On Tuesday, a cartoon published by an Iraqi artist captured a controversy that spanned three Arab countries this week. In the cartoon, Ahmed Falah depicted the controversial announcement by Hizbollah to transfer by bus more than 300 ISIL fighters from the Lebanese borders into a Syrian town near Iraq.
Mr Falah captured the episode by the drawing of two buses. One bus, carrying an ISIL sign, appears wrapped as a gift; another bus is wrapped by an Iraqi flag – signifying the sacrifices of Iraqi soldiers killed in the fight against ISIL. The cartoon is titled “Eidiyah", the tradition of gifting during the Eid.
News emerged over the weekend that Hizbollah reached a deal with ISIL that involved the transfer of 308 ISIL fighters, along with their families, from the Syrian-Lebanese borders to the eastern Syrian city of Albu Kamal. The relocation by buses moving through regime-held areas from one side of the country to another took place in coordination with the Syrian government.
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Read more
Iraqi PM condemns free passage deal for Isil fighters
Lebanon's negotiated ISIL evacuation angers many
ISIL fighters leave Syria-Lebanon border zone
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The cartoon's theme echoes outrage and surprise at the move by Hizbollah, which it celebrated as part of what it dubbed Lebanon's "second liberation" – after the year 2000 expulsion of Israeli troops from the country. In the words of Hassan Nasrallah, the party's leader, the victory signalled the end of jihadi presence in all of Lebanon.
Symbolically, the public acknowledgement of the transfer is unprecedented for all the parties involved. For ISIL, the fighters' surrender and relocation were uncharacteristic of a group that has long sought to set itself apart from rebel forces as one that fights till the last man and withdraws only on its terms. The scene of fighters riding a bus was reminiscent of defeated Syrian rebels transferred from southern to northern Syria as part of a surrender deal.
More important, the transfer of a sizeable fighting force along with their families to a border province where the Syrian regime anticipates a deadly fight against ISIL raises questions about the implication of sending such a force to the Syrian-Iraqi borders.
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More on ISIL
US-backed fighters to attack ISIL in Deir Ezzor 'very soon'
Lebanon army declares pause in offensive against ISIL
Iraqi forces push for last battle to regain full control of Tal Afar from ISIL
Raqqa children tormented by beheadings and bombs, charity says
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The broad criticism from Iraqis led Haider Al Abadi, the prime minister, to publicly denounce the deal in a press conference on Tuesday as "unacceptable", "concerning" and "insulting to the Iraqi people". Although an Iraqi source said the government in Baghdad had known of the deal before it was announced, the prime minister urged Damascus to investigate the matter.
When the Mosul battle began in October last year, the Syrian regime expressed outrage about leaving the western axis of Mosul open for ISIL fighters to flee into Syria. Two weeks into the battle of Mosul, Iranian-backed groups began an offensive west of Mosul to block the route, in defiance of initial plans set by the United States-led international coalition to keep it open. Russia made a similar complaint after the battle for Raqqa began, alleging that the US-backed forces left an open corridor for ISIL to flee into regime areas east of Palmyra.
Given the recurrent Syrian concern about the influx of ISIL fighters into its areas, it is inexplicable that the regime accepted the relocation of such a force of ISIL fighters into a province it is racing to take before the US coalition does so. Worse, even though Iraqi forces blocked Mosul's western axis in order to stop ISIL fighters moving into Syria, the Syrian regime allowed the sending of ISIL fighters near the Iraqi borders. The latter was particularly unjustifiable for Iraqi constituencies, whether civilians or fighters who battled ISIL.
Hizbollah could have chosen other areas for the relocation of ISIL fighters without having to face them itself any time soon. Such areas could include the Yarmouk Basin, in south-west Syria, where a relatively small ISIL faction operates in a strategically and symbolically significant area for ISIL but without presenting a direct threat to the regime or Hizbollah in the foreseeable future. In fact, Hizbollah could benefit from the increased strength of ISIL in that region since ISIL would threaten the Syrian rebels near Israel and Jordan.
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More on ISIL and Syria from Opinion
Is there ever an appropriate occasion to negotiate with terror groups?
The price civilians had to pay for Assad's 'victory'
It is a losing game in Syria
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Hizbollah may have had no choice, and ISIL chose the eastern border areas for its special significance. Noticeably, the ISIL forces controlling the region straddling the Syrian-Iraqi borders seem to be increasingly reenergised by the increased activities in the desert areas extending from Palmyra to Anbar. It is here where Iranian-backed forces are amassing in preparation for the final showdown in what remains of ISIL areas. This places the border region as a perfect arena for both ISIL and Iran to showcase their projects in the region as each other's worst enemies.
If ISIL has preserved its most valuable leaders and fighters in previous battles, the border region is these seasoned members' last stand. They have nowhere else to go. Sources indicate that ISIL has been building or training new elite forces to defend this particular region and to prepare for the next stage if it loses it. In Syria, neither the regime nor the US-led coalition has sufficiently prepared for the coming big fight in Deir Ezzor.
From ISIL's standpoint, even if it is eventually driven out of the populated areas in this region, the deserts surrounding it will be their hideouts for its conceived war of attrition.
Hizbollah sent the 308 fighters to ground zero of the fight against ISIL. The move will greatly increase its pressure on both its Syrian and Iraqi allies as they prepare for the next showdown against ISIL, while Hizbollah celebrates its victory against ISIL in Lebanon.
Hassan Hassan is a senior fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
ICC T20 Rankings
1. India - 270 ranking points
2. England - 265 points
3. Pakistan - 261 points
4. South Africa - 253 points
5. Australia - 251 points
6. New Zealand - 250 points
7. West Indies - 240 points
8. Bangladesh - 233 points
9. Sri Lanka - 230 points
10. Afghanistan - 226 points
Other key dates
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Finals draw: December 2
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Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
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Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
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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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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
Mobile phone packages comparison
The specs: 2018 Honda City
Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
The%20specs
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
