Israel carried out strikes across Iran just two days ahead of scheduled talks between Tehran and Washington in Oman. Israel had repeatedly warned it would launch attacks if negotiations were to collapse.
This marks the latest escalation between the two counties as fears of an all-out war rise. Iran and Israel have been sworn enemies for decades and have engaged in clandestine operations and cyber attacks. But, since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023 the states have also engaged in open warfare.
1979: Iran's pro-Western leader, Mohammad Reza Shah, who regarded Israel as an ally, is swept from power in a revolution that sees the establishment of the Islamic Republic.
1982: Israel invades Lebanon and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps work with fellow Shiite Muslims to set up Hezbollah. The group will become one of Israel's most dangerous adversaries.
1983: Iran-backed Hezbollah uses suicide bombings to expel Western and Israeli forces from Lebanon. In November, a car packed with explosives drives into the Lebanon headquarters of Israel's military. Israel later withdraws from much of Lebanon.
1992-94: Argentina and Israel accuse Iran and Hezbollah of orchestrating suicide bombings at Israel's embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 and a Jewish centre in the city in 1994, each of which killed dozens of people.
2006: Israel invades Lebanon but is unable to crush Hezbollah.
2009: In a speech, Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls Israel “a dangerous and fatal cancer”.
2010: Stuxnet, a malicious computer virus widely believed to have been developed by the US and Israel, is used to attack a uranium enrichment facility at Iran's Natanz nuclear site. It is the first publicly known cyber attack on industrial machinery.
2012: Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan is killed by a bomb placed on his car by a motorcyclist in Tehran. A city official blames Israel for the attack.
2018: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hails President Donald Trump's withdrawal of the US from the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, after years of lobbying against the agreement.
2020: Israel welcomes the assassination of General Qassem Suleimani, commander of the Quds Force, the overseas arm of the IRGC, in an American drone strike in Baghdad.
2021: Iran blames Israel for the 2020 assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, viewed by Western intelligence services as the mastermind of a covert Iranian programme to develop nuclear weapons capability.
2022: US president Joe Biden and Israeli prime minister Yair Lapid sign a joint pledge to deny Iran nuclear arms, in a show of unity by allies long divided over diplomacy with Tehran.
April, 2024: A suspected Israeli air strike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus kills seven IRGC officers, including two senior commanders. Iran responds with a barrage of drones and missiles in an unprecedented direct attack on Israeli territory on April 13. This prompts Israel to launch an attack on Iranian soil on April 19.
July, 2024: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Tehran.
October, 2024: Iran fires more than 180 missiles at Israel in what it calls revenge for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on September 27 in an air strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, and the killing of Haniyeh.
Israel strikes military sites in Iran later in the month, saying it was retaliating against Tehran's attacks. Iran reports “limited damage” to some locations.
June, 2025: Israel carries out strikes in Iran it says were aimed at disrupting its nuclear infrastructure.
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE
Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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The years Ramadan fell in May
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
The years Ramadan fell in May
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The years Ramadan fell in May
