Israel army chief tells troops to be ready for possible Lebanon entry

Smoke billows over southern Lebanon following an Israeli strike, as seen from Tyre, Lebanon September 25, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 25 September 2024
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Israel army chief tells troops to be ready for possible Lebanon entry

  • “You can hear the planes here; we are attacking all day, both to prepare the ground for the possibility of your entry, but also to continue striking Hezbollah,” Halevi said

JERUSALEM: Israel’s army chief told troops on Wednesday to be prepared for possible entry into Lebanon as Israeli fighter jets bombarded Hezbollah targets across the border.
“You can hear the planes here; we are attacking all day, both to prepare the ground for the possibility of your entry, but also to continue striking Hezbollah,” Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi told a tank brigade, according to a statement issued by the military.
“We are not stopping. We will keep attacking and harming them everywhere,” Halevi said.
“To do this, we are preparing for the course of the maneuver, and the sense is that your military boots, your maneuver boots, will enter enemy territory,” Halevi said.
“Your entry there with force... will show (Hezbollah) what it is like to meet a professional combat force,” he said.
“You are coming in much stronger than them, much more experienced than them; go in, destroy the enemy there, and go destroy the infrastructure,” Halevi said.
“These are the things that will allow us to safely repatriate the residents of the north later.”


World Government Summit 2026 set to be largest ever

Updated 16 January 2026
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World Government Summit 2026 set to be largest ever

  • 35 world leaders confirmed, says WGS’ Mohammad Al-Gergawi
  • ‘Because the challenges of the future cannot be tackled alone’

DUBAI: This year’s World Government Summit will be the largest in the event’s history, said Mohammad Al-Gergawi, the WGS foundation’s chairman, on Friday.

Speaking at an event at the Museum of the Future, Al-Gergawi said 35 heads of state and government officials have confirmed their attendance, including Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, and Switzerland’s President Guy Parmelin.

The WGS is an annual event held in Dubai which explores governance, and focuses on harnessing innovation and technology to solve universal challenges facing humanity.

Al-Gergawi said 24 side events would take place during the summit including forums on artificial intelligence, education, and sustainability.

Over 35 ministerial meetings are on the program including the Ministerial Roundtable with Arab Youth Ministers, Future of Tourism Roundtable, and Sustainable Development Goals Global Council Launch.

Al-Gergawi said four honors would be awarded during the summit, for best minister, most reformed government, sustainability, and best teacher.

He added that the world’s largest global gathering of Nobel laureates would take place during the summit.

“The World Laureate Summit aims to host a platform for laureates to present scientific solutions for problems governments are facing and will invite 50 laureates from various disciplines,” he explained.

Al-Gergawi said the WGS aims to play a key role in boosting collaboration between the private and public sectors.

“The success of the summit depends on the presence of governments, international organizations and the sector that shapes the future, the private sector,” he said.

“The success of the summit is directly linked to partnerships. Each partnership and initiative launched contributes to overcoming challenges in the future,” he added.

“The World Government Summit gathers everyone because the challenges of the future cannot be tackled alone,” Al-Gergawi said.

The summit takes place at Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah from Feb. 3 to 5.