For decades, Lebanon has been the site where rivalries between covetous big powers have unfolded. Iran, Syria and Israel have all taken turns ravaging the beautiful country, leaving it paralysed and dysfunctional for long stretches of time. Even in supposedly stable times, it has never been able to escape the shadow of Iran, or free itself from the grip of Tehran's malignant proxy militia, Hizbollah, which runs a parallel government. It is this toxic influence of Iran, which is responsible for Lebanon's ongoing political crisis.
Saad Hariri, the Lebanese premier, announced his resignation at the beginning of the month because of a credible threat of assassination at Hizbollah's hands. Given that Mr Hariri's late father, Rafik, was murdered by the same forces in 2005, it is hardly surprising that he chose to resign from the safety of Saudi Arabia. To remain in Lebanon would have been to take a gamble on his life. No one who values Mr Hariri's life can fault him for acting with great caution. Which naturally rules out Hizbollah, whose leader, Hassan Nasrallah, went on television on Friday to accuse Riyadh of fomenting chaos in Lebanon by extending hospitality to Mr Hariri. "Saudi officials have declared war on Lebanon", declared the chief of Hizbollah, an organisation which has been stifling and stamping on the Lebanese people for three decades on behalf of its paymasters in Iran.
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Read more
US warns against proxy conflicts in Lebanon
Hariri has audience with King Salman after resigning as Lebanese PM
The manifestations of Iran's troubling actions
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Tehran, obsessed with creating a sectarian "Shiite Crescent" in the Middle East, has energetically sought to spin Mr Hariri's decision to quit as part of a Saudi plan to draw the region into a military confrontation. But as the US military made clear on Friday, it is Tehran that is provoking conflict. According to the Pentagon, the ballistic missile fired at Saudi Arabia from Yemen on November 4 bore "Iranian markings". Could there be a more ambiguous declaration of war? On Friday, the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, warned Iran against "using Lebanon as a venue for proxy conflicts", saying "there is no legitimate place or role in Lebanon for any foreign forces, militias or armed elements other than the legitimate security forces of the Lebanese state".
In an ideal world, Mr Hariri would return home and clarify his position. But a world in which Hizbollah and Iran are able to operate with impunity is far from ideal. Saudi Arabia, which is rapidly modernising domestically, cannot realistically be expected to tolerate repeated assaults on its national security. Nor can Mr Hariri be expected to expose himself to mortal danger merely to appease the malign forces that have held Lebanon captive for decades. The patience of Iran's perennial victims must not be taken for granted. Tehran's rhetoric and provocations must come to a halt before events spin out of control.
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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
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
Squad for first two ODIs
Kohli (c), Rohit, Dhawan, Rayudu, Pandey, Dhoni (wk), Pant, Jadeja, Chahal, Kuldeep, Khaleel, Shami, Thakur, Rahul.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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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.
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
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
MATCH RESULT
Al Jazira 3 Persepolis 2
Jazira: Mabkhout (52'), Romarinho (77'), Al Hammadi (90' 6)
Persepolis: Alipour (42'), Mensha (84')
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
