Israel has reportedly thwarted a terrorist plot to kidnap of one of its soldiers, a plan its security services say was masterminded by Iran and Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah.
The cell was intercepted and 10 members were arrested, the Shin Bet domestic security agency said.
It said it believed the plot was meant to obtain leverage for the release of jailed Palestinians.
The Shin Bet said the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or PFLP, was to carry out the plot in the occupied West Bank.
Iran and Hezbollah apparently provided the cell members with funding and training, as well as giving them a front organisation known as Al Shabab Al Alumi Al Arabi.
The Shin Bet claimed the Syrian army was also involved in training the members.
The agency said it retrieved its information from the interrogation of a PFLP suspect in April, claiming that he revealed the existence of two cells, one in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and another in Samaria, near the city of Nablus.
The plan was spearheaded by a Lebanese man named as Assad Al Amali, who provided the link to Iran and Hezbollah, the Shin Bet said.
The PFLP is a secular Marxist organisation that rejects Israel's existence and the moderate line of the Palestine Liberation Organisation led by President Mahmoud Abbas and dominated by his Fatah party.
Despite its hardline position on Palestinian national aspirations, it also rejects Hamas, the group that rules Gaza.
Iran and Israel are involved in a shadow war in the Palestinian territories, including Gaza, and the wider Middle East. Iran has provided funds and equipment to Hamas and has fought three wars against Israel. It has also funded Hamas operatives in the occupied West Bank.
Western intelligence sources say Israel stepped up strikes on Syria in the past few months are part of a shadow war approved by Washington.
It is part of the anti-Iran policy that has in the past two years undermined Iran's military power without triggering a major increase in hostilities.
Syria never publicly acknowledges that Iranian assets are the targets of the strikes in a country where Tehran's military presence has covered most government-controlled areas.
Israel acknowledged conducting many raids in Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011.
Israeli defence officials said in recent months that Israel would step up its campaign against Iran in Syria where, with the help of proxy militias, Tehran has expanded its presence.
But those plots against Israel have also reached into its own territory, as the Shin Bet's latest claim demonstrated.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Men’s singles
Group A: Son Wan-ho (Kor), Lee Chong Wei (Mas), Ng Long Angus (HK), Chen Long (Chn)
Group B: Kidambi Srikanth (Ind), Shi Yugi (Chn), Chou Tien Chen (Tpe), Viktor Axelsen (Den)
Women’s Singles
Group A: Akane Yamaguchi (Jpn), Pusarla Sindhu (Ind), Sayaka Sato (Jpn), He Bingjiao (Chn)
Group B: Tai Tzu Ying (Tpe), Sung Hi-hyun (Kor), Ratchanok Intanon (Tha), Chen Yufei (Chn)
