Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday evening warned Hezbollah against aggression, after the two sides exchanged fire along their border in the heaviest fighting between the bitter enemies in almost a year.
"Hezbollah should know it is playing with fire," Mr Netanyahu said in a televised address from Israel's defence mnistry headquarters in Tel Aviv.
He said that any attacks from Lebanese territory would draw a powerful response.
The Israeli army earlier said it foiled a Hezbollah attempt to infiltrate its territory after a cell of four fighters crossed the Lebanese border and exchanged fire with Israeli forces.
The military said it had ordered residents along the border to remain indoors as local media reported an exchange of artillery fire near Shebaa Farms, where explosions were heard.
Hezbollah dismissed the Israeli claims about "purported skirmishes".
But the attack by the Iran-backed militia was in response to the killing of one of its fighters in an Israeli strike on the edge of Damascus last Monday, a Lebanese source told Reuters.
The Israeli army said a “security incident” had taken place. It said it blocked roads and told people to avoid “non-essential” travel.
Israel’s public broadcast channel Kan said there had been an exchange of fire.
Israeli army spokesman Lt Col Jonathan Conricus said the military thwarted "an attempt to infiltrate into Israel” by a group of armed militants.
“We know for certain that they were armed and that they crossed the Blue Line into Israel,” Lt Col Conricus said.
The militia rejected the accusations. Hezbollah "confirms that it did not take part in any clash and did not open fire in today's events until now", it said.
"All that the enemy's media is claiming about thwarting an infiltration operation from Lebanon into occupied Palestine is completely false."
Andrea Tenenti, spokesman for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, said the head of mission and force commander, Maj Gen Stefano Del Col, contacted both sides to assess the situation and ease tension.
Gen Del Col urged both parties to exercise "maximum restraint".
Former Lebanese environment minister Wiam Wahhab said on Twitter: “I doubt that what happened in south Lebanon today was an operation by the resistance but it seems that the Israelis are petrified from an operation. Briefly, that is what happened.”
After the incident, a resident's house was hit by Israeli shelling in Al Hbareyye, a border village in southern Lebanon's Al Arqoub region.
Abou Hassan Daher, a resident of Al Kheyam, another border village, told The National that clashes were heard and smoke could be seen from the Israeli shelling.
“Shortly after lunch we were napping when we heard several explosions and gunfire coming from the other side of the border line," Mr Daher said.
"We stepped out to the balcony and saw thick smoke rising up near Haramoun Mountain."
Israel has carried out dozens of air strikes in Syria in recent years, aiming for what it says are Iranian weapons shipments bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The Israeli prime minister told Parliament that the government was closely following developments in the north.
“The military is prepared for every scenario,” Mr Netanyahu said.
“We operate in all the arenas for Israel’s defence, close to our borders and far from our borders.”
Tension rose along Israel’s northern frontiers with Lebanon and Syria, including the occupied Golan Heights, after last week’s attack.
"We maintain the policy that I set years ago: we will not allow Iran to establish itself on our border," Mr Netanyahu said earlier on Monday, the Jerusalem Post reported.
"Lebanon and Hezbollah will be responsible for any attack against us that comes out of Lebanon."
More on Quran memorisation:
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Company%20profile
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
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.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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