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Until a week ago, Zaynab Sharaf had maintained some semblance of a normal life in the Lebanese village of Hawsh Al Rafiqa, in the north-eastern Baalbek region. Israel since issued several eviction orders in the area, before attacking what it says are sites linked to Hezbollah.
Her village was no stranger to the conflict, which escalated when Israel expanded cross-border strikes into a sweeping aerial campaign. Hawsh Al Rafiqa bears the scars of war at the site where two girls, aged five and eight, were killed at the start of the fighting, when Israel bombed their neighbour's house. It now lies in ruins.
But in the Bekaa Valley, a fertile plain in eastern Lebanon where the village sits, violence appeared to stabilise. Residents said they were becoming accustomed to it, drawing strength from the proverbial Lebanese resilience, forced on them by years of conflict and crises.
When The National met Ms Sharaf, she was hosting guests, serving plates of pasta, aubergines, chips and glasses of fizzy drinks. From the outside, it looked like a typical Lebanese family lunch, with laughter exchanged over a delicious meal as Ms Sharaf urged her guests to keep eating until they couldn’t. While others had left the village amid the violence, she wanted to stay in her house with her husband and children for as long as possible.
Little did she know that everything would soon change. On the deserted road back to Beirut, minutes after leaving Ms Sharaf’s house, The National's correspondents noticed black smoke rising from nearby villages.
They were the first in a series of attacks that have struck the Bekaa Valley since last Monday. That day, the death toll continued to rise late into the night, reaching 67, Baalbek-Hermel Governor Bashir Khodor said.
Two days later, Ms Sharaf left her home in a hurry, after receiving calls from the Israeli army ordering residents to leave the area. She said it was the first time she felt fear since the war started. That day, the Israeli army issued its first bombing notice for Baalbek and the surrounding area. The escalation forced tens of thousands to hastily flee.
Throughout the week, Baalbek and its district, home to 3,000-year-old Roman temples that are part of an Unesco World Heritage Site, was dragged deeper into war and chaos. Israel's intensified attacks on the Bekaa Valley have killed more than 160 in a week, The National found using official figures.
Israel says it is attacking sites linked to Hezbollah, the Lebanese group that holds sway over parts of the Bekaa Valley. The recent attacks in the area, which borders Syria, suggest an attempt to disrupt the group's supply route for weapons. But doctors, officials, and residents told The National that they have been bearing the brunt of Israeli attacks.
‘Everyone’s gone'
About 40 per cent of the population was still in Baalbek when The National first spoke with Mayor Moustafa Al Chal last Monday, in front of the Roman ruins. But a week later “everything has changed", he said. “Everyone’s gone. The city’s soul has left.”
The destruction has worsened, he added. While the ancient temples remain unharmed, the Gouraud Barracks, dating back to the French mandate and built around the city’s historic gate near the Acropolis, have been damaged.
On Friday, the UN Human Rights Office said Israeli air strikes had “come perilously close” to the Roman-era temple complex. “The city will remain under threat as long as there’s war,” Mr Al Chal said.
The attacks do not only put the city’s rich heritage at risk – they also pose a threat to its people. Amir Nemer, 21, was injured in last Monday's strike on the Gouraud barracks.
Lying in bed at Dar Al Amal University Hospital, injuries to his face meaning he struggles to keep his eyes open, he recounted the horror of the attack that killed his brother and father. The strike destroyed his relative's house where he was staying and left him with severe burns. He said he runs a shop that sells supplies for babies.
“We were staying in our house. The women had already left for safety reasons, but you know you can't just abandon your home. And even if we leave our land, who will remain?” he said.
They had not received any warnings before Israel launched the strike, he said. Six people died in the attack, the Lebanese National News Agency reported.
Ali Allam, director of Dar Al Amal University Hospital, said that, before last week's escalation, staff had resumed treating chronic illnesses. “This was good for morale. It meant we weren’t just dealing with war-related injuries, but were functioning as a regular medical centre again," he explained.
He said the hospital had been fully functioning, with about 90 per cent of the staff still reporting for work before Israel’s onslaught last week. Now, the staff is back to treating patients with war injuries including Mr Nemer, as missiles land with in hundreds of metre of the hospital. Half of the staff have since fled the violence.
Evictions maps
Israel's first bombing notice for Baalbek and the surrounding area came late – two days after the country began escalating its attacks. The maps, published regularly by the Israeli army and criticised by rights groups for sparking mass displacement, also appear to be inaccurate.
Many villages around Baalbek where Israel has launched deadly attacks are not included in the maps. These include the village of Bednayel, where a strike on a residential building killed eight people last Wednesday. When The National visited Bednayel on Thursday, as part of a rare Hezbollah media tour of the Bekaa Valley, rescue workers were still searching through the rubble, where nappies, children’s socks and pyjamas were scattered.
The victims were all from the same family. "Is that what Israel is targeting?" a man asked, as he picked up a pair of tiny pink shoes from the rubble.
Ali said his brother, sister-in-law and their two children were killed in the strike. He stressed that all of the victims were civilians – his brother was a home designer and his sister-in-law owned a beauty salon, he added.
He said he found his niece’s arm in some bushes several metres from the site of the blast. But he remains defiant, despite the threat of Israeli attacks. "We won't leave our land and won't surrender," he said.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
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 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
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Results
2.30pm: Dubai Creek Tower – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Marmara Xm, Gary Sanchez (jockey), Abdelkhir Adam (trainer)
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
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Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
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Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
Pots for the Asian Qualifiers
Pot 1: Iran, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China
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RACECARD
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
Race card
6.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1.600m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 2,000m
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: The Garhoud Sprint Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) Dh 132,500 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
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Saturday
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Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
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Sunday
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Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
