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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
US, Israel led record-breaking surge in military spending in 2024
Israel boosted its military spending by 65 percent, reaching 8.8 percent of its GDP, to finance its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza
⭕️ A UN panel overseeing sanctions on Sudan is probing how mortar rounds originally exported from Bulgaria to the United Arab Emirates ended up in the hands of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters.
The mortar rounds, seized in November in Sudan’s North Darfur region, had serial numbers matching those that Bulgaria reported exporting to the UAE in 2019.
Bulgaria’s foreign affairs ministry informed Reuters that it had not received any request for permission to re-export the munitions to another country.
"We adamantly declare that the Bulgarian competent authority has not issued an export license for defense-related products to Sudan," the ministry stated.
⭕️ French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the UN Security Council that France will reimpose UN sanctions on Iran if the nuclear talks fail to reach an agreement.
"It goes without saying that when the Iranian nuclear deal expires in a few weeks, if European security interests are not guaranteed, we will not hesitate for a single second to reapply all the sanctions that were lifted 10 years ago."
❗️BREAKING | US warplanes launch two airstrikes east of the capital, Sanaa, Yemen.
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BREAKING | US warplanes bomb Al-Mahader in the Sahar district of Saada Governorate, Yemen.
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❗️US Navy announces that the USS Truman aircraft carrier, currently deployed in the Red Sea, lost an F-18 fighter jet.
"The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft," it said.
The Navy also reports that one sailor was injured as a result of the incident.
UK firm supplies engines for Israel's fleet of 'killer drones'
British arms manufacturers are exploiting legal loopholes to continue support for Israel's genocide of Palestinians in Gaza
❗️Highlights from Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem's latest speech (1/2):
– "The first priority is to stop the Israeli aggression, ensure the withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and secure the release of captives."
– "The second priority is reconstruction, and the government has been severely delayed in reconstruction — this is our duty."
– "It is the state's right to assert its authority, but it is also its duty to protect the citizens. The state cannot take everything without doing anything. I tell them: 'Empower yourselves by intensifying your communications.'"
– "Some officials tell envoys that they are ready to restrict weapons while the other side has not fulfilled its obligations."
– "America has interests in Lebanon, and it must understand that its interests cannot be realized without Lebanon’s stability."
– "Israel seeks to dominate Lebanon, establish settlements, impose resettlement, and weaken the country — and so does America.
India–Pakistan standoff: Who is fanning nuclear flames?
Amid escalating tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan, a deadly attack by unknown forces in Kashmir has sparked a dangerous chain of events, drawing in global powers and pushing the region closer to the brink of war – raising questions about who stands to gain from the conflict.
By F.M. Shakil
Saudi Arabia, Qatar pledge $15m to eliminate Syria's World Bank debt
The new Syrian government is seeking to open the country to international lenders and impose austerity measures such as slashing subsidies and mass public sector layoffs
UPDATE | The death toll from the Shahid Rajaee Port explosion in south Iran's Bandar Abbas has risen to at least 65 according to Iranian state media.
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❗️Soldiers from Israel's Givati Brigade filmed themselves throwing grenades at tents set up in the courtyard of a UN school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza.
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⭕️ ICJ hearings on Israel’s humanitarian obligations to Gaza commence
Speaking at the start of public hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Monday, Palestine’s legal representative Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC described Israel’s actions in Gaza as "not just murderous and inhumane, they are genocidal," warning of a "real and imminent risk of irreparable prejudice" to Palestinians.
UN legal counsel Elinor Hammarskjöld said Israel’s obligations include allowing all UN entities to operate for the benefit of the population, while Palestinian official Ammar Hijazi said Israel is using humanitarian aid as "a weapon of war," and that "starvation is here."
Over 40 countries and several international organizations, including the UN, Arab League, and OIC, are participating in the hearings; Israel declined to present oral arguments but submitted a written statement.
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar attacked the ICJ on Monday, calling it "a rotten, anti-Israel, and anti-Semitic body" and denouncing the proceedings as "another shameful" case against Israel.
⭕️ Official says Israel won't accept five-year truce plan with Hamas
An Israeli official tells the Times of Israel that there is "no chance" Israel will accept the five-year truce plan currently being discussed by Arab mediators, saying such a deal would only allow Hamas to "rearm, recover and to continue its war against Israel."
BREAKING | Yemeni Armed Forces announces that it targeted the USS Truman in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, forcing it to retreat northward, and a vital Israeli target in Ashkelon.
The attacks come in response to US airstrikes that killed and wounded dozens of civilians, including African migrants, in Yemen's capital Sanaa and in Saada.
❗️Local sources in Syria report that armed clashes broke out overnight in the towns of Jaramana and Sahnaya between armed factions affiliated with Syria's security forces and members of the Druze community.
The violence was reportedly triggered by a leaked voice note in which Druze leader Marwan Kiwan allegedly insulted the Prophet Mohammad—an accusation he has denied. Additionally, an initial investigation by the Syrian interior ministry showed that Kiwan was not responsible for the recording.
Following the leak, demonstrations also erupted in Damascus and Homs, with many taking to the streets and social media to call for violence against the Druze community in Syria.
❗️Al Jazeera's correspondent:
"11 martyrs in the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza since dawn today."
❗️Israeli occupation forces arrested journalist Ali Samoudi after storming his home in Jenin, West Bank, at dawn today.
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Is the India-Pakistan conflict the latest step in Trump's war creep toward China?
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❗️Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar announced today that he will resign on 15 June, following tension with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who had been calling for his dismissal.
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⭕️ UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is gravely concerned by reports of attacks on a detention center housing African migrants in Yemen, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said today.
"Strikes pose a growing risk to the civilian population in Yemen," he stated. "We continue to call on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilians."
❗️Highlights from Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem's latest speech (2/2):
– "The third priority is state-building, and our entire path is one of supporting the construction of the state."
– "No violations of the ceasefire agreement have been recorded against us, while the Israeli side has breached it more than 3,000 times."
– "I say to the people of Gaza: 'Your legendary steadfastness prevents the enemy from achieving its goals, and this resilience is a prelude to victory.'"
– "The Lebanese state is responsible for following up on the ceasefire agreement by pressuring the guarantor states."
– "Yesterday's attack on the southern suburbs (Dahiye) was carried out under American cover."
– "So far, we have sheltered 50,755 people whose homes were completely destroyed and have repaired 332,000 homes — this was the responsibility of the state, and we carried it out ourselves through great personal sacrifice."
– "I offer my condolences to Iran — its leadership, government, and people — for the large number of victims in the Bandar Abbas explosion."
– "I offer my condolences to the Christian world on the death of Pope Francis."
❗️An unverified video circulating on social media shows Hafez al-Assad’s tomb in Qardaha, Syria, with some users speculating that his remains may have been exhumed.
While footage from December 2024 showed the tomb set on fire by HTS militants, the latest video appears to show further desecration of the site.
WATCH | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expresses strong support for Pakistan and its people, urging de-escalation between Pakistan and India to prevent tensions from escalating to a "grim level."
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⭕️ Global military spending sees largest increase in 2024 since Cold War ended
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) reported today that global military spending reached $2.7 trillion in 2024, marking the largest increase since the Cold War's end, with particularly significant hikes in Europe and West Asia.
Israel experienced the most significant increase in military spending, with its share of GDP ranking second highest, following only Ukraine.
Overall, military budgets in West Asia surged by 15% from 2023, reaching an estimated $243 billion, the report noted.
❗️Iran's Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Behzad Akbari, announced today that a major and complex cyber attack on the country's infrastructure was detected yesterday, and preventive measures were successfully implemented.
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Iran vows to probe ‘mistakes’ leading to deadly port explosion
In an interview that has been deleted, an Iranian lawmaker accused Israel of orchestrating the blast at Shahid Rajaee Port
⭕️ The World Food Programme (WFP) plans to cut 25-30% of its global staff, potentially affecting up to 6,000 jobs, due to a significant funding shortfall. Projected donor funding for 2025 is also down by 40% to $6.4 billion.
Despite the cuts, WFP emphasized they are necessary to sustain essential operations. The organization currently employs around 23,000 people in 120 countries.
(AFP)
⭕️ Pakistani Defense Minister Muhammad Asif stated today that a military incursion by India was imminent following last week's deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir that killed 26.
"We have reinforced our forces because this is now imminent. In such a situation, some strategic decisions must be made, and those decisions have been made," Asif said during an interview at his office in Islamabad.
He also emphasized that Pakistan is on high alert and would only use its nuclear weapons if "there is a direct threat to our existence."
(Reuters)
❗️Gaza Civil Defense announced earlier today that 8 out of 12 firefighting, rescue, and ambulance vehicles in the southern Gaza Strip have stopped operating due to fuel shortages.
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