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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
WATCH | While Israelis point fingers at Palestinians for the current wave of wildfires, maps reveal a striking overlap with areas heavily forested by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) using non-native trees poorly adapted to the natural climate and terrain of Palestine.
Since its founding in 1901, the JNF has planted around 240 million such trees across occupied Palestinian land: fast-growing conifers that not only disrupt native ecosystems, but also act as tinder in the face of rising heat and drought.
❗️Hossam Warour, the mayor of southern Syria's Sahnaya, and his only son, Haidar Warour, were reportedly executed today, 1 May.
Local reports attribute the killings to government security forces, while government-aligned media say they were murdered by 'unknown assailants.'
Just yesterday, Warour appeared in a video wearing a light blue shirt, welcoming members of the HTS-led General Security to the town. He also gave a televised interview on Syria TV expressing support for their presence.
❗️Iraq and Iran are advancing plans to boost bilateral trade to $25 billion annually, more than doubling current levels.
This initiative includes finalizing agreements on the Shalamcheh–Basra railway and establishing joint free trade and industrial zones along their border. A recent Iraqi delegation to Tehran, led by Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani’s advisor Hazem al-Khalidi, focused on these projects, which are expected to enhance cross-border commerce and infrastructure.
The 36-kilometer railway, once completed, will connect Basra to Iran’s rail network, facilitating the transport of up to three million passengers per year and supporting the development of border markets and industrial zones.
❗️Israel has killed at least 18 Palestinians in strikes across the Gaza Strip since dawn today, according to medical sources in Gaza.
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BREAKING | Three people killed in an Israeli drone strike on a vehicle in Mays al-Jabal, southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
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⭕️ The UK is in talks with France and Saudi Arabia about the potential recognition of a Palestinian state at a June conference convened by the two countries to advance the political path toward a two-state solution in West Asia, according to the British foreign secretary.
David Lammy’s comments mark the first public acknowledgment that the UK and France are discussing a recognition process in connection with the upcoming conference.
⭕️ China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, during a meeting on Wednesday with a top Iranian national security official, expressed Beijing’s appreciation for Tehran’s diplomatic initiatives related to its nuclear programme, just days before a fresh round of US-Iran talks set for Saturday.
According to a summary of the meeting with Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, released by China’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday, Wang said "China values Iran's commitment not to develop nuclear weapons" and "appreciates Iran's diplomatic efforts."
Wang also noted that "(China) is pleased to see ongoing dialogue between Iran and other parties and supports Iran's necessary cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency."
❗️Israeli occupation forces targeted water tanks with bullets during a raid on the town of Beita, south of Nablus, occupied West Bank.
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❗️The raging fires have not yet been brought under control, and Israel is awaiting international assistance.
(Maariv)
❗️According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), 42 people were killed in Syria on Wednesday, 30 April.
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⭕️ “The General Assembly does not have the power to impose on Israel a perpetual obligation to cooperate with UNRWA.”
At the ICJ on Wednesday, US State Department lawyer Joshua Simmons argued that “Israel’s urgent security needs override its obligations” to provide aid to Palestinians in Gaza, and claimed that under the Geneva Conventions, Israel has “no duty to cooperate specifically with UNRWA,” citing baseless allegations of ties to Hamas.
Back in October 2024, the Israeli Knesset voted to end all cooperation with the UN agency.
❗️Israeli army confirms in a statement that one soldier was "severely injured" in an IED explosion in Beita.
According to the statement, occupation forces have "sealed off the area" in order to locate those who detonated it.
BREAKING | US airstrike targets Al-Hawak in Hodeidah, western Yemen.
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⭕️ Oil prices dropped sharply today (Wednesday), heading for their biggest monthly decline in over three years, as Saudi Arabia signaled plans to boost output and expand market share amid weakening global fuel demand due to trade tensions. (Reuters)
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BREAKING | Yemeni Armed Forces announces that it carried out drone strikes on the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea and Israeli military targets in Ashkelon and Tel Aviv.
The operations come in retaliation for US attacks in Yemen, and took place 24 hours after the strike on the USS Truman, which resulted in the downing of an F-18.
Massive wildfires rage for second day as Israel at standstill
Tel Aviv has been accused of ignoring years of warnings about its lack of preparedness to deal with the threat of wildfires
❗️Syria TV reports that Israeli occupation forces stormed Quneitra in southern Syria.
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Syria’s Druze leadership makes ‘urgent appeal’ for international support
Dozens of people including civilians have been killed since earlier this week in violent clashes between Druze fighters and Syrian security forces
❗️Israel preparing to expand war on Gaza:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will "convene a situational assessment and planning approval meeting tomorrow afternoon with senior security officials, ahead of expanding combat operations and maneuvers in the Gaza Strip."
So far, Israeli army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and Defense Minister Israel Katz have approved the plans, which are now being submitted for the prime minister’s final approval.
(Channel 13 correspondent Moriah Asraf, Israeli army radio correspondent Doron Kadosh)
❗️Iran and Azerbaijan have agreed to boost bilateral trade to $5 billion following Iranian President Pezeshkian’s visit to Baku, where both sides signed seven cooperation documents and pledged to remove trade barriers, ease student travel, reopen land borders, and increase flights between major cities.
(IRNA)
❗️Key points from the statement issued by Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, spiritual leader of the Druze Unitarian community in Syria – 1 May 2020:
– Condemnation of massacres: Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri denounced the recent attacks on civilians in Syria, describing them as ISIS-style Takfiri massacres aimed at spreading terror and domination without justification.
– Rejection of the government's narrative: He rejected claims that the victims were armed groups, stating: “Our people were peaceful in their homes and defended themselves. They were not gangs, and never have been.”
– Call for justice and reform: Hijri called for a new Syrian constitution that guarantees justice, freedoms, and decentralized civil governance, “a government that emerges from the people and truly represents them.”
– Loss of faith in the state: He expressed complete loss of trust in what he called a so-called government, accusing it of “massacring its people through its Takfiri factions and then blaming rogue elements.”
– Call for international protection: Hijri issued an urgent appeal to the international community to intervene immediately to stop the “systematic, documented mass killings” and prevent further atrocities.
– Rejection of sectarian extremism: He criticized the government and its affiliates for pushing a sectarian Takfiri ideology, saying they view even moderate Sunnis as enemies, and warned this threatens Syria’s pluralism.
– Support for Syrian unity: Emphasizing solidarity across all sects, he said the Druze community “stands united with all components of Syrian society in opposing terrorism and sectarian division.”
❗️100 firefighting teams continue to battle massive fires that have engulfed at least
19,000 dunams of land, including entire parks, forests, and nature reserves.
So far, there is no certainty that the fires were caused intentionally. A Palestinian resident of Jerusalem was arrested while attempting to set fire to open areas.
(Yedioth Ahronoth)
❗️An Israeli drone is currently flying at a low altitude over Beirut and its southern suburbs, Lebanon.
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❗️US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth threatens Iran on X.
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UPDATE | After 10 days of detention and interrogation by the Palestinian Authority (PA), Azzam Abu al-Adas has been released and is reunited with his family.
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❗️Massive fires in Jewish Israeli settlements in the occupied northern West Bank.
Israeli media is attributing them to alleged arson by Palestinians.
Lebanon dismantled 'over 90 percent' of Hezbollah infrastructure near Israel border
As Beirut faces intense US pressure to fully disarm the resistance, Hezbollah officials have urged the government to defend Lebanese sovereignty against ongoing Israeli attacks
❗️The Governor of the Damascus countryside Amer al-Sheikh, the Governor of Suwayda Mustafa al-Bakour, and the Governor of Quneitra Ahmad al-Dallati, held a meeting with several Druze elders of the city of Ashrafiyat Sahnaya to reach a consensus on the ongoing events in the city. (SANA)
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❗️Israel's Channel 12 reports that the settlement of Neve Ilan, northwest of Jerusalem, was evacuated of all its residents after a fire spread throughout the area.
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❗️Despite reports of calm and ongoing negotiations, local Syrian sources reported a short while ago that clashes were taking place in several villages in the Suwayda countryside between local Druze factions and extremist groups, with mortars being used in the fighting.
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