The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
Yemen targets USS Harry Truman twice in 24 hours
Sanaa has vowed that US aircraft carriers and military vessels will be targeted for as long as Washington continues to attack Yemen
❗️Hamas Spokesman Hazem Qassem
○ "What is required is to enter into the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, not to establish new, side agreements."
○ "Implementing the ceasefire agreement in its various stages ensures the achievement of the objectives, while the language of threats complicates matters."
○ "The release of prisoners will be achieved through the implementation of what was previously agreed upon and signed by all parties."
UPDATE | Lebanese Health Ministry:
"One killed in an initial toll of the Israeli strike on Yuhmor al-Shaqif, southern Lebanon."
⭕️ Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated that it will respond to the letter from US President Donald Trump regarding negotiations with Iran after carefully reviewing it, according to spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei.
On 7 March, Trump revealed that he had written to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, just a month after reinstating his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. Despite this, he expressed openness to negotiations with the Islamic Republic.
Baqaei noted that the US has multiple ways to demonstrate its sincerity in engaging with Iran but instead sends mixed signals by imposing sanctions on Iran’s trade and manufacturing sectors while simultaneously proposing talks.
He further emphasized that the US has a poor track record of honoring its commitments and often exploits negotiations as a political and propaganda tool rather than a genuine effort to resolve differences.
HTS-led Syrian forces clash with Lebanese army on border
The Syrian army pounded Lebanese border villages with heavy artillery attacks and rocket fire
⭕️ Director of the Government Media Office in Gaza, Ismail al-Thawabta:
○ "For the 16th consecutive day, the Israeli occupation has imposed a suffocating siege on the Gaza Strip by shutting down all border crossings since the start of the holy month of Ramadan."
○ "More than 10,000 aid trucks have been blocked from entering Gaza, as part of a systematic policy of starvation against the Palestinian people."
○ "The occupation has also denied entry to 850 fuel and cooking gas trucks, leading to a complete paralysis of the transportation sector, the closure of bakeries, and a total halt to humanitarian operations."
○ "This deadly blockade is a slow genocide against more than 2.4 million Palestinians in Gaza."
○ "We call on international mediators and the global community to take urgent action to immediately stop this crime."
❗️Yemeni Ministry of Health:
"The number of victims of the American aggression has risen to 151 martyrs and wounded, including women and children."
❗️Government Media Office in Gaza:
○ "The occupation has prevented the entry of more than 10,000 aid trucks into the Strip in a systematic starvation crime against our Palestinian people."
○ "The occupation also refused to allow the entry of 850 fuel and cooking gas trucks, leading to a paralysis of transportation, the closure of bakeries, and the complete disruption of humanitarian work."
BREAKING | Initial reports of a large explosion in Damascus, Syria.
Читать полностью…❗️Jenin Municipality Director, Mamdouh Assaf:
○ "Jenin has been under full occupation for 56 days, and 3,200 homes have been evacuated.“
○ "100% of the Jenin Refugee Camp has been leveled, and 85% of the streets in Jenin have been destroyed.”
○ "Life is completely disrupted in Jenin, and we have around 8,000 commercial establishments completely closed.”
○ "Entire neighborhoods surrounding Jenin Camp have had their residents displaced.”
❗️Local sources in south Lebanon report that an Israeli mechanized force breached the Lebanese town of Aita al-Shaab.
Читать полностью…BREAKING | Hebrew media reports that an explosion was heard in Tel Aviv.
Читать полностью…UPDATE | Sanaa Health Ministry:
"The US aggression death toll rises to 53, including 5 children, with 98 injured, among them women and children."
❗️Al-Mayadeen's correspondent in the Bekaa Valley: Rockets fired by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in the Qusayr countryside in Syria fell on the border town of al-Qasr.
— Artillery shelling targeting the Lebanese border town of Al-Qasr originated in the Qusayr countryside.
❗️The Lebanese army, through the Lebanese Red Cross, handed over to the HTS-led Syrian authorities at the Jossie border crossing with Syria, the bodies of three of their fighters who were found near the town of al-Qasr this afternoon.
(LBCI)
❗️The Commission of Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs:
"We warn of the spread of a dangerous virus in Section 3 of "Megiddo" Prison. For about 10 days, 90% of the detainees have been suffering from diarrhea and vomiting, with some losing consciousness and fainting due to the severity of the illness, especially the elderly. Meanwhile, the Israeli prison administration is deliberately neglecting them medically without providing any treatment."
❗️Israeli army on its latest attack on south Lebanon:
"A short while ago, two Hezbollah terrorists who served as observation operatives and directed terrorist activities were struck by the IDF in the area of Yuhmor in southern Lebanon."
❗️Local Palestinian sources report that the Israeli occupation army distributed notices to demolish homes and prevent the cultivation of lands after storming the town of Jalbun, east of Jenin, in the West Bank.
Читать полностью…❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
○ "5 martyrs (3 recovered martyrs, 1 new martyr, and 1 martyr succumbed to his wounds) and 9 injuries arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals during the past 24 hours."
○ "A number of victims are still under the rubble and on the streets, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them."
○ "The death toll from the Israeli aggression has risen to 48,577 martyrs and 112,041 injuries since 7 October 2023."
BREAKING | Israeli drone targets a van in the southern Lebanese village of Yahmar al-Shaqif.
Читать полностью…❗️Gaza Ministry of Transport and Communications Spokesman, Anis Arafat:
○ "The transportation sector has suffered more than 60% damage due to the Israeli war on Gaza."
○ "Specialized committees continue their work in assessing the damages, and no official statistics are available yet."
○ "Any vehicle damaged by the war must be registered through the link provided by the ministry."
○ "Committees will be formed to follow up on the damages once the situation stabilizes, and field visits will be conducted to inspect the affected vehicles."
○ "Licensed vehicle owners (cars, tuk-tuks, motorcycles) can register via the designated link."
○ "Unlicensed vehicles must be registered through a special committee at the ministry’s headquarters, where the committee will inspect these small vehicles."
○ "The Ministry of Interior and investigative authorities will be consulted to confirm the existence of missing vehicles that were bombed and document their destruction."
○ "We urge owners of damaged vehicles to register through the link, whether the damage is partial or total, and to attach photos of the vehicle."
❗️Lebanese Army Statement:
"On March 16, 2025, after two Syrians were killed and another injured on the Lebanese-Syrian border near the Qasr-Hermel area, the wounded man was transferred to a hospital for treatment but died shortly thereafter.
Following this, the army implemented exceptional security measures and conducted intensive communications from the night of March 16-17, 2025, until the early hours of the morning. As a result, the three bodies were handed over to the Syrian side.
Meanwhile, Lebanese villages and towns in the region were subjected to shelling from Syrian territory. Military units responded to the sources of fire with appropriate weapons, reinforced their deployment, and maintained security.
Contacts continue between the army command and the Syrian authorities to maintain security and stability in the border area."
🇾🇪 Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) announced at dawn its second operation against the US Within 24 hours, where it targeted the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea with 18 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. Military spokesman Yahya Saree also stated that the YAF thwarted an enemy attack, forcing hostile warplanes to retreat after striking multiple US naval assets.
The statement reaffirmed their commitment to escalation if attacks continue, praised public support, and vowed to maintain a blockade on Israeli ships until the Gaza blockade is lifted.
A video shows Israeli soldiers detaining and mistreating a Palestinian child in the Wadi al-Saman area of Al-Khalil (Hebron) in the occupied West Bank.
Читать полностью…BREAKING | US warplanes targeted the Yemeni government complex in Al-Hazm District, Al-Jawf Governorate.
Читать полностью…❗️Al-Mayadeen correspondent: The Lebanese Bekaa Valley has been under continuous shelling for three hours with rockets and shells coming from Syrian territory.
Читать полностью…WATCH | The moment the Syrian HTS-led government forces launched rockets towards the Lebanese town of Al-Qasr.
Читать полностью…❗️BREAKING | US warplanes strike the command tower of the detained Israeli ship Galaxy Leader off Yemen’s coast.
Читать полностью…Pakistan's pivot to Moscow
With the US applying punishing pressure on its traditional allies in Islamabad and working overtime to cultivate full-spectrum relations with Moscow's old allies in New Delhi, Pakistan is slowly embracing the Russian — and Chinese — vision of West and South Asian integration.
By F.M. Shakil
Hamas has rebuilt forces to over 25,000 fighters: Israeli lawmakers
The Knesset members have called for an urgent committee hearing with the participation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and War Minister Israel Katz, stressing Israel's failure to meet its war goals and return Israeli captives from Gaza