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After the deadline passed for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon under the terms of a ceasefire agreement reached in November, Moustafa Rizk and his father, Ahmad, decided to check on their properties in the border town of Houla.
“It’s been a year since we last set foot in our village – a year of killings, martyrdom and destruction. The ceasefire agreement expired, khalas – we were excited to go back,” Moustafa told The National.
What the father and son did not know was that Israeli tanks were still in Houla. Their attempt to return home would lead to their detention, along with five others, in what they describe as brutal conditions at an Israeli military base on the Lebanon-Israel border.
“They beat me with their hands and a stick. I felt my soul leave my body. They interrogated me three times, each session lasting three hours. We were freezing cold – no food, no water, no sleep,” Moustafa said, his wrist still bearing the marks from being tied for hours.
The Israeli army, in a written response to a request for comment, stated that it is "operating in southern Lebanon and will act to remove any threat to the State of Israel and its citizens, while adhering to the understanding agreements".
It added that "on January 26, several gatherings occurred in southern Lebanon, in which suspects approached IDF and Lebanese Army forces. As part of these events, there were several attempts to approach IDF forces. To eliminate the threat, the forces carried out warning fire, in accordance with procedures and without harming the gatherers. During that day, two suspects who approached IDF forces were arrested and suspected of involvement in terrorist activity".
The army explained that the suspects "were taken for interrogation and released shortly after their involvement in terrorist activity was ruled out".
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement – mediated by the US and France – that ended 14 months of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, the Lebanese army is to move to the south of the country. Hezbollah is also to pull back its forces north of the Litani River as the Israeli army withdraws over a 60-day period. It has occupied villages in the south since October.
As the withdrawal deadline loomed, the Lebanese army accused Israel of “procrastinating”. On January 26, thousands – including Moustafa Rizk and his father – defied Israeli warnings to stay away from the border, and set out to return home. Israeli forces killed 22 people and injured 124 others as they tried to approach their houses in the south.
Among the killed were Moustafa’s 30 year-old cousin and two of his neighbours. “Israeli soldiers started shooting at us once we approached Houla,” Moustafa recalled. He said the group, seven unarmed men including a 19-year-old, took refuge in a garage, where they were eventually found by Israeli soldiers.
Father and son said they were dragged outside, lined up, forced to undress, tied by their legs, blindfolded, and put in a car that took them to what they were told was a military centre at Margaliot, near the Lebanon-Israel border.
Violence and humiliation
At the military site, soldiers reportedly accused the small group of belonging to Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, which they firmly denied. Moustafa works in a jewellery store, while his father Ahmad is a civil servant.
In separate interviews with The National, the father and son described being physically and verbally abused, and deprived of food, water and sleep. They said they were left on a bench in a cold room for days, their hands tied behind their backs. During repeated interrogations, they were beaten and insulted.
Ahmad, who has high blood pressure, says he was also denied access to medication. “I thought that if my father stayed one more day, he would die because he has diabetes and can’t go long without eating,” Moustafa said.
He added: “Every time we tried to sleep, they would wake us up. They put a speaker right next to us and blasted Hebrew music. I didn’t sleep for 48 hours.”
Ahmad said they were allowed to use the bathroom only three times in three days. “They were playing mind games with us,” Moustafa said. “They told me they would send me to Mossad for interrogation. That’s when I started freaking out – my heart left my body. Everyone knows what they’re capable of in terms of torture. If they took me, I knew I wouldn’t come back.”
Ahmad said he ended up making a false admission to being a commander in the Radwan forces after soldiers threatened to kill his son. “I was scared they would torture him in front of me, so I told them yes,” he said. "All I cared about was my son – I wanted to protect him. I knew they were capable of killing, so I accepted all what they said."
Wadih Al Asmar, head of the EuroMed Rights human rights network and the Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, said: “This is an arbitrary detention by UN standards: the Israeli army has no jurisdiction in Lebanon. These were civilians, and their abduction was carried out by a military force whose presence in Lebanon is illegal, outside the context of combat."
He said that even if the Israeli accusations against Ahmad and Moustafa were true, they would be considered prisoners of war and would still be protected under the Geneva Conventions.
The allegations of torture and ill-treatment echo reports of Israeli detentions in Gaza. According to a report by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Israel has arbitrarily detained thousands of Palestinians during the war in Gaza and is accused of torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
Ahmad and Moustafa were freed after two and a half days in detention, as part of a deal to extend the withdrawal deadline until February 18 in exchange for the release of nine Lebanese prisoners. They said Israeli soldiers released them in the town of Merkaba. “They told us, ‘If you come back to Houla, we will kill you.’”
A Hezbollah source said none of the detainees were fighters with the group. Neither Unifil, the peacekeeping force in south Lebanon, nor the Israeli army responded to a request for comment.
Other Lebanese prisoners arrested during the truce remain in detention in Israel. Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, has called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to help secure the release of nine more Lebanese detainees. Moustafa and Ahmad Rizk said that one of the men taken with them was still being held.
Both father and son say they were arbitrarily arrested. “I was only asking for my rights – it’s my land. They have no right to be there,” Moustafa said. “If someone knocks on your door and says, ‘This is my house,’ would you just give it to them?”
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%209
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Without Remorse
Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Michael B Jordan
4/5
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
How to book
Call DHA on 800342
Once you are registered, you will receive a confirmation text message
Present the SMS and your Emirates ID at the centre
DHA medical personnel will take a nasal swab
Check results within 48 hours on the DHA app under ‘Lab Results’ and then ‘Patient Services’
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
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.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
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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
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
