Iran 'certain' of retaliation against Israel and may use Iraqi territory to launch attack

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Iran is "certain" to retaliate against Israel and may use Iraqi territory to launch an attack, following a recent wave of strikes on Iranian ballistic missile and drone sites.

“The Iranian response to Israeli aggression is certain," Ali Fadavi, the deputy commander-in-chief of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, told Al Mayadeen, a news outlet linked to Lebanese Hezbollah on Thursday. "For over 40 years, we have not allowed a single attack to go unanswered and we can destroy everything Israel has."

The strikes could be launched from Iraq, US news website Axios quoted two Israeli intelligence officials as saying in a report. Their statement followed a series of warnings from Iran that it was planning a counterattack. Iran and Israel have historically clashed through proxy groups and by carrying out assassinations.

Israel killed two Iranian generals in Damascus in April, leading to a major ballistic missile and drone attack on Israel 12 days later. Another ballistic missile attack on Israel was launched on October 1, in retaliation for the killing of Iranian allies, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Carrying out an attack through pro-Iran militias in Iraq could be an attempt by Tehran to avoid another direct Israeli attack on Iran, Axios reported. Israel would almost certainly strike targets in Iraq in response, with air strikes, thought to be Israeli, reportedly killing 10 militia fighters in Syria last month.

While Iran has historically trained and armed Iraqi militias in a government-linked umbrella organisation, the Popular Mobilisation Forces, some of the groups date back to the Iran-Iraq War and were revived to fight against US and British forces following the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

A subset of these groups, which call themselves the Islamic Resistance, have joined Hezbollah and Yemen's Houthi rebels in launching attacks on Israel. While the PMF is led by Iran-backed leaders, a small number of groups within the umbrella group do not answer to Tehran.

Members of the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces take part in a parade in Diyala province. Reuters

But PMF groups typically receive fewer long-range heavy weapons, including drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, compared with Iran’s other militia allies. The Houthis have disrupted trade in the Red Sea with a steady stream of attacks on shipping, while Hezbollah has killed more than 60 Israeli citizens, about half of them soldiers, through rocket, drone and missile attacks launched since October 8, 2023, according to AP.

Long-range weapons are necessary to strike Israel and, although Iraqi militias have claimed responsibility for drone attacks on Israeli cities, there have been few of those, compared with the waves of attacks carried out by Hezbollah and the Houthis. Most have been ineffective, although a drone attack blamed on the Islamic Resistance killed two Israeli soldiers in the occupied Golan Heights on October 4.

Iraq’s government is trying to rein in the actions of the PMF, to avoid the country being dragged into a war, despite the group having a budget of $2.6 billion, in addition to billions of dollars from official and unofficial businesses. The force is about half the size of the Iraqi army, with about 240,000 members.

"Those groups who have the rockets and drones should go to Gaza and Lebanon to fight Israel, rather than pushing Iraq towards destruction," Abdul Ameer Thuaiban, an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, told Reuters.

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips

Rating: 2/5

The stats

Ship name: MSC Bellissima

Ship class: Meraviglia Class

Delivery date: February 27, 2019

Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT

Passenger capacity: 5,686

Crew members: 1,536

Number of cabins: 2,217

Length: 315.3 metres

Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)

How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?

Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

COMPANY%20PROFILE

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Indian origin executives leading top technology firms

Sundar Pichai

Chief executive, Google and Alphabet

Satya Nadella

Chief executive, Microsoft

Ajaypal Singh Banga

President and chief executive, Mastercard

Shantanu Narayen

Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe

Indra Nooyi

Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo

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Brave CF 27 fight card

Welterweight:
Abdoul Abdouraguimov (champion, FRA) v Jarrah Al Selawe (JOR)

Lightweight:
Anas Siraj Mounir (TUN) v Alex Martinez (CAN)

Welterweight:
Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA) v Khamzat Chimaev (SWE)

Middleweight:
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Rustam Chsiev (RUS)
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) v Christofer Silva (BRA)

Super lightweight:
Alex Nacfur (BRA) v Dwight Brooks (USA)

Bantamweight:
Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) v Tariq Ismail (CAN)
Chris Corton (PHI) v Zia Mashwani (PAK)

Featherweight:
Sulaiman (KUW) v Abdullatip (RUS)

Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) v Mohammad Al Katib (JOR)

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

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