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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️Reports document the spreading fires near Jerusalem as they advance toward Israeli military bases.
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Ankara jails 18 Istanbul municipal employees amid growing crackdown on opposition
Turkiye is facing increasing scrutiny over its arrest of Istanbul mayor and opposition figure Ekrem Imamoglu, along with several of his associates
❗️Dozens of Jewish settlements have been evacuated due to the fires, and more memorial ceremonies for dead soldiers have been canceled in several cities.
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⭕️ Jordan, ranked just behind Ukraine, Israel, and Ethiopia among the top global recipients of US aid, has secured commitments from Washington ensuring that the majority of its annual funding, totaling at least $1.45 billion and covering military and direct budget support, will be maintained,
Most of those sources—including Jordanian officials, diplomats, regional security personnel, US officials, and aid project contractors—requested anonymity.
According to four of the sources, payments to US-based company CDM Smith resumed in March. The firm is responsible, under USAID, for overseeing the $6 billion Aqaba-Amman Water Desalination and Conveyance Project, which is considered vital to the water-scarce country's long-term independence.
(Reuters)
❗️Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
– "Our enemies did not believe Israel would fight on seven fronts."
– "We will work to return the kidnapped soldiers and will continue the war until Hamas is destroyed."
'Prepare to face consequences': Yemen warns UK after attacks on Sanaa
Yemen has targeted UK ships in the past in response to London’s participation in the former US administration’s campaign against the country
❗️Lebanese President Joseph Aoun:
– "The decision to withdraw weapons will be implemented across all Lebanese territory, but priority will be given to the south."
– "What matters most is the handover of heavy and medium weapons; as for light weapons, they are part of Lebanese culture."
– "The Lebanese Army is carrying out its duties without any objections or problems."
A video reportedly shows Druze Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif following the ongoing events in Syria unfold alongside Israeli officials.
Earlier today Tarif called on Israel to "take immediate action to prevent mass massacres in the Druze communities around Damascus."
⭕️ According to UAE state media, security authorities foiled an attempt by Sudanese military officials and others to illegally transport ammunition to Sudan's army.
The WAM news agency reported that around five million rounds of ammunition were discovered on a private aircraft at an airport, and several individuals were arrested.
Sudan’s army, which has frequently accused the UAE of supplying weapons to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) amid a civil war now in its second year, has not yet issued a response.
❗️Israeli media reports that members of the Druze community in the Western Galilee are protesting and calling on the government to protect the Druze community in Syria amid the ongoing armed clashes between armed factions affiliated with Syria's security forces and members of the Druze community.
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❗️Medical sources to Al Jazeera:
"23 martyrs in Israeli raids on Gaza since dawn today."
❗️Major fires have broken out in the mountains of occupied Jerusalem.
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Indian PM gives army 'complete operational freedom' to respond to Kashmir attack
Islamabad has warned of an 'imminent' Indian military incursion after New Delhi blamed the Islamic Republic for a terror attack that killed 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir
⭕️ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced today that Iran will meet with Britain, France, and Germany in Rome on Friday for nuclear discussions.
This meeting will take place ahead of a fourth round of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, also scheduled in Italy later this weekend.
"In my opinion, the three European countries have lost their role (in the nuclear file) due to the wrong policies they have adopted. Of course, we do not want this and are ready to hold talks with them in Rome," Araghchi told state media.
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "35 martyrs and 109 injuries arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals during the past 24 hours."
– "The death toll and injuries since 18 March 2025 has reached 2,308 martyrs and 5,973 injuries.
UPDATE | Syrian Observatory For Human Rights:
"The death toll from the Sahnaya, Damascus, clashes has risen to 22, including 6 Druze and 16 from the government."
❗️Palestinian Prisoners' Media Office reports that the Israeli occupation forces abducted the Jerusalemite child, Mohammad Nidal al-Zourba (7 years old), from his home in the Al-Wad neighborhood in the Old City of occupied Jerusalem.
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❗️Local sources in Syria report that Israeli warplanes are flying at a low altitude over Damascus and its countryside.
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❗️According to Israeli media, the government has requested international assistance to extinguish fires in the Jerusalem mountains.
Channel 13 Hebrew reported that Foreign Minister Gideon Saar spoke to the foreign ministers of Cyprus, Croatia, Italy, and Greece, requesting assistance to help extinguish the fires.
❗️Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) announces that the Israeli army attacked "an area where militants were present in Sahnaya (Syria)" with drones for the third time today.
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❗️The Israeli invasion of the occupied West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp has entered its 100th day.
The assault has caused an estimated $300 million in damages, severely impacting infrastructure and property. Approximately 800 homes have been partially damaged, and 15 buildings completely destroyed—primarily in Al-Hadaf and eastern neighborhoods. In the camp, nearly all infrastructure has been devastated, with a strict military siege preventing any movement in or out.
At least 40 people have been killed, over 22,000 displaced, and 380 buildings evacuated. Among the displaced are 790 families from the city, while families from the camp remain unable to return. The local economy is virtually paralyzed, particularly in the western neighborhoods, where most commercial activity has ceased. Since the start of the invasion, Israeli forces have carried out 318 arrests and subjected dozens more to field interrogations.
(Jenin Media Committee)
❗️Palestinian Prisoners' Media Office:
– "The imprisoned leader Abdullah Barghouti is facing a systematic assassination attempt inside Israel's Gilboa Prison, with his health condition having reached a critical stage that directly threatens his life."
– "Barghouti has been subjected to severe beatings, leaving his body covered in blue bruises, his head swollen with blood clots, his eyes severely swollen, and his ribs fractured—causing him to lose the ability to sleep."
– "As a result of the torture, Barghouti is experiencing recurring comas. His hand has been wrapped with a garbage bag and toilet paper due to the lack of any proper protective material."
– "What the imprisoned leader Abdullah Barghouti is enduring amounts to a deliberate slow assassination and represents a blatant violation of all international norms and conventions."
⭕️ Switzerland announced today that a new law prohibiting Hamas and affiliated groups will take effect on 15 May.
The legislation, passed by parliament last December, provides Swiss authorities with "the necessary tools to take action against Hamas activities or support for the organization in Switzerland," the government stated.
Israel launches ‘warning strike’ on Syrian troops as clashes with Druze fighters intensify
Druze leadership in Syria said contact has been made with Tel Aviv on the second day of heavy fighting between security forces and armed members of the minority group
⭕️ France to lead NATO mission in Iraq for the first time
Iraq and France have deepened their strategic military partnership as Paris gets ready to take over leadership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission in Iraq, following the signing of a major defense agreement under which the Iraqi Armed Forces will receive Caracal helicopters from France.
A press release from the Iraqi Defense Ministry stated that a key topic during the meeting was France’s forthcoming assumption of NATO mission leadership in Iraq, scheduled for May.
❗️Yedioth Ahronoth:
"A person armed with a knife attempted to storm the Israeli embassy in London and was arrested."
❗️Turkish drones carry out four airstrikes on areas surrounding the Teshreen Dam, east of Manbij in northeast Aleppo Governorate, Syria.
(SOHR)
BREAKING | In a joint statement, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that the army carried out a warning operation and attacked an "extremist group" that was preparing to attack members of the Druze community in Sahnaya, Syria.
"Israel will not allow harm to the Druze community in Syria out of a deep commitment to our Druze brothers in Israel, who are connected by family and historical ties to their Druze brothers in Syria,” the statement says.
Hamas, Israel deny reports of ‘breakthrough’ in Gaza ceasefire talks
The UN has warned that the food crisis in Gaza is worsening due to Israel’s brutal war and siege
⭕️ A Turkish court has ordered the pre-trial detention of 18 Istanbul municipality employees on corruption charges, according to reports from state-run Anadolu and other media outlets, amid an ongoing crackdown targeting the city's imprisoned mayor, Ekrem Imamoglu.
Broadcaster NTV reported that 34 of the 52 individuals detained over the weekend as part of the investigation were released under judicial supervision.
Those taken into custody included the municipality's secretary general, Imamoglu's chief of staff, the chairman and deputy chairman of the city's water and sewerage authority (ISKI), along with a department head at ISKI.