Druze men look out across Quneitra in south-west Syria, at the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on the frontier. AFP
Druze men look out across Quneitra in south-west Syria, at the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on the frontier. AFP
Druze men look out across Quneitra in south-west Syria, at the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on the frontier. AFP
Druze men look out across Quneitra in south-west Syria, at the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on the frontier. AFP

Israel warns Syria against armistice violation, as Jordan mulls next move in south


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Israel on Monday threatened reprisals to any attempt by Syrian forces advancing against southern rebel areas to deploy in a Golan Heights frontier zone that was demilitarised under a 44-year-old UN monitored truce.

Syrian government forces backed by Russia have launched an offensive in the southern Deraa province and are widely expected to move on rebel-held Quneitra, which is within a part of the Syrian Golan covered by the armistice.

Israel worries that Syria's President Bashar Al Assad could let its enemies Iran and Hezbollah move forces into the area, giving them a foothold near its border. Tehran and the Lebanese group both back Mr Assad.

"For our part, we will sanctify the 1974 disengagement agreement, and there too we will insist that every last letter be abided by, and any violation with meet a harsh response from the State of Israel," Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman told his parliamentary faction.

Mr Assad's conduct in southern Syria is expected to come up in talks in Moscow on Wednesday between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia, whose 2015 intervention in the Syrian civil war turned the tide in Mr Assad's favour, has largely turned a blind eye to repeated Israeli air strikes in Syria targeting suspected Iranian or Hezbollah emplacements and arms transfers.

But diplomats on both sides say Russia has made clear that it would oppose any Israeli action endangering Mr Assad's rule.

On Sunday night, Syria said its air defence repelled an Israeli sortie against the T4 air base in Homs province, where seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps personnel died in an April 9 attack that Damascus and Tehran also blamed on Israel.

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Read more:

Russia to move 1,000 from de-escalation zone in southern Syria

Israel launches missile strike on airbase in Syria

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Meanwhile, in south Syria’s Deraa province, the Russian military was planning to move as many as 1,000 people to northern Idlib province, Interfax news agency reported on Monday, citing Russia's Centre for Reconciliation in Syria. The Syrian army and allied troops also laid siege to the holdout rebel-held enclave in Deraa and were poised to gain complete control of the city where the uprising against Mr Assad's rule first erupted, rebels said.

Between 150 and 200 Syrians displaced by the recent southern offensive were still at the border after about 60,000 began to return, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Jordan, Anders Pedersen, told reporters on Sunday. Many of the remaining civilians have not headed home for fear of living under the Syrian regime.

Amman is relieved that most have headed home, after refusing to allow them to cross into Jordan which already hosts 650,000 Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR. But many of those who did go back say they still feel unsafe.

“When people returned from the Jordanian border to Um Al Mayathen, the closest town to the Nassib crossing, they were surprised that the army stormed the town after it was pounded by air strikes," said Adnan Maslameh, a lawyer based in Deraa who took part in early talks between rebels and the Russians.

Residents in other villages in East Deraa reported widespread looting and arson, he said.

The Assad regime has besieged rebel-held areas in the city of Deraa, where the uprising against the Syrian government began seven years ago.

“Bashar Al Assad wants a total invasion of rebel-ruled areas in south-west Syria. For the time being, and because Russia and Jordan struck a deal, he is forced to take an area by area approach to this region and strike a number of smaller deals with the various local rebel groups,” said Nicholas Heras, a Syria expert at the Washington-based Centre for a New American Security.

“But the view from Damascus is any and all of these deals struck with the rebels are temporary and are designed to keep Assad from spending too many troops in needless battles in southern Syria."

The opposition knows that President Al Assad is out to recapture rebel-held areas and therefore are reluctant to trust him. "The atmosphere in southern Syria is tense and could easily reignite into conflict,” he said.

However, the recent offensive has thrown up a major dilemma for the government in Amman. Jordan, backed by the US, UK and other western governments, have supported, trained and funded some southern rebel groups in recent years. The collapse of these groups as Mr Assad’s forces and its allies move in, poses the question of Jordan’s response.

Until last week, the Syrian side of the border was largely patrolled by a lightly armed tribal army backed by Amman. The group of about 5,000 men were deployed from the Nassib crossing in the east towards Suwaida, and even to areas near the Iraqi border. It acted as a border guard and was involved in fighting with other hardliner groups such as ISIS in the eastern desert.

It’s too early to talk about the reopening of the Nassib border crossing recaptured by the Syrian regime in recent days, as western-backed forces pull back, one Jordanian government official said on condition of anonymity.

However, as the rebels’ fortunes have been reversed, Amman has shifted its discourse towards the groups it used to support as well as towards Damascus.

Other Jordanian officials say reopening the entry point could have a positive effect on the economy and security of both countries.

The Syrian regime's control of the border area, said Khaled Massaid, Jordan's commander of the northern military region, will see the enforcement of security. And with security, he says, trade is likely to start again.

"The decision to open the border with Syria is political and if a political agreement is reached, security arrangements will follow," he said at the weekend.

"The renewed Syrian control over the border will allow for the resumption of international trade through the Nassib crossing,” said Sam Heller, a senior analyst with International Crisis Group.

“For Jordan, it will strengthen its political and economic integration into its regional surroundings. Beyond Nasib, now Jordan will also have a border whose other side is manned by a state and regular military, not a fractious set of militias.”

Results

6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m; Winner: Ghaiyyath, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer).

7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Cliffs Of Capri, Tadhg O’Shea, Jamie Osborne.

7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Zakouski, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.

8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.

UAE v Gibraltar

What: International friendly

When: 7pm kick off

Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

Admission: Free

Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page

UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)

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.

Directed by: Craig Gillespie

Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry

4/5

LUKA CHUPPI

Director: Laxman Utekar

Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema

Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon​​​​​​​, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana

Rating: 3/5

The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Key products and UAE prices

iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229

iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649

iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179

Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets