Israel carried out strikes across Syria overnight into Saturday, including in the countryside of Damascus, Deraa and Hama provinces.
The offensive killed at least one civilian in Harasta near the capital, and wounded four people near the village of Shatha in Hama, Syrian state news agency Sana reported.
Residents said they heard loud explosions and low-flying warplanes throughout the night in several governorates.
Israel is intensifying its attacks in Syria and has warned of further action if the Islamist-led authorities fail to halt sectarian violence against the Druze sect, an offshoot of Islam with followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel.
The overnight strikes are the latest escalation since rebels ousted former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad in December.
The Israeli military said it had attacked a military site, anti-aircraft guns and ground-to-air missile infrastructure in Syria using fighter jets. It added that its forces "will continue to operate as necessary to protect the citizens of the state of Israel".
In the early hours of Friday, Israel struck an area near the presidential palace in Damascus, calling it “a clear message to the Syrian regime".
“We will not allow [Syrian] forces to deploy south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement.
Syria's authorities denounced the bombing as a “dangerous escalation”.
Since the fall of the Assad regime, Israel has been conducting military operations in Syria, seizing land in the south-west and carrying out hundreds of strikes that have destroyed much of the Syrian army’s strategic weapons stockpiles.
Israel has also demanded the complete demilitarisation of much of southern Syria.
It has expressed distrust towards Syria’s new authorities, led by President Ahmad Al Shara, a former Al Qaeda commander-turned-statesman, who has pledged to govern the fractured country inclusively and unify all Syrian armed forces under a single command structure.
The Israeli military said its forces were deployed in southern Syria to prevent the return of hostile forces into mainly Druze villages. The army “continues to monitor developments with readiness for defence and various scenarios”, it said.
It added that five Syrian-Druze citizens were evacuated to receive medical treatment in Israel after sustaining injuries in Syria.
This comes after days of sectarian violence, which started on Tuesday in Druze areas in the Damascus region and in southern Syria.
Sunni gunmen clashed with Druze fighters. The violence killed at least 109 people, including 30 government loyalists, 26 Druze fighters and 11 civilians, among them Sahnaya’s former mayor and his son, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor.
The fighting was sparked by a voice recording insulting the Prophet Mohammed, which Sunni militants accused the Druze of creating.
In the southern province of Suwayda, 42 Druze gunmen were killed in an “ambush” on the Suwayda-Damascus road on Wednesday, it said.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
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
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
The Bio
Favourite holiday destination: Either Kazakhstan or Montenegro. I’ve been involved in events in both countries and they are just stunning.
Favourite book: I am a huge of Robin Cook’s medical thrillers, which I suppose is quite apt right now. My mother introduced me to them back home in New Zealand.
Favourite film or television programme: Forrest Gump is my favourite film, that’s never been up for debate. I love watching repeats of Mash as well.
Inspiration: My late father moulded me into the man I am today. I would also say disappointment and sadness are great motivators. There are times when events have brought me to my knees but it has also made me determined not to let them get the better of me.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Company%20Profile
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