Hezbollah supporters rallied in Beirut on Sunday to pay tribute to the slain Iranian. AFP
Hezbollah supporters rallied in Beirut on Sunday to pay tribute to the slain Iranian. AFP
Hezbollah supporters rallied in Beirut on Sunday to pay tribute to the slain Iranian. AFP
Hezbollah supporters rallied in Beirut on Sunday to pay tribute to the slain Iranian. AFP

Hezbollah commemorates Qassem Suleimani’s death with thousands-strong rally


Sunniva Rose
  • English
  • Arabic

Thousands of supporters of Lebanon’s pro-Iran party Hezbollah gathered in Beirut on Sunday to mourn Iranian general Qassem Suleimani, assassinated in a targeted US drone attack in Baghdad.

Defiance and anger against America were the strongest sentiments to emerge from the crowd, many wearing yellow “death to America” headbands, that had gathered to listen to a speech delivered by their leader, Hassan Nasrallah, on a giant screen.

“I was shocked when I first heard of his death,” said Hussein, a young man who would not give his last name. He carried a giant portrait of the Iranian general with an inscription that read: “we are their constant terror”, seemingly in reference to Hezbollah’s enemies.

“But then I knew that we must continue fighting even more,” he added.

One young man proudly showed a poster of a burning American flag with “severe revenge” - the phrase the Iranians used to describe their response to the strike - written across it both in English, Arabic and Farsi . A few Iranian flags were visible in the background alongside hundreds of yellow Hezbollah flags.

“The only thing America has achieved by killing Suleimani is that it must now withdraw from the region,”  a man standing in the crowdtold The National. His words were echoed a few minutes later by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. In a speech over an hour and a half long, he vowed that the United States would retreat from the region “humiliated, defeated and in terror.”

A Hezbollah supporter wears a headband reading "Death to America", as Hassan Nasrallah delivers a televised speech in Beirut. Bloomberg
A Hezbollah supporter wears a headband reading "Death to America", as Hassan Nasrallah delivers a televised speech in Beirut. Bloomberg

Another man said that he felt “Shiite” before feeling “Arab”. Many argued that Suleimani represented the “axis of resistance” that united Palestine to Iran, via Lebanon.

“He is the symbol of jihad against oppression in the whole world,” said one of the attendees, who declined to give his name, as did many The National spoke to.

Nasrallah stoked already raging anti-American sentiment as he detailed the list of what he considered to be its “failures” in the region. In an attempt to increase his popularity in the United States ahead of a presidential election, Donald Trump committed a “clear crime” in assassinating Qassem Suleimani, he said.

The charismatic Hezbollah leader also highlighted his supposed proximity with Suleimani, saying he had met with him on New Year's Day, just a few days before his death, and had warned him several months ago that the United States was increasingly interested in him. He lauded the Iranian general for dying as a “martyr”, his “highest desire.”

Pro-Hezbollah media on Sundaypublished several pictures of the two men together in Beirut, smiling and looking relaxed.

During his speech, Nasrallah was interrupted several times by the enthusiastic crowd, who chanted both anti-American and pro-Hezbollah slogans. Several Lebanese journalists also raised their right arm in a show of support for the party.

One man, who was wearing the “death to America” headband, said that the headgear meant that he wished the death of “Trump, as well as all American leaders and soldiers in the Middle East”.

Separated from the men, thousands of women held pictures of Suleimani high up in the air, alongside Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, who died in the same attack.

Their slogans were more cryptic, with pictures of Trump alongside Iranian leaders describing the American president as a “wolf” who should know that “if the father is gone, his gun is still present”. Journalists, who were closely watched by Hezbollah security guards, were not allowed to speak to them.

What is the definition of an SME?

SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.

A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors. 

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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
  • The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
  • The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
  • The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
  • The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
  • The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Day 2, Dubai Test: At a glance

Moment of the day Pakistan’s effort in the field had hints of shambles about it. The wheels were officially off when Wahab Riaz lost his run up and aborted the delivery four times in a row. He re-measured his run, jogged in for two practice goes. Then, when he was finally ready to go, he bailed out again. It was a total cringefest.

Stat of the day – 139.5 Yasir Shah has bowled 139.5 overs in three innings so far in this Test series. Judged by his returns, the workload has not withered him. He has 14 wickets so far, and became history’s first spinner to take five-wickets in an innings in five consecutive Tests. Not bad for someone whose fitness was in question before the series.

The verdict Stranger things have happened, but it is going to take something extraordinary for Pakistan to keep their undefeated record in Test series in the UAE in tact from this position. At least Shan Masood and Sami Aslam have made a positive start to the salvage effort.

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The specs

Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric

Transmission: n/a

Power: 402bhp

Torque: 659Nm

Price estimate: Dh200,000

On sale: Q3 2022 

The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net

Rankings

ATP: 1. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 10,955 pts; 2. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 8,320; 3. Alexander Zverev (GER) 6,475 ( 1); 5. Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG) 5,060 ( 1); 6. Kevin Anderson (RSA) 4,845 ( 1); 6. Roger Federer (SUI) 4,600 (-3); 7. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 4,110 ( 2); 8. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 3,960; 9. John Isner (USA) 3,155 ( 1); 10. Marin Cilic (CRO) 3,140 (-3)

WTA: 1. Naomi Osaka (JPN) 7,030 pts ( 3); 2. Petra Kvitova (CZE) 6,290 ( 4); 3. Simona Halep (ROM) 5,582 (-2); 4. Sloane Stephens (USA) 5,307 ( 1); 5. Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 5,100 ( 3); 6. Angelique Kerber (GER) 4,965 (-4); 7. Elina Svitolina (UKR) 4,940; 8. Kiki Bertens (NED) 4,430 ( 1); 9. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) 3,566 (-6); 10. Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) 3,485 ( 1)

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets