Britain is sending more support for the Lebanese military to help protect the country's border with Syria.
In a statement made on Thursday, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that the British Embassy in Beirut had placed an order for new border defensive barriers, worth £1.8 million.
The order, which was placed in August, was intended to support the construction of the Lebanese army’s new border watch towers, Mr Johnson said.
It forms part of a wider, long-standing “Conflict Stability and Security project” worth £22.6 million over three years, through which the UK is helping the Lebanese army secure their country’s border with Syria.
“This includes building 30 border watchtowers and over 20 Forward Operating Bases along the border,” Mr Johnson said. “Our ambition is for Lebanon to have complete authority over its border with Syria.”
He added: “The United Kingdom is strongly committed to supporting Lebanon’s peace, stability and prosperity.”
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It came as Britain’s ambassador to Lebanon, Hugo Shorter, called on the Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, to offer his congratulations on the success of the recent Fajr el Jouroud operation.
The campaign, which translates to “the dawn of the mountains”, was a full-blown assault at the remaining entities of ISIL that are still plaguing the mountain regions of Al-Qaa and Aarsal, on Lebanon’s north-eastern border with Syria.
The ambassador said the operation was “complex, risky and dangerous”, but that the army had successfully fulfilled its mission.
“The Lebanese Army has shown that it is an effective, professional army capable of defending Lebanon from the threats of an uncertain region,” he said.
Commenting on the ongoing attempts to secure the border, Mr Shorter said: “The United Kingdom is already helping train over 11,000 soldiers, build over 20 forward operating bases and provide 30 border watch towers, and our support will continue.”
He added: “We believe in the Lebanese Army as the sole legitimate defender of Lebanon and the only one which represents all Lebanese, acting within the law and with the consent of the Lebanese state and its people.”
The ambassador also offered his condolences for the soldiers killed and injured during the operation, and for the soldiers captured by ISIL.
“Our thoughts will be with those who have lost loved ones as the country observes a day of national mourning on Friday,” he said.
The British embassy in Beirut will be flying its flag at half-mast on Friday, as a sign of respect for the soldiers who lost their lives.
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
Meydan card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (PA) Group 1 US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.40pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) Group 2 $350,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Mumbai Indians 213/6 (20 ov)
Royal Challengers Bangalore 167/8 (20 ov)
Key facilities
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
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
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Match info
Who: India v Afghanistan
What: One-off Test match, Bengaluru
When: June 14 to 18
TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD, 8am starts
Online: OSN Play (subscribers only)
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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