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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
Iran, Russia, China reject ‘unlawful’ US sanctions after tripartite meeting
The meeting was aimed at discussing stalled US–Iranian nuclear talks, which Tehran refuses to engage in under threats and sanctions
A video captured earlier today shows Palestinian Authority security forces torturing a young man after surrounding a house in the village of Sanur, located southeast of Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
This incident took place while Israeli forces carried out home demolitions in Jenin—an act widely condemned as a war crime under international law.
⭕️ According to Syria’s state security, Israeli airstrikes targeted an abandoned office in Damascus today, contradicting the Israeli military’s assertion that it struck a Palestinian Islamic Jihad command center. Islamic Jihad spokesperson Mohammad Al-Haj Mousa stated that the attack hit an empty residential building, not a military facility. Syrian security chief Abdul Rahman Al-Dabag reported to SANA that the strikes injured three civilians, including an elderly woman in critical condition.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his government’s commitment to continuing such attacks against those who threaten Israel, stating that this policy extends to Syria, Lebanon, and other regions.
Hamas welcomes UN report on Israel's genocidal acts as Tel Aviv decries 'blood libel'
A commission of inquiry determined Israel committed 'genocidal acts' in Gaza and that the army uses sexual assault as part of its standard operating procedure toward Palestinians
A group of Jewish Americans held a sit-in in the lobby of Trump Tower, demanding the release of Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil, who was taken into custody by ICE.
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❗️Local sources report that Israeli forces arrested four Palestinian children during their raid on the town of Beit Furik, east of Nablus, in the occupied West Bank.
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Gabbard withdraws war critic from top intel job following 'smear campaign' by pro-Israel groups
The intel chief's deputy choice was a retired officer who referred to US support for Israel in Gaza as a 'moral and strategic mistake' and described war threats against Iran as 'reckless'
Israeli forces detained and blindfolded several Palestinians from the village of Farkha, located southwest of Salfit in the occupied West Bank.
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❗️Director of the information and press department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova:
○ “Russian airbase in Hmeimim has sheltered around 9,000 Syrian civilians, mostly women and children, fleeing violence in coastal areas."
○ “Russia is deeply shocked by the tragic events in Syria and strongly condemns civilian massacres, calling for accountability."
○ “The Russian military provided refuge to thousands seeking safety, recognizing the situation as a matter of life and death."
○ “Moscow acknowledges the Syrian authorities' responsibility to protect all citizens, regardless of religious affiliation, and is closely monitoring their efforts to restore security."
○ “Syria's leadership reaffirmed its commitment to national unity and launched an investigation to hold perpetrators accountable."
Qatar to 'revitalize' Syria's energy sector in US-backed initiative
The plan comes as Syria faces a severe economic crisis and will involve delivering gas into the country via Jordanian territory
⭕️ Adam Boehler, the President's envoy for hostage negotiations, has been removed by the Trump administration from handling the Gaza hostage situation. This decision follows Boehler's remarks during a CNN interview, where he referred to Hamas as "pretty nice guys," sparking criticism from Israeli officials and Republican Party members.
Boehler later clarified his stance on Twitter, emphasizing that Hamas is a "terrorist organization" responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people.
(Israel National News, Channel 7)
❗️Israeli warplanes flew over the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, creating a figure in the sky.
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❗️Spiritual leader of the Druze community in Syria, Hikmat al-Hijri:
○ “There is no agreement or harmony with the authorities in Damascus."
○ “We work for the benefit of our sect."
○ “We are at a stage of either existing or not existing."
○ “We will move in a direction that is suitable for the sect."
⭕️ Chinese company Tianjin Dredging Company (TDC) is actively dredging the quay wall, port basin, and navigation channel at Iraq's Grand Faw Port. This port serves as the starting point for Iraq's ambitious $17 billion Development Road project.
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Israel strikes Damascus, vows further attacks on ‘terror targets everywhere’
The attack on an alleged PIJ site in the Syrian capital follows a recent string of heavy Israeli airstrikes on the country’s south
BREAKING | Gaza Government Media Office:
"Gaza enters the 13th day of the Zionist-Nazi occupation’s crime of blocking aid and tightening the siege by closing crossings. The humanitarian consequences of this crime are now evident, with clear signs of famine and food insecurity. The key indicators of this worsening crisis include:
○ Severe food insecurity, with 80% of citizens having lost access to food sources due to the shutdown of charity kitchens and the suspension of aid distributions by relief organizations. Markets have been emptied of essential supplies.
○ Bread shortages, as 25% of bakeries in Gaza have shut down, with more expected to close soon due to fuel depletion.
○ A severe water crisis, with an acute shortage of household and drinking water due to fuel restrictions preventing the operation of wells and desalination plants. Now, 90% of Gaza’s population lacks a reliable water source, forcing municipalities to ration well operations to stretch fuel supplies as long as possible.
○ Municipal services collapse, with most street-clearing and debris-removal programs halted to conserve fuel for water wells. This has led to worsening sanitary and environmental conditions, which will have catastrophic consequences, especially as temperatures rise.
○ A return to using firewood for cooking, leading to severe health and environmental risks, including a rise in respiratory diseases.
○ Deteriorating shelter conditions, with shortages of tents for displaced people and a slowdown in setting up new emergency shelters due to a lack of necessary materials.
○ A worsening health crisis, affecting around 150,000 chronic patients and wounded individuals who lack access to medicine and medical supplies.
○ A near-total shutdown of transportation, making it difficult for citizens to move, including patients and the wounded trying to reach hospitals and medical centers.
These indicators reflect the dire reality faced by more than 2.4 million people in Gaza, where the Zionist-Nazi occupation is systematically killing them slowly by tightening the siege and depriving them of all necessities of life, effectively turning Gaza into a giant prison.
We warn that the coming hours will bring further humanitarian catastrophe in terms of living conditions, healthcare, and the environment. Famine is taking hold, food and water insecurity is worsening, and essential services and the healthcare system are on the verge of complete collapse.
We hold the leaders of the occupation responsible for this crime and all its consequences, especially Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has been charged with crimes against humanity and is wanted by the International Criminal Court. He boasts about these crimes, devoid of any human values or morals, while blatantly violating international humanitarian law.
We urge Arab and Islamic nations to implement their decisions to break the siege on Gaza, pressure for the opening of the Rafah crossing, and ensure the entry of humanitarian aid and essential supplies.
We call on the international community not to submit to the occupation’s will and to reject this crime. Concrete actions must be taken to break the siege, hold Israeli war criminals accountable, and ensure they do not escape punishment—especially in light of the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry’s findings, which confirm that Israel and its leaders have committed a long series of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza."
❗️Israeli forces forcibly removed worshippers from Al-Aqsa Mosque after Tarawih prayers, barring them from observing Itikaf on the second Friday night of Ramadan.
This is the second consecutive Friday during Ramadan that Itikaf has been prohibited, following a similar ban on the first Friday of the month—the first such restriction since 2014. Itikaf was also banned at Al-Aqsa in 2020, with authorities citing the COVID-19 pandemic as the justification.
Israeli forces disrupted a children's entertainment event in the town of Issawiya in occupied East Jerusalem.
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BREAKING | 3 Israeli raids on the eastern mountain range targeted on the Janta outskirts in the Bekaa, eastern Lebanon.
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US envoy ‘sidelined’ by Trump after CNN interview on direct US–Hamas talks: Report
Israeli officials lambasted the envoy, who was negotiating to release US-Israeli captives after he called Hamas officials ‘nice guys’ in an interview
Egypt’s Gaza Plan impeded by Arab pettiness
Cairo’s bid to rally regional support for Gaza’s reconstruction – and scuttle Trump's Riviera delusion – hit roadblocks as Saudi and Emirati leaders hesitated, Algeria distanced itself, and Washington engaged Hamas directly.
WATCH | "We hated [Gaddafi] because of Al Jazeera ... everything is a lie."
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❗️The Media Committee in Jenin Camp, occupied West Bank:
○ “The Israeli occupation’s aggression continues on Jenin and its camp for the 51st consecutive day, with widespread destruction and arrests."
○ “The Israeli occupation forces continue their escalating aggression on Jenin and its camp for the 51st consecutive day, amidst destruction and bulldozing operations in Qabatia, incursions in Arraba, and widespread arrests throughout Jenin."
○ “Early this morning, the occupation forces destroyed the infrastructure in Qabatia town, south of Jenin, affecting the town’s streets up to the Jerusalem roundabout, the café street, and the main water supply line to the town, in addition to bulldozing several vendors’ stalls."
○ “The occupation sent military reinforcements to Qabatia town, raided the homes of several citizens, and searched them, amidst clashes."
○ “The town of Arraba, southwest of Jenin, witnessed a large-scale incursion by the occupation forces, during which they carried out mass arrests and field interrogations. The arrests also affected dozens of young men across all areas of Jenin."
○ “Simultaneously with the Israeli aggression, the Palestinian Authority's security forces besieged a house in the town of Sila al-Dahr in Jenin, pursued a group of resistance fighters, and arrested two of them."
○ “On the 12th day of the blessed month of Ramadan, about 20,000 displaced people from Jenin Camp are sheltering in temporary centers or outside their homes in difficult humanitarian conditions."
○ “Since the beginning of the ongoing aggression on Jenin and its camp 51 days ago, 36 citizens have been martyred, two of whom were killed by the Palestinian Authority’s security forces."
❗️Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X:
"The anti-Israel circus known as the UN 'Human Rights Council' has long been revealed as an antisemitic, rotten and irrelevant organization that supports terrorism. For good reason Israel decided to quit it approximately one month ago.
Instead of focusing on the crimes against humanity and the war crimes that were perpetrated by the Hamas terrorist organization in the worst massacre carried out against the Jewish People since the Holocaust.
The UN has again chosen to attack the State of Israel with false accusations, including baseless accusations of sexual violence.
This is not a human rights council; it is a blood rights council."
❗️Hamas:
○ “The UN investigation committee's report confirms the atrocity of the crime that the occupying government continues to commit."
○ “The report also highlights the international community's disregard and denial of the crimes against our people, which requires a serious international stance."
❗️Al Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib in south Lebanon:
○ “Israeli occupation soldiers fired bursts of machine gunfire from Al-Asi position opposite to Mays al-Jabal towards the outskirts of the town near the border."
○ “Enemy forces fired bursts of machine gunfire from their position on the Hamames Hill towards the orchards of Al-Wazzani, adjacent to the Lebanese Army checkpoint."
❗️The Chargé d'Affaires of the Qatari embassy in Syria, Khalifa Abdullah al-Mahmoud al-Sharif:
"A proposal to provide approved natural gas supplies to Syria via Jordanian territory for a specific period, with the goal of contributing to generating electrical power starting from 400 megawatts and gradually increasing, presented by the Qatar Fund for Development."
❗️Israeli occupation forces arrest a young Palestinian man during a raid on Al-Fawwar camp, south of Hebron, occupied West Bank.
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⭕️ Turkish sources inform The Cradle that the accounts of prominent journalists and influencers speaking up about the targeted massacres of Alawites and other minorities on Syria's coast—perpetrated by Turkish-backed, HTS-led Syrian government forces—are being censored in Turkiye. Several accounts have been "withheld" based on local laws, following legal demands.
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