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Arab tribal groups supported by the Syrian military and Iran have attacked areas held by a Kurdish-led militia in the oil-producing region of eastern Syria, in a challenge to US influence in the area, local sources said on Wednesday.
Two civilians were killed and five others were wounded in Deir Ezzor, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said.
The violence comes amid an escalation in tension in the region over the war in Gaza, particularly between allies of Iran and the US.
The SDF said the fighting is ongoing with “Syrian regime-backed mercenaries”.
Tribal forces, led by a pro-Iranian militia called Lions of Okaidat, overran the towns of Gharanij and Um Al Hamam on the Euphrates River, a Syrian government official told The National.
The militia, like many pro-Iranian paramilitary groups, was set up by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, three years ago.
The force includes disgruntled fighters from other tribes who participated in a failed uprising last year against the SDF militia, which is dominated by Kurdish fighters.
Deir Ezzor is divided between a US sphere of influence and areas jointly controlled by the Syrian army and pro-Iranian militias.
However, the US zone is responsible for most of Syria's oil and wheat production.
The SDF rules areas where two of the country's key oil and gasfields – Al Omar and Conoco – are situated.
Muhannad Katee, a Syrian researcher who specialises in the east of the country, said that unlike the popular uprising last year, the movement is “the work of Iran”.
“It is aimed at putting pressure on US forces,” he said. “I think the people see it as an Iranian move and it will fizzle down.”
Syrian media outlets opposed to President Bashar Al Assad reported that the US military has sent reinforcements to a base in Al Omar oilfield, one of the largest in Syria. The field is situated around 15km from the main areas where the pro-Iranian fighters are battling the SDF.
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
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The five pillars of Islam
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
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Transmission: 6-speed auto
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On sale: now
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
Price: from Dh437,900
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Opening Rugby Championship fixtures:Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.