It is a tragedy of the modern Middle East that multilateral action is so rare. Take Syria, which after seven years of war is being cleaved apart by a host of self-interested parties. Equally uncommon today are effective nonviolent strategies. But Wednesday's sanctions on Hezbollah, levelled by the US and the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Centre – which includes Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states – bucked both trends. The largest manoeuvre of its kind since US President Donald Trump assumed office in 2016, the sanctions target 10 senior Hezbollah commanders, including leader Hassan Nasrallah, and connected entities. It is the third time the US Treasury has sanctioned Mr Nasrallah since 1995. This feat of co-operation echoes the growing divide between the Gulf states and Iran-backed Hezbollah – between the forces of unity and those of discord. Peaceful and well-planned, the sanctions aggressively pursue Hezbollah while respecting the integrity of Lebanese affairs.
These pages have long held that there is little divergence between the military and political wings of the militia group. While Hezbollah spins a narrative of political legitimacy within Lebanon – where it is deeply entrenched – it has dispatched thousands of militiamen to fight alongside the brutal Syrian regime of Bashar Al Assad. Throughout the Middle East and increasingly across Africa, Hezbollah has participated in destabilisation and the trafficking of drugs and arms. According to US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, the sanctions will be of "great value to international security by disrupting Hezbollah's destabilising influence". Ostracised by financial institutions across the globe, the group will be forced to suppress some of its more violent tendencies.
Naturally, there are limitations. During a televised address in 2016, Mr Nasrallah declared: “As long as Iran has money, we will have money”. The defiant admission spoke to the financial lifeline that flows from Tehran to Hezbollah coffers in Lebanon. It is a storied patronage relationship that sanctions will not sever. Moreover, fears that the sanctions could push Hezbollah towards new, more nefarious finance streams beyond Lebanon are justified, if overblown. The punitive measures will affect Hezbollah’s revenue stream and its ability to advance its interests in the region. For the senior cadre of Hezbollah officials, it spells isolation and paralysis.
The timing of the sanctions – shortly after elections in Lebanon and Mr Trump's Iranian nuclear deal pull-out – is significant. Hezbollah is now the most powerful alliance in Lebanon's parliament. It must relinquish its air of resistance and embrace serious politics. Jaded Lebanese voters need jobs, utilities and security. Curtailing Hezbollah's many offences via a nonviolent feat of co-operation between the US and its Gulf allies could prove hugely beneficial for the blameless people of Lebanon and the wider region at large.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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A Long Way Home by Peter Carey
Faber & Faber
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin
Favourite film: Marvel movies
Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
