Israel’s Foreign Minister said on Saturday evening that Hezbollah is facing “all-out war” and had ''crossed all red lines'' after a barrage of rockets struck a football pitch in the Golan Heights killing 12 people and injuring at least 13.
Israeli officials said the rocket had been fired from Lebanon. But Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group that has been trading tit-for-tat rocket fire with Israel most days since October, denied being behind the strike on the mainly Druze town of Majdal Shams.
However, the attack – whose victims were said by local officials to include children as young as 10 – threatens to provoke a major escalation on the Israel-Lebanon border, which has been looming for months.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said his country is facing an “all-out war”.
“There is no doubt that Hezbollah crossed all red lines,” he told Israeli outlet Channel 12.
“Hezbollah fired a rocket at children playing football in northern Israel. It then lied and claimed they did not carry out the attack,” said the military's chief spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari.
He called it the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians since the Hamas attack on October 7.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was returning to Israel early and as soon as possible from his trip to the US, his office said.
An Israel reservist has told The National he fears the attack could be the trigger for war.
“In a normal world this would easily be a trigger for war, but this is Israel in 2024,” Lior Shelef said from the Golan Heights.
“I’ve been on reserves for almost 300 days and my family is evacuated in a hotel. If that’s not a trigger for a war already then I don’t know what is. Honestly, I don’t know, but this should be a trigger for war.
The population in Majdal Shams is mostly from the Druze minority, most of whom do not have Israeli citizenship but are loyal to the state of Israel, which governs the area, provides services and security.
The Lebanese government condemned “all acts of violence and attacks against all civilians” in a statement following the rocket attack.
Police and the army confirmed rockets had hit several sites on Saturday, with the army blaming Hezbollah.
The Jerusalem Post reported the attack came after four Hezbollah fighters were killed earlier in the day.
Hezbollah has said three of its fighters have been killed in an Israeli strike.
The Iran-aligned Al-Mayadeen network said 100 rockets were fired in the attack in the Golan Heights.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Miguel Cotto world titles:
WBO Light Welterweight champion - 2004-06
WBA Welterweight champion – 2006-08
WBO Welterweight champion – Feb 2009-Nov 2009
WBA Light Middleweight champion – 2010-12
WBC Middleweight champion – 2014-15
WBO Light Middleweight champion – Aug 2017-Dec 2017
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The biog
Name: Sari Al Zubaidi
Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati
Age: 42
Marital status: single
Favourite drink: drip coffee V60
Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia
Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS
Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)
