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The Israeli military on Monday said a field commander in Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force was among three members of the Lebanese group killed in a strike on southern Lebanon.
Ali Ahmad Hussein was responsible for the planning and execution of several attacks on Israel, the military added.
Iran-backed Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese militia and political party, announced his death in a statement without indicating his rank or where he died.
Israeli forces released footage of fighter jets bombing a building where the three Hezbollah members were believed to have been.
Several people were injured in the strike, which caused “severe damage to property and homes adjacent to the targeted house, which is located in a residential area”, Lebanon's state-owned news agency reported.
It said more than 10 families lost their homes in the attack.
The Radwan Force is Hezbollah's secretive special operations unit. It is named after Imad Mughniyeh, a former military commander with the group, who went by the name Hajj Radwan. He was assassinated in 2008 in a joint Israeli-US operation.
In January, an Israeli strike killed senior Hezbollah and Radwan commander Wissam Tawil.
Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in almost daily cross-border fire since October 8, with the violence increasing fears of all-out war. Hezbollah has said it is carrying out attacks in support of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, UN officials called for de-escalation “while there is still space for diplomacy”.
“It is six months since the exchanges of fire across the Blue Line began, and continue unabated, taking a heavy toll on both sides,” said a joint statement from UN special co-ordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, and Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, head of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.
Unifil guards the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, a UN demarcation created after the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon in 2000.
“The violence and suffering has gone on too long. It must stop,” the officials said.
Hezbollah's leader, Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, gave a speech on Monday in which he said Israel's recent attack on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus was the largest escalation in years.
In a previous speech on Friday, Mr Nasrallah had described the attack, which killed two senior commanders in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as a "turning point".
Brig Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi and Brig Gen Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi were killed in the attack, along with five officers, Hossein Amanollahi, Mehdi Jalalati, Mohsen Sadaqat, Ali Agha Babaei and Ali Salehi Rouzbahani.
Brig Gen Zahedi was commander of the IRGC's Quds Force in Lebanon and Syria, while Brig Gen Haji Rahimi was a senior commander in the IRGC's foreign operations arm.
Mr Nasrallah commemorated the dead Iranian generals, and lauded Brig Gen Zahedi's involvement in efforts to expel Israeli forces from Lebanon in 2000. He also defended Iran's presence in Syria more broadly and accused Israel and others of attacking the country during the Syrian civil war.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian arrived in Syria on Monday as part of a regional tour that began in Oman, Iran's semi-official news agency Tasnim reported. He held talks with senior Syrian officials about issues including the situation in Gaza, it said.
He also inaugurated the country's new consulate in Damascus on Monday in the presence of his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad – a symbolic reopening after consular services restarted on Sunday.
Iran has vowed to avenge the deaths of the IRGC members killed in the Damascus strike. It has warned that Israel's embassies are no longer safe.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
