Damage caused to a building following an Israeli air strike that attacked a neighbourhood in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on March 22, 2025. AFP
Damage caused to a building following an Israeli air strike that attacked a neighbourhood in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on March 22, 2025. AFP
Damage caused to a building following an Israeli air strike that attacked a neighbourhood in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on March 22, 2025. AFP
Damage caused to a building following an Israeli air strike that attacked a neighbourhood in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on March 22, 2025. AFP

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MENA

Israeli air strikes on Lebanon kill seven amid fragile truce

This is the highest single-day death toll since the November ceasefire

Nada Maucourant Atallah
Nada Maucourant Atallah
Beirut

March 23, 2025

  • English
  • Arabic

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Israeli air strikes on Lebanon killed at least seven people on Saturday, including one child, in the most significant violation of the fragile truce.

At least 40 others, including five children, were injured, Lebanon's Ministry of Health said. This marked one of the highest single-day casualty tolls from Israeli air strikes since a fragile ceasefire was agreed in November between Hezbollah and Israel, ending 14 months of conflict, including two months of full-scale war.

The two waves of Israeli air strikes, which attacked several towns in southern Lebanon and in the eastern part of the country, were the biggest escalation since the end of the war, threatening an already shaky truce. The Israeli army said it struck Hezbollah "command centres, infrastructure sites, terrorists, rocket launchers and a weapons storage facility in Lebanon", adding that it would continue to strike targets "as required" to protect Israeli civilians.

At least five people, including a young girl, were killed and 11 others, including two children, were injured in air strikes in Touline. One person was killed in Tyre and Qlaileh. Injuries were reported in other southern areas.

The Israeli air strikes were in retaliation for three missiles launched into northern Israel from Lebanon by unspecified groups, marking the second cross-border launch since the truce. The Israeli military said that air defences intercepted the rockets and that there were no reports of injuries or damage.

Hezbollah said it was not responsible for the missile attack. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. The Iran-backed group also announced the death of two of its fighters in the air strikes.

On Sunday, an Israeli drone attacked a car in a southern Lebanese town of Aita Al Shaab near the Israeli border and causing an unspecified number of casualties, state media reported.

Israel has carried out repeated air strikes during the ceasefire, attacking what it said were Hezbollah military sites that violated the agreement.

The recent flare-up of violence came just days into Israel's renewed offensive in Gaza on Tuesday, which shattered the relative calm in the territory since a January 19 ceasefire.

At least 18 Palestinians were killed in Gaza in overnight Israeli air strikes, according to Palestinian media, which also reported that Hamas political leader Salah Al Bardaweel and his wife had been killed in Khan Younis.

More on Lebanon
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut

Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”

Updated: March 23, 2025, 9:47 AM
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