Israel attacked the Syrian army headquarters on Wednesday, ostensibly in defence of Syria’s Druze community. “We are working to save our Druze brothers and to eliminate the regime’s gangs,” said Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as smoke rose over the Syrian capital.
It was later confirmed that army general command and the defence ministry were badly damaged. Israel’s strikes have caused widespread alarm in the region and further afield, with the EU calling for Israel to “fully respect Syria’s sovereignty”. The UAE condemned the attacks as a dangerous escalation.
Israel’s broader intervention distorts an already complex picture and was predicated on accusing Syrian authorities of systematic persecution of the Druze. It now appears closely interested in destabilising the Syrian government.
Recent days have seen deadly clashes between Druze militiamen and Bedouin tribes in southern Syria, which have worsened into large-scale violence centred in the city of Sweida.
On Tuesday, right-wing Israeli minister Amichai Chikli called for Syria’s President Ahmad Al Shara to be “eliminated”. Before the Damascus strikes on the following day, Israel had already hit Syrian military convoys in Sweida, killing one Syrian soldier. By Wednesday evening, the Syrian government said it had agreed a ceasefire with representatives of the Druze community.
Israel should act as a responsible neighbour to a country embarking on a new chapter
The events of the past few days are of grave concern for Syrian authorities, who are trying to unite a country of kaleidoscopic diversity traumatised on a multi-generational level by war.
Some Syrian Druze leaders have resisted attempts by the new government to assert control since the fall of the regime of former president Bashar Al Assad in December.
Part of this is an unwillingness to cede de-facto autonomy gained in the chaos of the war, but part of it is also a hesitation to accept the authority of an administration with deep Islamist roots.
A pattern of assaults against Druze civilians, in particular, poses a major risk of sectarian violence erupting once again in a country that has only just managed to overcome a 14-year civil war. The Druze are not the only minority group who have found themselves attacked. Alawites in northern Syria have faced violence that left more than 1,300 people dead.
In Israel, the government should act as a responsible neighbour to a country embarking on a new chapter – one that Mr Al Shara has repeatedly said involves an end to the Assad-era stance of permanent hostility towards surrounding states. Incitements to violence do not serve the Israeli public, which is already exhausted from fighting several wars. Its government would do well to halt any further intervention. A better path is to stay the course in ongoing dialogue with the Syrian government amid the US administration’s efforts to bring Syria further into the international fold.
Violence was once, not so long ago, a major aspect of life in Syria. But if the new Syria is to succeed, those days must be consigned to history.
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 National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Look north
BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Company%C2%A0profile
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Mountain%20Boy
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
