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Senior Hezbollah commander Ali Karaki was killed alongside the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah in an overnight strike on Beirut on Friday, the militant group said on Sunday.
Hezbollah announced his death “with great pride and honour” in a statement shared by the National News Agency on Sunday afternoon.
The attack in the Dahieh suburb destroyed six buildings, killed dozens of people and left many wounded. Thousands fled to other parts of the city, seeking safety.
Karaki was the target of an Israeli strike on the Bir El Abed neighbourhood in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahieh on Monday. After that attack, Hezbollah published a statement saying that Karaki was well and in a safe place after the Israeli effort, responding to the “allegations of the Zionist enemy regarding the assassination”.
A few days ago, the Israeli army released a graph claiming to show the current military leadership of Hezbollah, in which Karaki appears as the third-ranking member at the top of the organisation.
In September 2019, he was hit by US sanctions along with Ibrahim Aqil and Fouad Shukr, two other senior Hezbollah commanders killed in Israeli strikes this year.
The US State Department described Karaki at the time as a “senior member of Hezbollah's Jihad Council”, Hezbollah's leading military body, adding that he is responsible for operations in southern Lebanon.
There is no public picture of him. He was one of the only surviving founding members after the assassinations of Shukr and Aqil, with whom he shared rank. Aqil and Shukr were also members of Hezbollah’s Jihad Council.
Israeli media reports claimed that Aqil became Nasrallah's second-in-command after Israel's July assassination of Shukr, who had previously held the position. Aqil was killed on Friday in an air strike on Dahieh.
Tension in Lebanon has reached high levels, with Israel launching an aerial campaign that has killed at least 720 people in the country.
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
