Israeli experts, including a former government official, have questioned the rationale of the country's latest military intervention in Syria, warning it achieved little, risks a wider sectarian war and damages hopes of stability in Damascus.
Israel’s air strikes this week on Sweida in southern Syria, and the Defence Ministry building in central Damascus, followed days of violence between Druze, Bedouin tribes and pro-government forces that formed the latest challenge for President Ahmad Al Shara’s government.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government justified its strikes on grounds that combine national security with protection of the Druze, a religious minority deeply embedded in both Syria and Israel, as well as Jordan and Lebanon.
But the escalation to military action was unnecessary, some Israelis believe.
“Israel could have sent appeasing messages to Ahmad Al Shara, drafting a list of mutually agreed upon understandings and even delineating red lines, rather than bomb for no apparent reason and attaining nothing,” Alon Pinkas, a chief of staff to multiple former Israeli foreign ministers, told The National.
The violence in Sweida began with skirmishes including an ambush by Bedouin gunmen on a truck and kidnappings by Druze militiamen. Syrian government forces intervened in an offensive in which more than 200 Druze, including civilians, have been killed.
Scores of Bedouins and government security forces have also been killed, and civil society organisations have accused all sides of atrocities, including killings, torture, and degrading treatment.
On Thursday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory of Human Rights monitoring group claimed a total of 594 people had been killed in the violence since Sunday.
According to Israeli military officials, their country's strikes were designed to send messages to Mr Al Shara’s government that Israel will act to defend a community that is kin to its own citizens.
The Druze, whose faith emerged from a branch of Islam in the 11th century, number around 150,000 people in Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Many serve in the Israeli military, as well as in the cabinet and parliament. There are around 800,000 Druze registered as living in Syria, mostly in the southern Sweida governorate, bordering Jordan.
“The Druze leaders approached the leaders in Israel to support the Druze in Syria and take a position to save them from this tragedy and this situation that they are in,” Col Hamada Ganem, a Druze and a former commander of the Israeli military’s Gaza Strip Northern Brigade, told The National.
“The goal here was to protect the Syrian Druze. There was no Israeli goal against the Syrian state.”
Mr Netanyahu's government gave the green light for military intervention after pressure from Israel's Druze population to act, and the desire to portray a show of force, observers said.
“In Israel, there are always domestic considerations, political considerations,” Professor Eyal Zisser, Vice Rector of Tel Aviv University and an expert on Syria, told The National. “The Druze community in Israel is putting pressure, on the one hand, and also, whenever you can show that you are strong, why not?”
If Al Shara is a statesman, he must defend his people, especially the minorities - they are an indispensable part of Syria
Col Hamada Ganem,
Druze former Israeli military commander
Doubts over Al Shara
In interviews, Israeli officials and academics painted a picture of a deep uncertainty in the country over the willingness and ability of Mr Al Shara's government in Damascus to prevent violence or to enact the vision he claims to seek of an inclusive and stable Syria.
Colonel Ganem accused Mr Al Shara of both unwillingness and inability to protect Syria’s minorities.
“If he is a statesman, he must defend his people, especially the minorities – they are an indispensable part of Syria,” he said.
In a speech on Thursday, Mr Al Shara said the Druze were “a fundamental part of the fabric” of Syria, and rejected any attempt for them to be “dragged” into the hands of what he called “an external party”.
Syria’s government is, “keen on holding accountable those who transgressed and abused our Druze people”, he added.
Within Israel, some support and see the logic behind military intervention in Syria. Since the fall of the Bashar Al Assad regime last December, Israel has encroached on territory in a UN-controlled buffer in the Golan Heights, a rocky plateau recognised by most of the international community as Syrian territory. It has carried out air strikes against what it says were remnants of the former regime’s military infrastructure.
The presence of radical Islamist fighters in Syria’s new armed forces rings alarm bells for many Israelis. They include foreign militants, including ethnic Turkic Uighurs from the Turkistan Islamic Party, which aims to form an Islamic state in Central Asia.
Israel wants demilitarisation of southern Syria to prevent groups it sees as a national security threat replacing the Iran-aligned militias who once held positions there. The Tehran-backed groups fled with the fall of the Assad regime.
Search for stability
Others, while wary of the Syrian government’s lack of monopoly on force, raise concerns about the long-term impact of Israeli military intervention.
“Let's focus on the interests of everyone to have stability,” Prof Zisser said. “That's the basic thing, and such actions are against the idea of having stability.”
Israel's operations this week have sparked Syrian and international condemnation, and are widely seen as further destabilising an already fragile situation. The strikes killed and injured several civilians, said Federico Jachetti, the Norwegian Refugee Council's Syria country office director.
“The international community must make it clear that such actions are unacceptable, represent a violation of international law, and directly contribute to Syria’s instability,” he said.
Many Israelis caution against dragging the country into another war in Syria, or of exacerbating tensions within and between sects, when violations have been committed on all sides.
I don't think we need to be on the side of anyone committing violations. I think we need to do everything we can to stop this.
Dr Nir Boms,
Israeli expert on Syria
Hikmat Al Hijri, the main figure in a triumvirate that constitutes the Druze spiritual leadership, earlier this week called for “international protection” from “all countries”. Other Druze leaders have cautioned against such moves, fearing that it may undermine integration.
“There absolutely was a massacre, but it was not just a Druze massacre,” Dr Nir Boms, director of the Syria Forum at Tel Aviv University’s Moshe Dayan Centre, told The National, of this week’s violence. “I don't think we need to be on the side of anyone committing violations. I think we need to do everything we can to stop this.”
While maintaining that Israel's intervention saved Druze lives in Syria, he cautioned against more warfare.
“I think Israel saved Druze lives with what it did,” Mr Boms added. “But I don't want to put Israel in the middle of a Syrian sectarian war. For heaven's sake, we have enough wars of our own.”
Netanyahu's politics
Some go further, believing that Israel’s intentions in Syria are less related to security and more to Mr Netanyahu’s desire to stay in power.
“Netanyahu is infatuated with his ‘wartime prime ministership’ and believes that perpetuating the war − Gaza, Houthis, Iran and now Syria − shields him politically,” Mr Pinkas said. “He deludes himself that he is actually remodelling the Middle East landscape solely through the use of military power.”
Rather than manoeuvring among sects in Syria, Israel needs to support Mr Al Shara’s stated aims to build an inclusive state that works for all its citizens, Mr Boms added.
“Israel actually has a vast interest in Ahmad Al Shara succeeding,” he said. “A Syria that will be able to make peace from the inside will make peace from the outside.”
Israel and the US have said they want Syria to join the Abraham Accords, a set of agreements that established diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab-majority countries. But such a move may face significant popular opposition, given the Israeli attacks on Syria in the past seven months.
US pressure on Israel is the most likely deterrent to stop further military action in Syria, as President Donald Trump has lifted sanctions and appears charmed by Mr Al Shara, Prof Zisser said.
“Netanyahu does whatever Trump tells him to do,” he said. “So, if this is an American dictate, it will happen.”
Mr Netanyahu on Thursday framed the Israeli strikes as the catalyst for a ceasefire in Sweida. The cessation in hostilities came after US pressure for the fighting to end.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington had communicated with “all parties” involved in the clashes in Syria and “agreed on specific steps” to halt the violence. “This will require all parties to deliver on the commitments they have made and this is what we fully expect them to do,” he wrote on X.
For now, the future relationship between Israel and Syria remains unclear. One option is the return to a 1974 agreement between the two nations that saw the creation of a UN-patrolled buffer zone between armistice lines on the Golan Heights. But a complication is Israel’s occupation of territory within that separation zone since the Assad regime fell.
“This government will not do it,” Mr Pinkas said. “But before anything can be considered it remains to be seen how Al Shara consolidates power and extends sovereignty. Only then will Israel conceivably return to the 1974 armistice lines.”
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16 second leg
Paris Saint-Germain (1) v Borussia Dortmund (2)
Kick-off: Midnight, Thursday, March 12
Stadium: Parc des Princes
Live: On beIN Sports HD
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness'
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams
Rating: 3/5
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Points to remember
- Debate the issue, don't attack the person
- Build the relationship and dialogue by seeking to find common ground
- Express passion for the issue but be aware of when you're losing control or when there's anger. If there is, pause and take some time out.
- Listen actively without interrupting
- Avoid assumptions, seek understanding, ask questions
HOW TO WATCH
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
MATCH INFO
Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)
Charles 57, Amla 47
Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)
Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9
Bangla Tiger win by five wickets
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Results
Stage three:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-43
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
4. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
5. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
6. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) UAE-Team Emirates, at 24s
General Classification:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-13-02
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin Fenix, at 12s
4. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
5. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
6. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Asia%20Cup%202022
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWhat%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAsia%20Cup%20final%3A%20Sri%20Lanka%20v%20Pakistan%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWhen%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESunday%2C%20September%2011%2C%20from%206pm%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWhere%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EDubai%20International%20Stadium%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EHow%20to%20watch%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ECatch%20the%20live%20action%20on%20Starzplay%20across%20Mena%20region.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
