Hezbollah supporters gathered across Lebanon on Saturday to mark the first anniversary of the killing of the militant group's leader Hassan Nasrallah by an Israeli air strike.
Mr Nasrallah, whose body is buried in the Hezbollah stronghold of Beirut's southern suburbs, led the group for three decades. His assassination was a major blow for the Lebanese organisation.
Hezbollah went on to lose almost all of its senior commanders in last year's war with Israel, including Hashem Safieddine – at the time considered most likely to succeed Mr Nasrallah.
Naim Qassem, who was named Hezbollah leader in October 2024, made a speech on Saturday to mark the anniversary. Crowds gathered in the capital's southern districts as well as in Lebanon's south and east. He reaffirmed that Hezbollah would not allow disarmament and warned of a fierce confrontation, describing the fight as an existential battle that the group was capable of facing.
Ali Larijani, head of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran - Hezbollah's sponsor - visited Beirut on Saturday to mark the anniversary and met Lebanon’s parliament speaker Nabih Berri. Mr Larijani called on regional countries to put their difference aside and co-operate closely in the face of what he called “Israel’s conspiracies”.
The site of Mr Nasrallah's killing in Beirut has become a place for mourners to pray for him, near an enormous crater where six residential buildings stood before an Israeli air raid took out the entire block.
On Thursday, thousands gathered on Beirut’s corniche to remember Mr Nasrallah. There was controversy over the projection of his image on to Raouche’s Pigeon Rocks, a natural formation jutting into the Mediterranean and one of Beirut’s best-known landmarks.
Authorities did not at first grant Hezbollah permission to illuminate the rocks or project portraits of its late leaders, fearing it was an attempt by the group to impose itself on public spaces and claim a national symbol.
Hezbollah appeared to try to assuage opposition by also projecting images of Parliament Speaker and Amal movement leader Nabih Berri, along with former prime ministers Saad Hariri and his father Rafic Hariri, two Lebanese Sunni leaders.
But current Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced the move on X as “a flagrant violation of the agreement given by the city’s governor”.
Thursday’s event at Raouche was the first in a series of 18 days of ceremonies, scheduled until October 12, to commemorate the killing of Mr Nasrallah.
The late leader served as the third secretary general of Hezbollah, which emerged as a force in Lebanon in the early 1980s.
He became the group's secretary general in 1992 aged only 35, after his predecessor, Sayyed Abbas Al Musawi, was killed in an Israeli helicopter attack.
With his fiery speeches, he swiftly became the public face of Hezbollah in its fight against the Israelis. He was at the helm when Hezbollah guerrillas drove Israeli forces from southern Lebanon in 2000, ending an 18-year occupation.
He also declared a “divine victory” after the group waged 34 days of war with Israel in 2006, winning the respect of many Arabs who had grown up watching Israel defeat their armies.
As his group grew to become Lebanon's most influential political and military force, it also developed a regional role as the spearhead of Iran's region-wide “Axis of Resistance” against Israel. Hezbollah also fought in Syria and trained the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The day after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah entered the fray in solidarity with its Palestinian ally by firing on Israel from southern Lebanon.
That prompted exchanges of fire for nearly a year before Israel sharply escalated by detonating explosives-rigged communication devices used by Hezbollah members, while pummelling the country with air strikes and sending troops into Lebanon's south.
More than 4,000 people were ultimately killed in Israel's military assault on Lebanon last year, including at least 300 children.
Despite a ceasefire agreement reached in November, Israel continues to carry out deadly strikes. Israel's air and ground attacks for months prevented the formal burial of Mr Nasrallah.
Today, weakened by its war with Israel and with its main backer Iran also diminished, Hezbollah is under pressure from the Lebanese state and western powers to disarm, as the country tries to rebuild its shattered economy.
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The full list of 2020 Brit Award nominees (winners in bold):
British group
Coldplay
Foals
Bring me the Horizon
D-Block Europe
Bastille
British Female
Mabel
Freya Ridings
FKA Twigs
Charli xcx
Mahalia
British male
Harry Styles
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Michael Kiwanuka
Stormzy
Best new artist
Aitch
Lewis Capaldi
Dave
Mabel
Sam Fender
Best song
Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber - I Don’t Care
Mabel - Don’t Call Me Up
Calvin Harrison and Rag’n’Bone Man - Giant
Dave - Location
Mark Ronson feat. Miley Cyrus - Nothing Breaks Like A Heart
AJ Tracey - Ladbroke Grove
Lewis Capaldi - Someone you Loved
Tom Walker - Just You and I
Sam Smith and Normani - Dancing with a Stranger
Stormzy - Vossi Bop
International female
Ariana Grande
Billie Eilish
Camila Cabello
Lana Del Rey
Lizzo
International male
Bruce Springsteen
Burna Boy
Tyler, The Creator
Dermot Kennedy
Post Malone
Best album
Stormzy - Heavy is the Head
Michael Kiwanuka - Kiwanuka
Lewis Capaldi - Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent
Dave - Psychodrama
Harry Styles - Fine Line
Rising star
Celeste
Joy Crookes
beabadoobee
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
HOW TO WATCH
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
