Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Hussein Dabajeh of Dearborn, Michigan, says he has lost six relatives in southern Lebanon over the past two weeks.
His grandmother, 98, has had to move three times since being forced from her home in the village of Bint Jbeil, and every day he anxiously awaits text messages from his cousins to make sure they are still alive.
In Dearborn, the capital of Arab America, it is difficult to find a family who has not been affected by the latest escalation, he says. “It's impacted just about everyone,” Mr Dabajeh tells The National. “It has hit home for all of us.”
Israel began a ground invasion of southern Lebanon on Tuesday, escalating the conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah. On Thursday, Israel ordered more residents to flee villages and towns in the area, and increased air strikes across the country, including in Beirut. Lebanon’s Health Minister said nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks over the past year.
On Tuesday, an Israeli air strike killed Kamel Ahmad Jawad, 56, a father of four from Dearborn, his daughter, Nadine Jawad, said in a statement.
Mr Jawad was volunteering in his hometown of Nabatieh, the statement said, and in his final days, he chose to stay near a local hospital to help the elderly and disabled.
“Our father’s message was clear: stop arming, aiding and abetting our oppression and start caring for the people struggling for their freedom and dignity,” Ms Jawad said.
A National Security Council spokesman told The National: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Kamel Ahmad Jawad and our hearts go out to his family and friends. His death is a tragedy, as are the deaths of many civilians in Lebanon.”
On Friday, a State Department representative told The National the department was "aware and alarmed" over reports of Mr Jawad's death and extended condolences to the family.
"We are working to understand the circumstances of the incident. As we have noted repeatedly, it is a moral and strategic imperative that Israel take all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm," it said. "Any loss of civilian life is a tragedy."
About 1.5 million people of Lebanese descent live in the US, representing a significant proportion of the Arab-American community.
Imad Hamad, director of the American Human Rights Council, an Arab-American organisation based in Michigan, says the vast majority of Lebanese people in Dearborn have strong connections to the south, with many spending summers and holidays there with family, and having homes and businesses there.
“People think it's a political position. It's not political – it's personal, people are impacted directly,” Mr Hamad, a Palestinian refugee who grew up in the south of Lebanon, tells The National. “People are not sleeping, people are glued to televisions. They're trying desperately to have news and help their loved ones.”
He says his sister has taken in relatives in her small home and has decided to stay put, unable to afford to move or to pay the high rental costs in safer areas.
Mr Hamad's organisation is trying to assist dozens of Lebanese Americans who are trapped in the country. Only one airline is still operating and getting a seat is exceedingly difficult, with tickets costing thousands of dollars.
The US State Department says about 7,000 US citizens in Lebanon have registered to leave, but it has not organised evacutions for all as yet. On Thursday, the State Department said two flights carrying a total of 250 American citizens and their immediate family members have been evacuated from Beirut to Istanbul.
US officials have been calling on the Biden administration to do more to get US citizens out of Lebanon. On Tuesday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer reportedly wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying it was “imperative” for everyone to work together “to bring Michiganders to safety and back with their families immediately”.
Rashida Tlaib, a Congresswoman from Michigan, says 148 residents from her district have been trying to leave Lebanon. The State Department “is leaving Americans behind and failing to protect their own citizens”, she wrote in a post on X.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said that “from very early on, the State Department has issued travel warnings against travelling to Lebanon, encouraging American citizens in Lebanon to get out via commercial options”.
“The US military is, of course, on the ready and has a whole wide range of plans," Ms Singh said. "Should we need to evacuate American citizens out of Lebanon, we absolutely can, and they can be implemented. We haven’t been called to do that.”
The administration of President Joe Biden has faced intense criticism, particularly from Arab Americans, for its support of Israel in the Gaza war, and now its expansion into Lebanon.
Israel's invasion of Lebanon comes after nearly a year of war in Gaza, which was started by a Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people. More than 41,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the past 12 months, and much of the coastal enclave has been reduced to rubble
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
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• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
The five pillars of Islam
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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
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Rating: 3/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
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Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
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
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Her most famous song
Aghadan Alqak (Would I Ever Find You Again)?
Would I ever find you again
You, the heaven of my love, my yearning and madness;
You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
This world is eyes and you're the vision,
This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.
Lyrics: Al Hadi Adam; Composer: Mohammed Abdel Wahab
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
F1 The Movie
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Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
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