The Lebanese military announced on Sunday a ceasefire in its battle against ISIL along the north-east border with Syria to allow for negotiations on nine soldiers held hostage by the extremists. It came as the Syrian government said it had reached a surrender deal with ISIL fighters on its side of the border.
“A ceasefire came into effect today at 7am [local time], and that is to make way for the last phase of negotiations on the fate of the kidnapped soldiers,” a statement from the Lebanese military said.
An army spokesman told The National that eight bodies had been recovered from territory retaken from ISIL and were being examined to see if they were any of the missing soldiers.
News of a pause in fighting on the Lebanese side of the border came as Hizbollah announced a ceasefire with ISIL on the Syrian side, in the western Qalamoun region. The Lebanese militant group launched an offensive against the extremists alongside Syrian government forces on August 19, the same day the Lebanese military launched its own operation against ISIL.
The Lebanese army maintains it is not co-ordinating with Hizbollah or the Syrian army, despite the timing of the two offensives.
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Read more:
Lebanon, Hizbollah, Syria launch parallel offensives to clear ISIL from border
Lebanese residents and Syrian refugees relieved after militants driven from Arsal
Only unity will defeat ISIL in all its forms
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But on Sunday, the Lebanese government was likely to be under increased pressure to co-ordinate with Damascus as Syrian state media announced that Hizbollah and the Syrian government had reached a deal with ISIL fighters inside Syria. The deal allows the extremists to surrender and be transferred to ISIL-held parts of eastern Syria.
Hizbollah media outlets broadcast footage from the Syrian side of the border showing ISIL fighters surrendering to the Lebanese group.
The Lebanese army had previously said there would be no negotiations with ISIL, though Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah suggested in a speech last week that his group might engage in talks with the extremists.
Hizbollah, which has been fighting in Syria’s civil war on behalf of president Bashar Al Assad’s government since 2012, has used its offensive against ISIL as a tool to pressure Lebanese leaders to recognise the legitimacy of the Syrian government. The Lebanese government adopted an official policy of neutrality when the Syrian civil war began six years ago, but a visit by three Lebanese ministers to Damascus earlier this month pointed to a thawing of relations — though it drew condemnation from other Lebanese politicians.
During that visit, Mr Nasrallah said in his speech last week, Damascus stressed that if the Lebanese government wanted to coordinate with it on reaching a deal with ISIL then it "must submit a formal and open request to the Syrian authorities" - something that would force Beirut to recognise Mr Al Assad's legitimacy.
At least six soldiers and reportedly dozens of ISIL militants have been killed in the Lebanese offensive against the extremist group, dubbed by the army "Dawn of the Barrens".
The army had reported slow progress in recent days as it dismantled bombs left behind by ISIL fighters as they retreated.
The fate of nine Lebanese soldiers kidnapped by ISIL in August 2014 during an attack on Lebanese security forces in the northeastern border town of Arsal remains unknown.
ISIL kidnapped 30 soldiers and policemen, of whom four were killed and one died of his wounds. In December 2015, 16 hostages were released as part of a prisoner swap, while nine were still held by ISIL.
Families of the missing soldiers and dozens of media outlets waited near the parliament in Beirut on Sunday after Lebanese General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim announced that the issue would be resolved by the end of the day. By late afternoon, however, there was still no word.
Sixty-two Lebanese soldiers have been killed by ISIL or Syria's former Al Qaeda affiliate in and around Arsal since 2013, the Lebanese army spokesman said.
The Lebanese army offensive against ISIL has been working to drive the group out of its last border footholds in the areas of Jurud Ras Baalbek and Jurud Al Qaa. The army said on Sunday that ground under ISIL control had shrunk from more than 100 square kilometres to about 20 kilometres since fighting began.
Aram Nerguizian, an expert on the Middle East at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said the extremists appeared to be trying to escape by pretending to be civilians.
“Some ISIL fighters appear to be shaving their beards and trying to melt away, either by trying to make it to Arsal (where there is a refugee population they could hide among) on foot or in a bid to make it to Syria via dozens of unmarked pathways,” he said.
In Qaa, one of the towns closest to the offensive, a member of the local council said residents were happy the military campaign appeared to be moving closer to an end, but that people remained wary of attacks by ISIL fighters.
“We heard about some Syrians that escape from Lebanon to Syria and then they will enter Lebanon again after shaving their beards,” said Basheer Matar.
ISIL also threatened to overrun Ras Baalbek and Qaa in 2014, and claimed responsibility for striking Qaa with a series of bombings last year that killed five people.
Last month, a Hizbollah offensive inside Lebanon against former Al Qaeda-affiliated militants resulted in negotiations that saw around 10,000 fighters and refugees return to Syria from the Arsal area. That deal required the Lebanese government to work with the Syrian government, with Mr Ibrahim, the head of Lebanese general security, helping to oversee it.
The deal was also a departure from previous Lebanese government policy toward Syrian refugees, which had held that returns to Syria would only be facilitated by Beirut if they were approved by the United Nations.
There are around 10,000 Syrian refugees living in Qaa, and Mr Matar said he hoped they would also return soon.
“That is the job of the Lebanese government,” Mr Matar said. “We hope they all return to Syria.”
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
Napoleon
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Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cargoz%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20January%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Premlal%20Pullisserry%20and%20Lijo%20Antony%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2030%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Brandt%20Andersen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOmar%20Sy%2C%20Jason%20Beghe%2C%20Angeliki%20Papoulia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Scores
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,470,000 (est)
Engine 6.9-litre twin-turbo W12
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 626bhp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,350rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.0L / 100km
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
AIDA%20RETURNS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now