Source: The National
Security & Justice
Southern Lebanon Endures Massive Damage: 40,000 Homes Leveled Across 37 Towns
Israeli forces have systematically destroyed entire neighborhoods in southern Lebanon, leveling more than 37 towns and wiping out over 40,000 residential units, according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Gaps in Coastal Radar Enabled Israeli Raid in Batroun, Army Commander Says
Lebanon’s army chief, General Joseph Aoun, detailed to Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati how Israeli forces likely exploited gaps in the country's coastal radar system during the recent raid carried out in Batroun. The briefing comes as Lebanese officials seek answers on how Israel’s elite Shayetet 13 unit carried out the landing undetected.
Monday, November 4, 2024
Opinion
The Emptying of Baalbek Is a Moment to Take Stock
“Large numbers of people continue to flee their homes every day, as Israel’s military operations in Lebanon have been going on unabated.” These disturbing words could be from almost any news report about Israel’s invasion of its northern neighbour over the past month. However, they can be found in a report by the Norwegian Refugee Council’s Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre issued on July 27, 2006.
Saturday, November 2, 2024
A Future Without Hezbollah
At the end of September, when Israel’s campaign to destroy Hezbollah was reaching its height, I met one of the group’s supporters in a seaside café in western Beirut. He was a middle-aged man with a thin white beard and the spent look of someone who had not slept for days. He was an academic of sorts, not a fighter, but his ties to Hezbollah were deep and long-standing.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Sports
Tottenham Forward Son Heung-min Crowned Asia’s International Player of the Year
Tottenham forward Son Heung-min was crowned as Asia’s International Player of the Year for the fourth time by the Asian Football Confederation at its annual awards ceremony Tuesday.
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
Real Madrid Launch Investigation into Racist Insults After El Clasico Defeat
Real Madrid has launched an investigation into racist insults directed at players during Saturday’s 4-0 home loss to Barcelona in LaLiga, it said on Sunday.
Monday, October 28, 2024
Tuesday 21 March 2023 14:20:52
Nadal Out of Top 10 for First Time Since 2005 But Still 'the Man to Beat' at French Open
Rafael Nadal has slipped outside of the ATP top 10 rankings for the first time since 2005 but rivals insist he will still be the "man to beat" at the French Open if he is fit.
Injury prevented Nadal from defending his Indian Wells title that concluded last weekend with Spanish teenager Carlos Alcaraz lifting the title in California and returning to the top of the rankings.
Twenty-two-time Grand Slam champion Nadal sat out Indian Wells as he continues his recovery from a hip issue that prematurely ended his Australian Open title defence in the second round in January.
Unable to defend the 600 points from Indian Wells resulted in Nadal dropping four places to 13th in the rankings, ending his record 912-week stay inside the top 10, which began when current No 1 Alcaraz was not even two years old.
However, with Nadal preparing to return to action at the Monte Carlo Masters next month ahead of the French Open, which he has won a record 14 times, his time outside the top 10 might be short.
World No 4 Casper Ruud, who lost to Nadal in the Roland Garros final last year, said he would not be shocked to see the 36-year-old lift the trophy once again.
"It wouldn't surprise me because he'll probably use these weeks and these months, as he's preparing for exactly Roland Garros," Ruud told Eurosport as part of the Ruud Talk series.
"It doesn't matter if he loses in Monte Carlo or Rome or Madrid. The only thing that's probably on his mind these days is just to be fit, be healthy and be ready for Roland Garros."
Novak Djokovic succeeded Nadal as Australian Open champion and also drew level with his great rival on 22 majors.
The Serb, who turns 36 in May, has shown few signs of slowing down but also missed Indian Wells after he was denied entry into the US because of his Covid-19 vaccination status.
A two-time champion at Roland Garros, Djokovic will be looking to move out on his own as the most successful men's Grand Slam champion in history when the action gets underway in Paris at the end of May.
But for former US Open champion Dominic Thiem, even a Djokovic firing on all cylinders would be an underdog against Nadal on the red clay of Roland Garros.
"For the whole tennis world it would be nice to see one last showdown at Roland Garros," Thiem said, adding that Djokovic would be favourite to win the remaining Grand Slams this year.
"The only tournament is Roland Garros: if Rafa is fit there, it's exactly the opposite. He's the man to beat when he won the tournament 14 times, it's crazy."
