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Israel's military would prevail even if the war with Hamas escalates to a wider regional conflict, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak said on Tuesday.
Mr Barak, who served as Israel's leader from 1999-2001, warned that Hezbollah has 10 times more rockets and missiles than Hamas but Israel is “still stronger” and would win even if Syria and the West Bank are drawn into the conflict.
“It's not an existential threat, but it will take more time, more losses and more friction with our supporters in the world,” said Mr Barak, speaking via video link to an event hosted by Foreign Policy magazine.
Before becoming prime minister, Mr Barak, 81, served as the top officer in the Israeli army. He went on to serve as defence minister from 2007 to 2013.
His comments came as Israel bombards the Gaza Strip and conducts increased ground operations. The Israeli government has said it wants to eradicate Hamas after gunmen attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostage.
According to local tallies, more than 8,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and a humanitarian crisis is worsening in the besieged enclave, home to 2.3 million people, with Israel blocking the entry of water, food, medicine and fuel.
Only a trickle of aid has been allowed through the Egyptian border but this has increased in recent days.
Gaza's high death toll, which includes more than 3,000 children, has sparked international protests.
But US President Joe Biden's administration has staunchly supported Israel's right to defend itself and has opposed calls for a ceasefire.
The US has blocked two UN Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire and has pledged more military support to Israel.
“The United States stood behind us in an impressive and unprecedented way from day one,” Mr Barak said.
International support is likely to wane in the coming weeks, Mr Barak said, and so could international public opinion, complicating Israel's goal of eradicating Hamas.
As the death toll in Gaza soars, the Biden administration's tone has shifted slightly in recent days, with calls for Israel to do more to avoid civilian casualties.
“We know from our experience our universal support will erode very quickly and the legitimacy of the whole operation will be put under question,” Mr Barak said.
“Still, America will be with us – but it will be more complicated to them to stay there behind us.”
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
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.”
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
