sauce, otherwise the rice will collapse. Also, don’t use too much soy sauce or it will make you thirsty. For sushi rolls, dip a little of the rice-covered roll lightly in soy sauce and eat in one bite.
“Chopsticks are acceptable, but really, I recommend using your fingers for sushi. Do use chopsticks for sashimi, though.
“The ginger should be eaten separately as a palette cleanser and used to clear the mouth when switching between different pieces of fish.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
More coverage from the Future Forum
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 258hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.1L/100km
Price: from Dh362,500
On sale: now
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Results
1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec
2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s
5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s
6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s
7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004
8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100
9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692
10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
Read more about the coronavirus
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
Episode list:
Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery
Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges
Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic
Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks
Ep5: Travel and tourism
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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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
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Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
