Israel said on Thursday that its military action in Syria is driven by security needs and the prevention of threats from militants, not territorial ambition.
Since the fall of former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad in December 2024, Israel has conducted hundreds of air strikes on Syrian military assets and expanded control over the Golan Heights. But deputy Israeli UN ambassador Jonathan Miller said the operations were a response to the resurgence of armed extremist groups near its border.
“We have seen organised terrorist cells, foreign-built weapon systems and the consolidation of hostile forces in southern Syria. We have acted, and we will continue to act,” Mr Miller told the UN Security Council. “Our actions are guided not by ambition of expansion, but purely by necessity, security and prevention."
He said extremist factions were rebuilding military infrastructure close to Israeli communities, including rocket launchers and tunnels.
Mr Miller said the groups are "committed only to destruction, terror and the annihilation of our nation. Israel cannot and will not allow this to happen".
He also highlighted risks to Syria’s Druze minority, who Israel has historically supported, saying extremist expansion threatens their safety.
Israel increased air strikes last week in Syria, describing it as a warning to the newly formed government in Damascus. It has also accused Turkey of trying to turn Syria into a protectorate.
Turkey is a key backer of the Islamist-led coalition led by Ahmad Al Shara that toppled the Assad regime late last year. Israel fears that if Turkey establishes a military presence in Syria, it could hamper the Israeli air force’s freedom of action in the region.
France’s ambassador to the UN, Jerome Bonnafont, reiterated his country’s appeal for Israel to end its military activities in Syrian territory and to withdraw from occupied lands as agreed to in the 1974 Disengagement Agreement.
US charge d’affaires Dorothy Shea told council members that Washington is aware ISIS and Al Qaeda continue to plot and conduct attacks within Syria.
“And we know Hezbollah and other Iran-backed terrorists are trying to regain a foothold in Syria to threaten Israel and other regional states. And we know that terrorists – both Syrian and foreign – were complicit in last month’s atrocities in western Syria,” Ms Shea said. She was referring sectarian violence that killed hundreds of members of the Alawite community in the coastal region.
“In this context, Israel has an inherent right of self-defence, including against terrorist groups operating close to its border,” Ms Shea said.
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
Grand Slam Los Angeles results
Men:
56kg – Jorge Nakamura
62kg – Joao Gabriel de Sousa
69kg – Gianni Grippo
77kg – Caio Soares
85kg – Manuel Ribamar
94kg – Gustavo Batista
110kg – Erberth Santos
Women:
49kg – Mayssa Bastos
55kg – Nathalie Ribeiro
62kg – Gabrielle McComb
70kg – Thamara Silva
90kg – Gabrieli Pessanha
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 2
Rashford 28', Martial 72'
Watford 1
Doucoure 90'
The biog
Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
