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Iran and its alliance in the Middle East has not been weakened despite the toppling of its ally Bashar Al Assad in Syria, the country's supreme leader Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday,
Mr Khamenei said that the US and Israel were behind Mr Al Assad's deposing in Syria, which has struck a blow to Iran's influence in the area, especially after its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah, reached a ceasefire deal with Israel last month.
“The more pressure you exert, the stronger the resistance becomes. The more crimes you commit, the more determined it becomes. The more you fight against it, the more it expands,” Mr Khamenei said in a speech reported by Iranian state media.
“Iran is strong and powerful – and will become even stronger.”
The fall of Mr Al Assad, a staunch Iranian ally, is widely seen as a significant blow for Tehran and its so-called Axis of Resistance, an informal alliance stringing together Syria and militant groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, that opposes Israel and US influence in the Middle East.
Iran spent billions of dollars supporting Mr Al Assad during the civil war and sent its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to Syria to keep its ally in power. Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters also played a major role in helping the deposed Syrian dictator crush rebel forces during the civil war.
But as soon as the rebel forces, led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, took over Damascus and announced the fall of the regime on Sunday, the Iranian embassy in Damascus was vandalised.
Meanwhile, Nato member Turkey, which is fighting the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, has been a major backer of opposition groups aiming to overthrow Assad since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011.
Soon after the fall of Mr Al Assad, Iran hinted that it was willing to establish normal relations with Syria’s new government based on a “far-sighted and wise approach.” The Iranian leadership has also called on the rebel forces to establish an inclusive government representing all segments of Syrian society.
In his speech, Mr Khamenei said the swift offensive which led to Mr Al Assad fleeing Syria was “mainly planned in the command rooms of America and Israel. We have evidence of this”.
He said one of Syria’s neighbouring governments, which has supported and armed anti-Assad regime rebels, was involved, in an apparent reference to Turkey.
“The neighbour had a “clear role and continues to do so,” he said.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Qualifier A, Muscat
(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv)
Fixtures
Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final
UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
Result
Arsenal 4
Monreal (51'), Ramsey (82'), Lacazette 85', 89')
West Ham United 1
Arnautovic (64')
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
World Test Championship table
1 India 71 per cent
2 New Zealand 70 per cent
3 Australia 69.2 per cent
4 England 64.1 per cent
5 Pakistan 43.3 per cent
6 West Indies 33.3 per cent
7 South Africa 30 per cent
8 Sri Lanka 16.7 per cent
9 Bangladesh 0
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
