Since December 8, Israel has regularly bombed Syria, sometimes striking what it has said are “strategic” weapons formerly possessed by the regime of Bashar Al Assad, which it claims could one day pose a threat.
The arms have either been abandoned or inherited by security forces of the new Syrian administration led by Ahmad Al Shara and his coalition of groups in Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which includes several extremist factions.
Israel and Syria, bitter foes since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, fought multiple conflicts during the Baathist rule of the Assad dynasty after 1971, including one of the largest modern air battles in 1982.
Mr Al Sharaa has said Syrians are war-weary and not seeking new conflicts, although he has been unable to stop massacres of Alawite civilians committed by allied factions.
Recent Israeli attacks hit port infrastructure in Latakia and Tiyas airbase, also known as T-4, one of Syria’s largest and previously home to Iranian advisers and equipment, including drones.
The second round of strikes on Tiyas on March 22 hit remaining SU-24s, outdated aircraft that had been flying for at least 30 years.
Syria has called the attacks a “flagrant” violation of the country’s sovereignty, also condemning an expanded Israeli occupation of a zone near the Golan Heights, which was meant to be demilitarised based on a 1974 ceasefire. Israeli forces, claiming to be protecting minorities, particularly the Druze community, have seized weapons caches and clashed with locals.
A once mighty army
From a military standpoint, the ground and air raids raise the question of how many arms were left in Syria after the fall of Bashar Al Assad’s regime, once one of the most heavily armed in the Middle East with powerful air defences and one of the largest tank forces in the world.
The answer, if recent strikes are anything to go by, is a substantial amount, even after devastating attacks on Syria’s navy at the start of the campaign, destroying 15 vessels previously unscathed from the country’s 14 year conflict. A key target of Israeli anti-naval operations would have been powerful Yakhont anti-ship missiles.
Two days into Israel’s operation Bashan Arrow to destroy the weapons stockpiles and abandoned aircraft, Israel said it had destroyed “most of the strategic weapons stockpiles in Syria."
An air strike a week later indicates how much material was left, when a blast near Tartus on December 16 registered as a magnitude 3 seismic event.
For comparison, the US Geological Survey said the 2020 Beirut port blast, which killed over 200 people and damaged thousands of buildings in the Lebanese capital, registered at magnitude 3.3. The poorly stored fertiliser which exploded at Beirut port – 2,494 tonnes of it – was the rough equivalent of about 1,000 tonnes of TNT, giving an idea of how much explosive detonated in the hills near Tartus.
An amount of TNT that size could fill approximately 1,000 Syrian Scud B missiles or many thousands more smaller rockets – although Assad is highly unlikely to have had that many of the huge 600 kilometre range missiles in storage.
According to the Federation of American Scientists, Syria likely had around 300 of the Soviet-era Scud missiles stockpiled in the mid-90s. Janes, a British defence consultancy, believes North Korea assisted Syria in domestic Scud B production after 2008. Even accounting for Scuds used in the civil war or bombed by Israel until Assad’s fall, there could be many left.
In the final year of the Assad regime, Israel also raided and heavily bombed underground missile production at Masyaf, said to have been built with Iranian help.
These weapons, according to Israeli intelligence in 2015, were among the 90 per cent of Syria’s total missile arsenal expended in the 2011-2024 civil war.
Missiles are still a top priority target for Israel, with the December 16 strike hitting the former Syrian Army’s 107th missile brigade. Exactly how much is left in storage is uncertain but a single shipment from Iran, intercepted in 2009, contained around 2,000 122mm rockets.
Depending on how many were sent to Hezbollah or have been bombed so far, remaining caches could be very large, like the one that hit in Tartus.
Air defences are still being targeted, although Assad’s forces failed to use the capability to shoot down an Israeli jet since 2018, when an F-16I was downed during a day-long exchange of strikes.
Israel had destroyed most air defence systems in a long air campaign against Iranian resupply of Hezbollah in Lebanon through Syria even before Assad fell.
According to local witnesses, an abandoned air defence battalion site was bombed near Tartus on March 3. Even with the help of former Assadist air defender support, it’s not clear how effective remaining systems would be in the hands of HTS, with many dating back decades – apart from some Russian Pantsir systems delivered in 2008.
A future crisis
Either way, it is obvious that Syria is being violently disarmed, with uncertain regional consequences.
“In some ways this campaign makes no sense, because we have to remember, if you want HTS to fight against ISIS, or against the Iranian presence in Syria, you need them to have capabilities, and adding to that, if they don't have the capabilities then of course, Turkey will be happy to supply these capabilities,” says Danny Citrinowicz, a former senior Israeli military intelligence officer and non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Middle East programme.
“Let's see if Israel is willing to bomb Turkish equipment that will arrive to HTS. It's not a smart move, but it's connected to the Israeli strategy now in Syria, weakening Ahmed Al Sharaa, making sure that he's not able to control Syria. Because we don't know whether he’s a violent jihadi or not.”
Israel’s foreign Minister Israel Katz said that the army had been ordered to "establish a sterile defence zone free of weapons and terrorist threats in southern Syria,” but now this has become an open-ended operation on Syrian soil.
“Of course, there is the operation preventing Al Sharaa from operating in the south near Golan, preserving Israel presence in Herman mount and in the buffer zone. So all of this activity is actually connected to the strategic logic of ‘we are not going to support Al Sharaa. On the contrary, we're going to weaken him.’ We will prevent Syria from being controlled again as a central regime by someone who you don't know his intention, because maybe in a few years’ time, he'll do A, B and C.
“This is, I think a counterproductive policy. It’s quite different to that of the US or the EU in that regard. They are saying that they're sceptical of Al Sharaa and his motives, but they want to give him some sort of benefit of the doubt.”
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
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)
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
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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
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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The five pillars of Islam
FINAL LEADERBOARD
1. Jordan Spieth (USA) 65 69 65 69 - 12-under-par
2. Matt Kuchar (USA) 65 71 66 69 - 9-under
3. Li Haotong (CHN) 69 73 69 63 - 6-under
T4. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 71 68 69 67 - 5-under
T4. Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP) 67 73 67 68 - 5-under
T6. Marc Leishman (AUS) 69 76 66 65 - 4-under
T6. Matthew Southgate (ENG) 72 72 67 65 - 4-under
T6. Brooks Koepka (USA) 65 72 68 71 - 4-under
T6. Branden Grace (RSA) 70 74 62 70 - 4-under
T6. Alexander Noren (SWE) 68 72 69 67 - 4-under
Under 19 World Cup
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3ECBDC%20real-value%20pilot%20held%20with%20three%20partner%20institutions%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20buy%20now%2C%20pay%20later%20regulations%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPreparing%20for%20the%202023%20launch%20of%20the%20domestic%20card%20initiative%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPhase%20one%20of%20the%20Financial%20Infrastructure%20Transformation%20(FiT)%20completed%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Gina%20Prince-Bythewood%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Viola%20Davis%2C%20Thuso%20Mbedu%2C%20Sheila%20Atim%2C%20Lashana%20Lynch%2C%20John%20Boyega%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
