Egypt has rapidly taken on a key role in efforts to calm rising tension in Lebanon and ensure Israel’s withdrawal, building on its recent success in mediating a Gaza ceasefire, Lebanese and Egyptian sources have told The National.
Egypt's intelligence chief Hassan Rashad was sent to Beirut this week and conveyed to senior Lebanese officials that Cairo was ready to help stabilise the situation in southern Lebanon, which Israel continues to bombard almost every day despite a ceasefire reached with Hezbollah last year.
Israeli troops also maintain a presence at five points deemed strategic in the south, in breach of the agreement. In the past week, Israel has intensified attacks on the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.
“Why now? First of all, after two years they managed, with the Americans, the Qataris and others, to successfully reach an agreement in Gaza,” said one Lebanese political source.
While the official said Mr Rashad had not delivered a specific message, there was said to be “momentum”.
Egyptian sources with direct knowledge of the diplomatic drive in Lebanon told The National that its objectives were to halt Israeli strikes, mediate a long-term truce and prevent the country from sliding into civil war over the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons.
"The Egyptian effort is done in collaboration and the blessing of the Trump administration," said one of the sources. Part of Cairo’s focus, they added, is to prevent Lebanon’s Sunni community from facing defeat or weakening should tension over Hezbollah’s arsenal escalate into open conflict.
They said Hezbollah and its allies are highly unlikely to surrender their weapons and any attempt to disarm the group could plunge Lebanon into civil war.
A Hezbollah official told The National that the group did not meet with the Egyptian spy chief, but added: “but we are positive about any move towards the ceasefire agreement”.
Lebanon is under heavy US pressure to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah and reassert state sovereignty. US envoy Tom Barrack said this month that Lebanon's slow progress could lead Israel to “act unilaterally” and launch yet another war on the country.
'All eyes on Lebanon'
A second Lebanese political source, who is close to the Foreign Ministry, said "all eyes are on Lebanon and what is happening in Lebanon". The source noted that the US has shared intelligence with its international allies, indicating that the Israeli military believes Hezbollah is trying to rebuild and regroup – information of which Egypt is also aware.
Any attempt by Hezbollah to rearm, or any delay in the group’s disarmament, could prompt Israel to escalate military operations in Lebanon.
“In their sense of brotherhood with Lebanon, they [the Egyptians] are trying to approach the Lebanese and share with them the seriousness of the situation,” said the source. “It’s in this spirit that they are trying to play a positive role.”
However, high-ranking US diplomatic sources told Sky News Arabia that efforts to rescue Lebanon from collapse with economic and political incentives had hit a brick wall.
They said a US initiative for Hezbollah to disarm voluntarily included potentially billions of dollars in financial support for Lebanon from Gulf states, but “key parties in Beirut preferred to maintain the status quo”.
"Our hearts in Washington are hoping for the best, and our minds are preparing for the worst,” Sky News Arabia quoted them as saying.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israeli troops were to withdraw from southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani river and dismantle its military infrastructure in the south. Only the Lebanese army and Unifil are supposed to operate in the south.
The army has made large progress in the disarmament task south of the Litani. But Hezbollah has strongly rejected any conversation over its weapons while Israel continues to occupy and bomb sites in Lebanon. The disarmament process is expected to be far more complicated in other areas of the country.
The Lebanese government has repeatedly reaffirmed its commitment to bringing all weapons under state control, while acknowledging the difficulties and sensitivities involved. The group was severely weakened by its war with Israel last year.
The Hezbollah official said Egypt sought to play a broker role and ensure a proper ceasefire. “In general, Iran and Egypt have good relations in regards to Lebanon,” they said.
Egypt was part of a powerful group of countries – also comprising the US, France, Saudi Arabia and Qatar – that helped push Lebanon on to the path of electing President Joseph Aoun this year after more than two years of presidential vacuum.
“They were overwhelmed with what's happening in Gaza, now they can breathe and they have a role with the 'quintet',” said the first Lebanese official.
Mr Rashad was one of several senior foreign officials visiting Beirut this week, alongside US envoy Morgan Ortagus and Arab League Secretary Gen Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
President Joseph Aoun's office said Mr Rashad had “expressed his country's readiness to help stabilise the south and end the volatile security situation there. He also reiterated Egypt's support for Lebanon”. They also discussed “ways to leverage” the ceasefire in Gaza – in which Cairo was instrumental – and the Sharm El Sheikh summit to advance stability in Lebanon.
This month, political leaders from around the world convened in the Egyptian resort on the Red Sea coast for a ceremony to sign the ceasefire deal in Gaza. US President Donald Trump declared “peace in the Middle East” at the summit. The deal paused more than two years of war in Gaza that had killed more than 68,000 Palestinians in Israeli attacks and left much of the enclave in ruins.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty this month told The National that Cairo has “full confidence in the leadership and wisdom” of President Aoun and “full faith” in Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government in Lebanon.
“We have, first of all, to end the Israeli occupation of the five locations in south Lebanon in order not to give any excuse for any party to say that we have to be there to fight and end the occupation,” said Mr Abdelatty at the time.
Scorebox
Dubai Hurricanes 31 Dubai Sports City Eagles 22
Hurricanes
Tries: Finck, Powell, Jordan, Roderick, Heathcote
Cons: Tredray 2, Powell
Eagles
Tries: O’Driscoll 2, Ives
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The five pillars of Islam
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
More on Quran memorisation:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
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
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
RESULTS
1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m
Winner: Dirilis Ertugrul, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ismail Mohammed (trainer)
2.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,400m
Winner: Kidd Malibu, Sandro Paiva, Musabah Al Muhairi
2.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,000m
Winner: Raakezz, Tadhg O’Shea, Nicholas Bachalard
3.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,200m
Winner: Au Couer, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar
3.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m
Winner: Rayig, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m
Winner: King’s Shadow, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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All%20We%20Imagine%20as%20Light
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HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
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
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 pledge
I pledge to uphold the duty of tolerance
I pledge to take a first stand against hate and injustice
I pledge to respect and accept people whose abilities, beliefs and culture are different from my own
I pledge to wish for others what I wish for myself
I pledge to live in harmony with my community
I pledge to always be open to dialogue and forgiveness
I pledge to do my part to create peace for all
I pledge to exercise benevolence and choose kindness in all my dealings with my community
I pledge to always stand up for these values: Zayed's values for tolerance and human fraternity
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
