43031
The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️The Israeli military claims to have assassinated a Hezbollah commander in a drone strike on Blida earlier today.
"The strike targeted Ali Ibar al-Nabi Khadi, the deputy commander of Hezbollah's forces in the Mhaibib area," the army said.
Iran–Armenia joint drills warn off foreign-designed border changes
Joint military drills with Yerevan highlight Tehran’s deepening concerns over regional destabilization, Turkic expansionism, and border security threats posed by the Azerbaijan-touted Zangezur Corridor.
By Vali Kaleji
❗️Quds Brigades - Jenin:
"We were able to detonate a highly explosive KJ37 ground-based explosive device, prepared in advance, against a military patrol in the Wadi al-Sila axis, achieving a confirmed hit on an Israeli vehicles."
BREAKING | 3 US airstrikes target a government complex in the Mukayria district, Al Bayda governorate, central Yemen.
Читать полностью…
❗️Palestinian journalist Mohammad Mona before and after being held in administrative detention by Israel for nearly two years.
He had been detained without charge or trial since 27 June, 2023. He is from Nablus, in the northern occupied West Bank.
❗️Deraa Governor Anwar Taha al-Zoubi and Political Affairs Director Mashhour Masalmeh met with Burhan Koroglu, Turkey’s Chargé d'Affaires in Syria, to discuss the humanitarian situation in the southern province and ways to deliver aid to the most vulnerable residents, according to SANA.
Читать полностью…
❗️At least two Palestinians, including a child, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, a short while ago.
Читать полностью…
Saudi Defense Minister Khaled Bin Salman and his accompanying delegation were welcomed by Major General Mohammad Bagheri, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Iran.
Читать полностью…
⭕️ The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today sanctioned Yemen-based International Bank of Yemen Y.S.C. (IBY) and several of its officials, accusing the institution of providing financial support to Ansarallah—part of what OFAC describes as Iran’s "threat network."
“Financial institutions like IBY play a key role in enabling the Houthis to access the international financial system, posing a threat to regional stability and global commerce,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Michael Faulkender. “Treasury is committed to working with Yemen’s internationally recognized government to cut off the Houthis’ funding streams and disrupt their ability to procure materials for destabilizing attacks.”
This move follows OFAC’s earlier sanctions against the Yemen Kuwait Bank for Trade and Investment Y.S.C., which was also accused of ties to Ansarallah.
❗️Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF):
"On 17 April 2025, as part of ongoing engineering survey operations in the southern regions, a specialized military unit discovered a camouflaged spying device equipped with a camera in the outskirts of the town of Blida – Marjayoun in south Lebanon, and proceeded to dismantle it."
"Today we have one duty to defend the Palestinians from the Israeli apartheid state," said Yanis Varoufakis, former Greek finance minister, during an interview with Anadolu Agency.
Читать полностью…
⭕️ United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that since 18 March, when Israel broke the ceasefire and resumed its attacks, 500,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza.
Читать полностью…
Trump ‘waved off’ Israeli proposal for joint attack on Iran: Report
One of Tel Aviv’s suggestions included an Israeli ground operation against Iranian nuclear facilities with US air cover
⭕️ According to Lebanon's Minister of Information Paul Morcos, Israel has violated the 'ceasefire' with Lebanon at least 2,740 times.
The agreement went into effect on 27 November 2024, but Israel has kept up its incessant attacks on the country.
Iran urges UN nuclear watchdog to ‘act professionally, keep away from politics’
Tehran and Washington are due to hold a second round of nuclear talks this weekend, coming as Iran faces heavy sanctions and the continued threat of a bombing campaign
❗️Local sources in southern Lebanon:
– "A US MQ-9 drone is flying over southern Lebanon."
– "Israeli warplanes are entering southern Lebanon at very high altitude."
The official website of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei announced that Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman delivered a message from the King of Saudi Arabia to Imam Khamenei.
During the meeting, Khamenei told the Saudi minister, "It is far better for brothers in the region to cooperate with and assist one another than to depend on others." Khalid bin Salman said, "I have come to Tehran with the agenda of expanding relations with Iran and collaborating across all sectors. We hope that the constructive discussions we’ve had will lead to even stronger relations between Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran than ever before."
Putin meets Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the Kremlin
Araghchi reportedly carries a secret letter from Supreme Leader Khamenei to Putin regarding Iran's nuclear talks.
(RT)
'Soft-spoken' Sharaa makes Time 100 list as sectarian massacres continue in Syria
The new president of Syria formerly headed an extremist group that has been incorporated into the new Syrian military and is targeting Alawites along the country's coast
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "40 martyrs (including 1 recovered) and 73 injuries arrived at Gaza hospitals in the past 24 hours."
– "The death toll and injuries since 18 March 2025 has reached 1,691 martyrs and 4,464 injured."
– "The death toll from the Israeli aggression has risen to 51,065 martyrs and 116,505 injured since 7 October 2023."
Spray painted on a wall in northern Gaza:
"I want to sell my house, and arm the reistance."
⭕️ Ahmad al-Sharaa, former Al-Qaeda chief and self-appointed Syrian president, has been named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2025.
The only leader from West Asia on the list, he joins celebrities including Ed Sheeran, Adam Scott, and Scarlett Johansson.
Nominated by former US Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, al-Sharaa is described as "soft-spoken" and "ambitious," with a history of fighting both with and against ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
All of this, while he continues to oversee massacres on the Syrian coast.
Qatari Emir tells Putin Israel 'failed to honor Gaza truce deal'
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani expressed frustration over Israel's refusal to uphold the Gaza ceasefire agreed to in January with Qatari mediation
❗️Medical sources in Gaza report that at least 27 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip since dawn today, 21 of them in Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip.
(Al Jazeera)
Nearly 200 killed in 2,740 Israeli violations of ceasefire with Lebanon
Lebanon’s information minister said that Israel’s occupation of south Lebanon and its constant violations are hindering efforts to implement the ceasefire deal
US sanctions Chinese refinery over Iran oil trade ahead of second round of nuclear talks
Iranian oil exports have surged recently despite President Trump's vow to reduce them to 'zero'
❗️Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani receives Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates building in Damascus.
Читать полностью…
⭕️ On 16 April, 2025, the US imposed sanctions on a Chinese refinery for purchasing over $1 billion in Iranian oil, accusing it of supporting Tehran’s government and its 'proxies.'
The sanctions target several companies and vessels involved in the shipments as part of a broader effort to disrupt Iran's oil trade. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned that any entity facilitating Iranian oil exports faces serious risks.
(AP)
❗️Lebanese Ministry of Health reports one person killed in an Israeli raid on the town of Aitaroun in the south of the country.
Читать полностью…
BREAKING | Israel bombs the UNRWA-run Al-Ayyoubiya School in north Gaza's Jabalia, housing displaced Palestinians.
Several casualties reported, among them children.