RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held talks with Lebanon’s Maronite Christian Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai here on Tuesday.
Al-Rahi earlier met with Saudi King Salman on the second day of his first visit to Saudi Arabia.
He also held talks with Saad Al-Hariri, who announced his resignation as prime minister of Lebanon from Riyadh on Nov. 4.
Al-Rahi said Hariri will return home as soon as possible and that he supports Hariri’s reasons for resigning, according to media reports.
Hariri announced his resignation in a television broadcast, saying he believed there was an assassination plot against him and accused Hezbollah of sowing strife in the Arab world.
Lebanese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Abdul Sattar Issa, said the patriarch’s visit demonstrated the important steps taken by Saudi Arabia to modernize its institutions and to reinforce perceptions of Islam as a religion of moderation.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets Lebanon’s Maronite patriarch
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets Lebanon’s Maronite patriarch
Former Israeli spy agents describe attack using exploding electronic devices against Hezbollah
- Operation started 10 years ago using walkie-talkies laden with hidden explosives, which Hezbollah did not realize it was buying from Israel
- It took two weeks to convince Hezbollah to switch to the heftier pager, in part by using false ads on YouTube promoting the devices
WASHINGTON: Two recently retired senior Israeli intelligence agents shared new details about a deadly clandestine operation years in the making that targeted Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and Syria using exploding pagers and walkie talkies three months ago.
Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war.
The agents spoke with CBS “60 Minutes” in a segment aired Sunday night. They wore masks and spoke with altered voices to hide their identities.
One agent said the operation started 10 years ago using walkie-talkies laden with hidden explosives, which Hezbollah didn’t realize it was buying from Israel, its enemy. The walkie-talkies were not detonated until September, a day after booby-trapped pagers were set off.
“We created a pretend world,” said the officer, who went by the name “Michael.”
Phase two of the plan, using the booby-trapped pagers, kicked in in 2022 after Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency learned Hezbollah had been buying pagers from a Taiwan-based company, the second officer said.
The pagers had to be made slightly larger to accommodate the explosives hidden inside. They were tested on dummies multiple times to find the right amount of explosive that would hurt only the Hezbollah fighter and not anyone else in close proximity.
Mossad also tested numerous ring tones to find one that sounded urgent enough to make someone pull the pager out of their pocket.
The second agent, who went by the name “Gabriel,” said it took two weeks to convince Hezbollah to switch to the heftier pager, in part by using false ads on YouTube promoting the devices as dustproof, waterproof, providing a long battery life and more.
He described the use of shell companies, including one based in Hungary, to dupe the Taiwanese firm, Gold Apollo, into unknowingly partnering with the Mossad.
Hezbollah also was unaware it was working with Israel.
Gabriel compared the ruse to a 1998 psychological film about a man who has no clue that he is living in a false world and his family and friends are actors paid to keep up the illusion.
“When they are buying from us, they have zero clue that they are buying from the Mossad,” Gabriel said. “We make like ‘Truman Show,’ everything is controlled by us behind the scene. In their experience, everything is normal. Everything was 100 percent kosher including businessman, marketing, engineers, showroom, everything.”
By September, Hezbollah militants had 5,000 pagers in their pockets.
Israel triggered the attack on Sept. 17, when pagers all over Lebanon started beeping. The devices would explode even if the person failed to push the buttons to read an incoming encrypted message.
The next day, Mossad activated the walkie-talkies, some of which exploded at funerals for some of the approximately 30 people who were killed in the pager attacks.
Gabriel said the goal was more about sending a message than actually killing Hezbollah fighters.
“If he just dead, so he’s dead. But if he’s wounded, you have to take him to the hospital, take care of him. You need to invest money and efforts,” he said. “And those people without hands and eyes are living proof, walking in Lebanon, of ‘don’t mess with us.’ They are walking proof of our superiority all around the Middle East.”
In the days after the attack, Israel’s air force hit targets across Lebanon, killing thousands. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was assassinated when Israel dropped bombs on his bunker.
By November, the war between Israel and Hezbollah, a byproduct of the deadly attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, ended with a ceasefire. More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas militants, health officials have said.
The agent using the name “Michael” said that the day after the pager explosions, people in Lebanon were afraid to turn on their air conditioners out of fear that they would explode, too.
“There is real fear,” he said.
Asked if that was intentional, he said, “We want them to feel vulnerable, which they are. We can’t use the pagers again because we already did that. We’ve already moved on to the next thing. And they’ll have to keep on trying to guess what the next thing is.”
Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. to sell Foxtel to Britain’s DAZN for $2.1 billion
- News Corp. will gain a board seat and hold a 6 percent stake in DAZN
- DAZN is a broadcasting partner for Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s LaLiga, Germany’s Bundesliga and France’s Ligue 1
SYDNEY: News Corp. has agreed to sell its Australian cable TV unit Foxtel to British-owned sports network DAZN for $2 billion (A$3.4 billion) including debt, cutting the Murdoch-controlled media empire’s exposure to a business up-ended by streaming platforms.
News Corp. will gain a board seat and hold a 6 percent stake in DAZN, a London-headquartered global streaming platform available in North America, Europe, and Asia and backed by Ukranian-born billionaire Len Blavatnik.
DAZN is a broadcasting partner for Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s LaLiga, Germany’s Bundesliga and France’s Ligue 1. It competes against traditional TV and satellite channels and provides access to a range of sports content, including American football, boxing and baseball over its streaming platform.
“Australians watch more sport than any other country in the world, which makes this deal an incredibly exciting opportunity for DAZN to enter a key market, marking another step in our long-term strategy to become the global home of sport,” said DAZN co-founder and CEO Shay Segev.
Foxtel, launched by News Corp. in 1995, has weighed on the media giant’s profits for years as the number of people who pay monthly subscriptions for its broadcast content switched to cheaper streaming options like Netflix.
It has tried to diversify by adding its own streaming services like Kayo, which livestreams local sports Australian Football League (AFL) and the National Rugby League (NRL), to win back sports broadcasting market share. It also shows ESPN.
However, its earnings have suffered with the cost of sports broadcasting rights soaring just as subscriber revenue has shrunk. To help offset the costs, Foxtel often shares rights with free-to-air broadcasters.
“Foxtel’s traditional premium pricing model has long been a point of contention, particularly in an era dominated by more affordable streaming alternatives,” said Paul Budde, an independent telco analyst.
“DAZN’s entry into the Australian market, potentially offering competitive or lower rates, could dramatically shift consumer expectations and reshape the pricing landscape.”
The AFL’s current seven-year deal with Foxtel-Channel Seven, which runs until 2031, is worth A$4.5 billion, while Cricket Australia will get A$1.5 billion from the same partners over the same time period.
Tennis rights, including the Australian Open Grand Slam, have been locked up until 2029 by Nine Entertainment, which has its own streaming service, Stan.
Nine is also in exclusive talks with Rugby Australia for broadcast rights beyond next year as the country prepares to host the Rugby World Cup in 2027.
NEWS CORP FOCUSES ON PUBLISHING
The valuation on Foxtel represents seven times its 2024 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), News Corp. said in a statement.
As part of the deal, shareholder loans valued at A$578 million outstanding will be repaid in full and Foxtel’s current debt will be refinanced at closing.
News Corp. chief executive Robert Thomson said the deal would allow the company to focus on its core operations of Dow Jones, digital real estate and book publishing. News owns 61.4 percent of online real estate platform REA Group and is the parent company of publisher HarperCollins.
The deal is due to be finalized in the second half of 2025 and is subject to regulatory approval, News Corp. said. Given the overseas ownership of DAZN, the transaction will need to be cleared by the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB).
Blavatnik is a dual US and British citizen and the founder of Access Industries which has an investment portfolio worth more than $35 billion, according to its website.
FIRB did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
Australian telecom Telstra has also sold its 35 percent stake in Foxtel to DAZN and will receive A$128 million in cash and a 3 percent stake in DAZN.
Run machine Saim Ayub shines as Pakistan sweep South Africa
- Left-handed opening batsman made a sparkling 101 off 94 balls in a Pakistan total of 308 for nine
- Hosts were beaten by 36 runs as match was reduced to 47 overs due to rain with adjusted target
Johannesburg: Rising star Saim Ayub hit his second century of the series — and his third in five innings — as Pakistan completed a series cleansweep over South Africa in the third one-day international at the Wanderers Stadium on Sunday.
Left-handed opening batsman Ayub made a sparkling 101 off 94 balls in a Pakistan total of 308 for nine.
Heinrich Klaasen thrashed 81 off 43 balls for South Africa — but the hosts were beaten by 36 runs chasing an adjusted target of 308. The match was reduced to 47 overs a side because of rain.
Ayub, 22, hit 113 not out in the second one-day game against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo last month and 109 in the series opener against South Africa in Paarl last week.
In between his one-day appearances he made an unbeaten 98 in the second Twenty20 international against South Africa in Centurion.
Ayub was named player of the match and player of the series.
“It’s important because we won but it is for all the team, not just me,” he said. “The senior players helped me a lot.”
In contrast to Ayub’s form, his opening partner Abdullah Shafique was out for his third successive duck after Pakistan were sent in to bat.
But Ayub was seldom troubled as he played shots all around the wicket in partnerships of 114 with Babar Azam (52) and 93 with captain Mohammad Rizwan (53).
Ayub fell to debutant Corbin Bosch, caught behind attempting an audacious flick to leg, after hitting 13 fours and two sixes.
Bosch, the son of the late Test and one-day international player Tertius Bosch, received a call-up after injuries hit South Africa’s fast bowling resources.
For the third successive match, Klaasen was the only South African to make a half-century. He kept South Africa ahead of the required run rate until he was sixth man out, caught on the square leg boundary off Shaheen Shah Afridi with the total on 194 in the 29th over.
Ayub followed up his century by taking one for 34 in 10 overs with his mixture of off-spin and carrom balls, claiming the key wicket of David Miller and producing the most economical figures by any bowler in the match.
Brief scores:
Pakistan 308-9 in 47 overs (Saim Ayub 101, Mohammad Rizwan 53, Babar Azam 52, Salman Agha 48; K. Rabada 3-56) v South Africa 271 in 42 overs (H. Klaasen 81, C. Bosch 40 not out)
Result: Pakistan won by 36 runs (DLS method)
Series: Pakistan won the three-match series 3-0
Toss: South Africa
Canada’s Trudeau losing support within his party: MPs
- Ottawa area MP Chandra Arya: Dozens of Liberal MPs want the prime minister to go
- Trudeau has huddled with advisers to contemplate his future ahead of elections set for October 2025
OTTAWA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s support within his own party appeared to falter further on Sunday, as former loyalists said growing numbers of Liberal caucus members wanted the premier to resign.
Trudeau has suffered a series of blows in recent days, spurred by the surprise resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, who clashed with her boss over incoming US president Donald Trump’s threats to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports.
Freeland’s exit, after nearly a decade at Trudeau’s side, marked the first open dissent against the prime minister from within his cabinet and has emboldened critics.
Ottawa area MP Chandra Arya told the public broadcaster CBC on Sunday that dozens of Liberal MPs wanted Trudeau to go.
Arya was interviewed a day after Liberal MPs from the province of Ontario held a meeting that addressed Trudeau’s future.
Multiple outlets, including the CBC and Toronto Star, reported that more than 50 of the 75 Ontario Liberals in parliament declared in Saturday’s meeting that they no longer supported Trudeau.
Asked about those reports, Arya said a “majority of the caucus thinks it is time for the prime minister to step aside.”
Anthony Housefather, a Liberal member of parliament from the province of Quebec, told the CBC on Sunday that “the prime minister needs to go.”
“We’re in an impossible situation if he stays,” Housefather said, arguing the party would be hammered in an election that amounted to a referendum on Trudeau’s leadership.
Trudeau has huddled with advisers to contemplate his future ahead of elections set for October 2025 but expected much sooner. He changed a third of his cabinet on Friday.
Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the small leftist New Democratic Party in parliament, declared Friday that he would join with other opposition parties to topple Trudeau’s minority government early next year.
The NDP had previously opposed a series of non-confidence votes brought by the opposition Conservatives.
A change in the party’s position would almost certainly bring down Trudeau’s government if another non-confidence vote is held.
Trudeau swept to power in 2015 and led the Liberals to two more ballot box victories in 2019 and 2021.
But he now trails his main rival, Conservative Pierre Poilievre, by 20 points in public opinion polls.
EU expresses concern over sentencing of civilians by Pakistani military court
- Pakistani military announced on Saturday the sentencing of 25 people over violent protests in May 2023 over ex-PM Khan’s arrest
- EU says Pakistan signed International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which entitles every person to ‘fair, public trial’
ISLAMABAD: The European Union (EU) on Sunday expressed concern over the sentencing of 25 Pakistani civilians by a military court in the South Asian country, saying it was “inconsistent” with Pakistan’s international obligations.
The Pakistani military announced on Saturday the sentencing of 25 people for participating in violent protests on May 9, 2023, when hundreds carrying flags of former prime minister Imran Khan’s party had attacked government and military installations.
The protests, which erupted in several Pakistani cities, followed Khan’s brief detention on corruption charges from an Islamabad court, resulting in damage to major military facilities and martyrs’ monuments in the country.
The military said it had gathered “irrefutable evidence” against those prosecuted. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has demanded a judicial investigation into the May 9, 2023 events and said Saturday’s verdicts were “against the principles of justice.”
“These verdicts are seen as inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),” Anouar El Anouni a spokesperson for EU foreign affairs and security policy, said in a statement.
“In line with article 14 of ICCPR every person is entitled to a fair and public trial in a court that is independent, impartial and competent, and has the right to adequate and effective legal representation. It also stipulates that any judgment rendered in a criminal case shall be made public.”
The statement noted that under the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), beneficiary countries, including Pakistan, had voluntarily agreed to effectively implement 27 international core conventions, including the ICCPR, in order to continue benefitting from the special trade arrangement. The preferential trade status under the GSP+ scheme grants Pakistani exports duty-free access to the European market.
The EU has previously raised concerns over extremist violence perpetrated in the name of religion in Pakistan, specifically mentioning its blasphemy laws and forced conversions, which it says have marginalized religious minorities.
The sentencing of civilians in May 2023 riots cases has also raised concerns among supporters of ex-PM Khan, who faces charges of inciting attacks against the armed forces and may potentially be tried in a military court.
Pakistan has remained gripped by political unrest and uncertainty since Khan’s ouster from power through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022, which has also exacerbated Pakistan’s economic hardships.
On Sunday, the Pakistani government formed a committee to hold talks with the opposition PTI party on a range of issues causing political polarization, Pakistani state media reported. Senior government representatives have also recently acknowledged that negotiations could offer a pathway out of the current political impasse.
