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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
Syria's Druze: Caught between old loyalties and new threats
In HTS-governed Syria, the Druze community faces an uncertain future – caught between Salafi extremist rule, Israeli overtures, and their historical fight for self-preservation. Whether they secure autonomy or become geopolitical pawns, their next move will impact the region.
By Musa Ozugurlu
Israeli settlers vandalize Palestinian-owned property on the outskirts of Bruqin in the occupied West Bank.
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❗️Member of the Israeli Knesset and Otzma Yehudit party leader Itamar Ben Gvir:
○ "The government should order the bombing of aid stocks that accumulated in Gaza in huge quantities during and before the ceasefire, along with a complete shutdown of electricity and water."
○ "We must starve the Hamas terrorists before returning to fighting, so that we can later crush them easily."
○ "If Hamas threatens to harm our hostages, it should know that it will be met with the execution of terrorists."
Syrian government forces deploy south of Damascus to ‘end chaos’ in Druze villages
Clashes recently erupted between Syrian security forces and Druze militias in the city of Jaramana, resulting in casualties on both sides
❗️Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich:
"We have decided to stop the entry of aid to Gaza, and our next steps will be to cut off electricity and water and return to fighting."
❗️Israeli tanks invade Jenin Camp, occupied West Bank.
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❗️Hamas leader Osama Hamdan:
○ "Despite the ceasefire agreement, the occupation and Netanyahu seek to resume aggression against our people; there are blatant attempts by the occupation to evade the agreement."
○ "We remain committed to moving forward with the agreement and its second phase and hold the occupation fully responsible for violating it."
○ "The occupation's violations of the ceasefire agreement have not stopped since the very first moment."
○ "The occupation violated the agreement by not allowing the entry of 50 fuel trucks per day."
○ "The occupation has only allowed the entry of 15 mobile homes out of the agreed 65,000."
○ "The occupation has blocked the entry of construction and finishing materials needed to rebuild hospitals."
○ "The occupation has prevented the entry of civil defense equipment and the operation of the power plant."
○ "The occupation’s machinery has continued advancing and invading on a daily basis."
○ "210 violations by occupation aircraft have been recorded."
○ "116 martyrs during the first phase of the ceasefire agreement."
○ "The occupation has refused to reduce its troop presence along the Salah al-Din axis."
❗️Safa correspondent:
A child was injured by Israeli occupation forces' bullets east of Al-Qarara town in Khan Yunis city, south of the Gaza Strip.
⭕️ Netanyahu thanks Trump for reviving US arms flow to Israel for fight against Iran's 'terror axis'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump for resuming previously withheld munitions, saying the support would help "finish the job against Iran’s terror axis."
Calling Trump "the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House," Netanyahu underscored the renewed US military backing for Israel’s fight against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Yemen's Ansarallah.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the reversal of Biden-era arms restrictions, signing off on $4 billion in military aid to Israel.
(AFP)
❗️Footage of the latest stabbing operation that took place at the entrance to the Lev HaMifratz Mall in Haifa, Upper Galilee.
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❗️Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education:
○ "More than 12,467 students have been martyred in Gaza, while 20,311 others have been injured. In the West Bank, 91 students were martyred, 563 were injured, and 313 were detained."
○ "In Gaza, 569 educational staff were martyred, and 2,703 were injured. In the West Bank, 3 educators were martyred, 18 were injured, and more than 157 were arrested."
○ "A total of 111 schools have been completely destroyed, 241 suffered severe damage, and 85 were partially damaged. Additionally, 89 UNRWA schools were vandalized, along with 117 schools in the West Bank."
○ "In Gaza, 51 university buildings were completely destroyed, while 57 were partially damaged. Meanwhile, the occupation forces have repeatedly raided 7 universities in the West Bank."
❗️Israeli forces renew fire on the vicinity of Palestinian homes in the Shujaiya neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
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⭕️ Turkiye has stepped in to support the rehabilitation of Damascus International Airport, focusing on navigation security and technical enhancements. Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Oraloglu announced that Türkiye has installed two new wireless transmission and reception systems to improve flight safety. Since February, Turkish teams have been working on maintaining and upgrading security-related systems, transporting 113 vehicles, devices, and systems via six trucks to enhance aviation safety across Damascus Airport and Syrian airspace. Oraloglu emphasized that security is a top priority, noting that Turkiye has provided X-ray machines and explosive trace detectors to boost airport security. Turkish engineers are also repairing infrastructure and reviewing existing systems, while new rescue and firefighting technologies have reinforced fire safety capabilities.
(Anadolu Agency)
❗️Clashes erupt after Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Beit Ummar, north of Hebron, occupied West Bank.
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❗️According to Israeli sources, the perpetrator of the Haifa operation is the young man Yitro Shahin, (20 years old) from the city of Shefa-Amr in the 1948 territories. He is from the Druze sect and holds German citizenship.
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Palestinian detainee tortured to death in Israel's Megiddo prison
Palestinian detainees face daily abuse, including torture, starvation, medical neglect, and sexual violence
Hamas slams Israel's 'blatant attempt' to collapse Gaza ceasefire, reaffirms commitment to phase two talks
Israeli forces have killed 116 Palestinians in the strip during the period of the ceasefire agreement
❗️Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
○ “Our enemies will not be able to defeat us.”
○ “We are preparing for the next stage of the Renaissance War and we will not stop before achieving all the goals of the war.”
○ “We will return all our kidnapped soldiers and eliminate Hamas' military and governmental capabilities.”
Knesset guards prevent a group of Israelis from attending a special session during which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will respond to lawmakers’ demands for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the security failures of 7 October.
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❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
○ "9 martyrs (4 recovered martyrs, 5 new martyrs) and 21 injuries arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals during the past 48 hours."
○ "There are still a number of victims under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them."
○ "The death toll from the Israeli aggression has risen to 48,397 martyrs and 111,824 injuries since 7 October 2023."
❗️Al Mayadeen correspondent in south Lebanon:
"An Israeli military bulldozer accompanied by Merkava tanks is leveling land on the eastern outskirts of the town of Blida."
❗️Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji arrive at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and are received by the Deputy Emir of Riyadh, Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz.
President Aoun is looking forward to meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman later this evening, saying that the talks "will pave the way for another visit during which agreements will be signed that will enhance cooperation between the two brotherly countries."
❗️An Israeli drone blasts propaganda through its speakers over the towns of Al-Manaoui and Majdal Zoun, south Lebanon.
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Sharaa forms committee to ‘regulate transitional phase’ in Syria
Post-Assad Syria faces a wide array of challenges, including sectarian violence, Israeli occupation, and a severe economic crisis
❗️Palestinian prisoner Khaled Abdallah, from Jenin Camp, occupied West Bank, has been murdered by Israel in Megiddo prison at the age of 40. He has been held under administrative detention (imprisonment without a trial or committing an offense) since 11 September, 2023.
With the death of Khaled, the number of Palestinians killed in Israeli prisons has risen to at least 61, with at least 40 from Gaza. He is the third Palestinian prisoner to be announced dead the past week.
The Palestinian Prisoners' Institutions stated that this currently the bloodiest phase the prisoners had to face since 1967.
❗️Media Committee in Tulkarem Camp:
○ "Israeli occupation forces continue their raids on Tulkarem city and its two refugee camps, with the siege on Tulkarem Camp now in its 36th day and on Nour Shams Camp in its 23rd day."
○ "Over the past two days, Israeli forces have demolished 25 residential apartments between Abu Bakr al-Siddiq and Al-Manshiyya neighborhoods in Nour Shams Camp. Demolitions, arson, and forced evacuations continue, with families in the area behind the school district being ordered to leave their homes."
○ "The number of displaced residents from Nour Shams Camp has risen to 9,000 out of a total population of 13,500, as entire neighborhoods are being forced to evacuate at gunpoint."
○ "Israeli forces are stationed along Nablus Street between Tulkarem and Nour Shams camps, turning homes into military outposts and sniper positions while bringing in bulldozers and military reinforcements amid intense gunfire and explosions."
○ "Raids continue in Tulkarem Camp, particularly in the Abu Al-Foul and Al-Matar neighborhoods, with heavy gunfire and explosions being used to terrorize the residents."
○ "Urgent appeals from trapped residents for food, water, and medicine as Israeli forces prevent aid teams from delivering essential supplies."
⭕️ Lebanese Minister of Public Works and Transport, Fayez Rasamny, discussed in an interview with Al-Hurra today that there are plans to establish a second airport in the country.
Rasamny emphasized that the project is part of the government’s plans, coordinated with the Presidency and the Prime Minister. He stated that relevant authorities have already begun conducting necessary feasibility studies for its implementation.
Multiple casualties in stabbing operation at Haifa bus station
The operation comes as Israel has escalated violence in the occupied West Bank and is obstructing a fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip
❗️Lebanese government sources have confirmed that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will meet with self-appointed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa during the Arab Summit in Cairo to discuss key bilateral issues. The meeting, requested by Aoun, will focus on Syrian refugees, border security, and smuggling through illegal crossings. Sources indicate that the talks will serve as a roadmap for future governmental negotiations under regional sponsorship, particularly concerning the dissolution of the Lebanese-Syrian Supreme Council and outdated bilateral treaties, which were previously in the interest of the former Syrian government. The summit, scheduled for 4 March, was called to address developments in the Palestinian issue, with Sharaa having received an invitation from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi last month.
(Syria TV)
❗️Since this morning, Israel continues to demolish the farm of Palestinian Ziad Mustafa in the town of Issawiya in occupied Jerusalem.
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