Israel has been accused of expanding its occupation of southern Lebanon by building a concrete wall that extends beyond the Blue Line, the UN-monitored demarcation between the countries.
The Lebanese presidency has said the wall is “an infringement on Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity”. It has instructed Foreign Minister Youssef Raji to submit a complaint to the UN Security Council.
The Israeli wall touches the outskirts of the town of Yaroun. Its mayor, Mohamed Chahine, told The National that Israel began construction three to four months ago.
In Yaroun, residents view the land grab as a provocation by Israel. “This is a clear escalation, the Israelis came, took the land and the whole world supported them,” resident Ali Qassem said.
While Israel is building walls inside Lebanese territory, its strikes have forced reconstruction from last year's war, and even basic clearing efforts, to halt completely in Yaroun, as well as other areas in southern Lebanon.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, said last Friday that the peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (Unifil) had called on Israel to remove the wall.
Where is Israel's wall?
Israeli has built two concrete walls that have crossed the Blue Line, a survey carried out last month by Unifil found. The mission, established in 1978, operates in Lebanon between the Litani River and the Blue Line. The mission has more than 10,000 troops from 50 countries and about 800 civilian staff.
The larger one lies south-west of Yaroun and "covers Lebanese agricultural land", the mayor said. The second extending beyond the Blue Line is in the south-east part of the village.
Yaroun is a village near the southern border and overlooks the Israeli settlements of Avivim and Yir'on. Yaroun suffered extensive damage in last year’s war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Yaroun remains in tatters, with only about 60 families able to return to their homes. “No one is rebuilding now,” Mr Qassem said. “Even those who were removing rubble or cleaning up collapsed homes have stopped because of the strikes and targeting of machinery that was digging terraces. ”
Israeli wall in southern Lebanon - in pictures
How big is the wall?
According to Unifil, the south-west wall has made more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the local population, while the south-east barrier covers fewer than 20 square metres.
Mr Chahine said construction work is continuing on the eastern section.
In its complaint to the UN, the Lebanese ministry is expected to demonstrate that local people cannot access the land.
Israel was informed in October of the first breach but "no action was taken to relocate the wall", Unifil spokesman Dany Ghafary said. The Israeli army denies the wall crosses the Blue Line.
The peacekeeping force said Israel also crossed the Blue Line into south-eastern Yaroun in the process of constructing another section of wall, but it did not specify how far it crossed into Lebanese territory.
What has Israel said?
Israel has said the wall is part of a broader military plan and that construction began in 2022. "Since the start of the war, and as part of lessons learnt from it, the [military] has been advancing a series of measures, including reinforcing the physical barrier along the northern border," the military said.
Israel continues to occupy five strategic points in Lebanese territory despite the terms its ceasefire with Hezbollah saying the military should withdraw. Israel has also gradually fortified those five points and often opens fire at people passing by.
What about Hezbollah?
A Hezbollah source told The National the move was an “Israeli escalation” and a “de facto annexation of Lebanese territory”. They said it “confirms Israel’s ambitions and its intention to continue its occupation and avoid committing to any agreement”.
The land grab, the source added, gives Hezbollah further legitimacy in its argument for refusing to surrender its weapons – as the Lebanese government proceeds with a US-backed plan to disarm the group.
“We are making concessions, while Israel continues to expand and take steps that further undermine Lebanese sovereignty,” they added.
A political source close to Hezbollah called the wall an "Israeli exploitation of the security-military reality it imposed" after the ceasefire, "allowing it to operate freely in border areas that have become almost empty of residents".
“Israel recognises that the Lebanese army is not capable of confronting border violations, let alone stopping daily attacks,” added the source. “The enemy has imposed security buffer zones that prevent villagers from approaching or entering their land, and the wall helps it annex parts of that land and cement the status quo.
A second political source close to Hezbollah said Israel is “replicating in southern Lebanon what it does in southern Syria under security pretexts, giving itself justification for incursions and gradual annexation”.
“Israel is pre-empting any potential negotiations with Lebanon, especially as the Americans are pushing for direct talks. This serves as a bargaining chip for Israel to force Lebanon to revise its position on the border line, where many points have remained unresolved since 1949,” added the source.
Daily attacks
Israel continues to bomb Lebanon – mainly the south, but also the Bekaa Valley – on a daily basis despite the November ceasefire. The country says it is going after Hezbollah members and infrastructure, but has also killed civilians with no links to the group.
In August, the Lebanese government charged the army with carrying out the previously unthinkable task of disarming Hezbollah. But some observers say this is happening too slowly, while Israel – without providing evidence – claims the Iran-backed group is gradually rearming. The group has rejected any calls to disarm.
This has led to fears that Israel may yet again wage a war on Lebanon, which is still reeling from the effects of last year's conflict.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Leading all-time NBA scorers
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Michael Jordan 32,292
LeBron James 31,425
Wilt Chamberlain 31,419
Company profile
Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
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
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
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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
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Company%C2%A0profile
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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
The specs
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Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
