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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
While violent clashes erupted between Syrian security forces and Druze armed groups in Jaramana, in the southern countryside of the Syrian capital Damascus, a video was released showing extremist militants in Idlib calling for more violence against the Druze people.
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⭕️ Iraq has attracted proposals from multiple international firms for initiatives aimed at expanding its railway infrastructure, according to an official statement.
The Transport Ministry has outlined plans to upgrade and extend much of the country’s railway system, along with building 115 new train stations, according to Maytham Safi, the Ministry’s information director.
Speaking to the official Iraqi newspaper Alsabah on Sunday, he noted that the projects span over 2,200 kilometres of railway lines across different regions of Iraq.
“We have started to receive bids from global companies for these projects…. We have chalked out a comprehensive strategy to develop Iraq’s rail networks,” he said.
ICC bars chief prosecutor from publicizing arrest warrants against Israeli suspects
Judges at the court are reportedly ‘frustrated’ with Karim Khan’s approach, which they view as a deviation from his predecessor’s discretion
❗️Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, speaking to a delegation of researchers from the Middle East Institute (MEI) in Washington, led by retired US General Joseph Votel, reaffirmed that the decision to ensure the state's exclusive control over weapons is final and non-negotiable.
He emphasized that disarmament would not trigger security instability but would instead be achieved through dialogue with stakeholders who are equally committed to stability, civil peace, and the authority of the central state. Aoun added that recent regional developments continue to support the pursuit of peaceful solutions, even if the process requires time to avoid potential setbacks.
(Lebanese National News Agency)
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "51 martyrs (including 1 who was recovered) and 113 injured arrived at Gaza hospitals during the past 24 hours."
– "The toll from the Israeli aggression has risen to 52,365 martyrs and 117,905 injured since 7 October 2023."
– "The toll since 18 March 2025 has reached 2,273 martyrs and 5,864 injured."
BREAKING | A factory warehouse in Isfahan, Iran, exploded killing at least 3 people in an initial death toll.
(ILNA)
❗️Israel targets the Al-Attara area in Beit Lahia, north of the Gaza Strip.
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⭕️ Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer says Israel's war on Gaza to last another year
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer said on Monday that Israel’s brutal war on Gaza is expected to end within a year—marking the first time a high-ranking Israeli official has offered a projected end date.
Until now, officials have only discussed the potential duration of the conflict without suggesting when it might end.
Speaking at a Jewish News Syndicate conference in Jerusalem, Dermer stated that Israel is in the “backstretch” of its fight against Hamas, emphasizing that “we need to get to the homestretch, and we need to finish this war by winning this war.”
❗️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."
Shops in Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank remain closed in protest against the ongoing 93-day long Israeli siege imposed on the city and its refugee camps.
The Tulkarem Chamber of Commerce has backed the strike, framing its support for local merchants as both a moral duty and a collective responsibility.
❗️The moment 10 Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip arrived via the Kissufim checkpoint after being released from Israeli prisons.
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❗️Ten Palestinians freed from Israeli prisons arrived in Gaza and were transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah.
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❗️A delegation of Syrian Jews from the US held prayers at Al-Franj Synagogue in Old Damascus.
Led by Rabbi Henry Hamra and joined by community members including Victor Kamil, the visit aims to prepare for larger future delegations and promote heritage tourism.
During a trip to New York, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani held a meeting with members of the Syrian Jewish community based in the city. According to SANA, the discussions focused on “the importance of strengthening bridges of communication and understanding.”
⭕️ Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Rome on Tuesday for talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The leaders will discuss the wars in Ukraine and West Asia ahead of a summit expected to produce agreements on energy, defense, and other sectors. Key topics include migration and collaboration on unmanned aerial systems. The two nations will also enhance cooperation in transport, infrastructure, space, and sport, as they prepare to co-host Euro 2032.
Bilateral trade reached $32.2 billion in 2024, making Italy Turkiye’s second-largest European trading partner.
(AFP)
❗️Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on X:
"I concluded my diplomatic visit to the United States, on Capitol Hill, in important meetings with a number of senior members of Congress. They expressed to me their full support for the State of Israel.
Between meetings, several pro-Palestinian protesters began shouting pro-Hamas and Gaza slogans at me. I responded by saying that they were supporting the murderers, just like on 9/11 - we will defeat them!"
Deadly clashes erupt between Druze fighters, Syrian security forces
Calls for sectarian violence flooded social media after a Druze cleric was accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad
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.