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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️Islamic Group (Lebanon):
– "We mourn the loss of academic leader and university professor Dr. Hussein Izzat Atwi, who was assassinated by a treacherous Israeli strike."
– "An Israeli drone targeted Atwi’s car this morning as he was traveling from his home in the town of Baawerta to his workplace in Beirut."
– "We condemn this cowardly crime and hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible."
– "We ask: how long will this Israeli aggression continue to threaten the security of Lebanon and its people?"
❗️Senior Hamas official tells AFP that a delegation has left for Cairo to discuss new ideas for a ceasefire with Israel.
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BREAKING | An Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle in Baawerta, 20-km south of Beirut, Lebanon.
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BREAKING | US warplanes bomb Khawlan district in Sanaa Governorate, and Marib Governorate in Yemen.
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❗️Israeli media is boasting about a new unmanned bulldozer called the Robdozer—a fortified, remotely operated vehicle that serves as a robotic version of Caterpillar’s D9 bulldozer.
The Israeli military has usually relied on the D9 for key frontline operations, including clearing paths for advancing forces, debris removal, and terrain flattening. Since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023, followed by the escalation in Lebanon, the military has ramped up its use of the robotic version to improve operational efficiency while reducing danger to its personnel.
❗️Israel has issued 14 demolition notices in the town of Anata, occupied Jerusalem, targeting residential, commercial, and agricultural structures, including an iron factory.
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Lebanon’s disarmament dilemma: The battle for Palestinian camps
The Lebanese government’s rush to disarm Palestinian factions is a prelude to a broader campaign against Hezbollah, with Washington and Ramallah playing key backstage roles.
⭕️ The Palestinian Red Crescent today demanded a "serious investigation" into the Israeli massacre of the 15 paramedics and rescue workers in Gaza on 23 March, following the Israeli army's statement released yesterday.
Younis al-Khatib, chairman of the Palestinian Red Crescent, said the actions taken by the Israeli military—which included the dismissal of one officer and a reprimand for another—were inadequate.
"This looks like the management of a company taking administrative measures against its employees who made some kind of a mistake," he told Reuters. "When you kill 15 medical staff and civil defense personnel, these can't be called 'measures.'"
"There has to be proper accountability and a stop to impunity that Israel has taken for granted for so many years," he added.
China signs major LNG deals with UAE to replace US supply
Beijing imposed high levies on US-sourced LNG imports following Trump's initiation of a trade war
⭕️ Syrian interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa met with US Congressman Marlin Stutzman at the People’s Palace in Damascus today
“The Syrians are very friendly, and there are many possibilities for cooperation with the new Syrian government,” Stutzman said.
He expressed hope that “the Syrians would enjoy more economic opportunities and prosperity.”
Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and Rep. Cory Mills of Florida became the first US lawmakers since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to visit Damascus, on an unofficial trip organized by a "Syrian-American nonprofit."
During their visit, the representatives met with Syrian officials and notably visited the site of a historic synagogue in the suburb of Jobar and the Christian neighborhood of Bab Touma, where they spoke with religious leaders.
❗️US President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the Gaza ceasefire agreement, as well as the nuclear talks with Iran, according to Axios.
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❗️Qassam Brigades announces that its fighters lured an Israeli engineering unit to the entrance of a rigged tunnel east of Al-Tuffah in Gaza City, where they detonated the tunnel entrance, causing casualties and injuries among the troops.
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⭕️ Gaza’s Christian community expressed deep sorrow over the death of Pope Francis.
"We lost a saint who taught us every day how to be brave, how to keep patient and stay strong. We lost a man who fought every day in every direction to protect this small herd of his," said George Antone, head of the emergency committee at the Holy Family Church in Gaza, speaking to Reuters.
According to Antone, Francis began calling the church just hours after Israel's war on Gaza started in October 2023, initiating what Vatican News Service described as a nightly tradition.
"We know that he is leaving behind a church that cares for us and that knows us by name - every single one of us," Antone said, referring to Gaza’s Christian population, which numbers around 700 according to WAFA.
The Pope made his final call on Saturday night, according to Rev. Gabriel Romanelli, the pastor of Holy Family parish, who told the Vatican News Service:
"He said he was praying for us, he blessed us, and he thanked us for our prayers."
⭕️ Palestinian political analyst, expert in Israeli affairs, and Hebrew teacher, "The Translator" Azzam Abu al-Adas, was abducted from his home by Palestinian Authority (PA) Security Forces in his hometown of Nablus in the occupied West Bank this morning.
Abu al-Adas, a former political prisoner in Israeli jails, has been repeatedly interrogated by the PA in the past six months, with his wife and autistic son left alone during his absences.
According to his family, the Nablus Prosecution has extended his detention for 48 hours pending investigation.
US war chief faces calls to resign over new 'Signalgate' scandal
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared classified details of US plans to bomb Yemen in a group chat with family members
⭕️ The General Security in Damascus has arrested both Khaled Khaled, the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement (PIJ) in Syria, and Abu Ali Yasser, the head of the Syrian arena’s organizational committee, in the capital, Damascus, according to several local media sources, as well as the German press agency DPA.
This comes after the list of US conditions delivered by Natasha Franceschi, US Assistant Secretary of State, to Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad al-Shaibani, which included a clear request to expel Palestinian resistance leaders from Syria.
The arrests occurred less than 48 hours after Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’s visit to Syria and his meeting with self-appointed Syrian interim leader Ahmad al-Sharaa.
❗️Al Jazeera’s correspondent:
“The death toll has risen to 11 in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, at dawn today.”
❗️BREAKING |Israeli warplanes bomb tents of the displaced in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip.
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WATCH | Are Trump and Netanyahu headed for a clash over Iran?
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⭕️ The Government Media Office in Gaza issued an official statement rejecting what it refers to as rumors of organized migration from the Gaza Strip, describing it as part of an Israeli-led campaign aimed at undermining Palestinian resilience and promoting forced displacement.
This statement comes in light of many reports on social media that evacuations are actively taking place. Some report receiving messages facilitating evacuation, with others adding that the evacuations are being assisted by both Egypt and Israel.
❗️ Al-Masriah reports 25 US airstrikes in Al-Tuhayta Governorate in Yemen since dawn.
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Hamas willing to ‘halt military ops, cede control’ of Gaza if truce succeeds: Report
The resistance group has recently stated that its weapons are a ‘red line,’ as it faces pressure to disarm from Israel and Egypt
⭕️ Nearly 600 Palestinian children have been killed and over 1,600 injured, since Israel resumed its genocidal war on Gaza on 18 March, according to UNRWA.
The organization estimates that conditions in Gaza have deteriorated to their worst point since October 2023.
❗️Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu:
– "The ongoing war is a renaissance war, a historic war."
– "We will undermine Hamas in Gaza, return the abductees, and achieve all our goals."
– "We will launch a massive attack on the enemy until we destroy it."
– "I have said repeatedly that we will change the face of the Middle East, and this is what we are actually doing now."
– "Thanks to the decisions and steadfastness of my government, we have broken the axis of evil in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and elsewhere."
– "Don't believe the propaganda channels."
– "We will not accept the establishment of any caliphate on the Mediterranean coast."
– " Israel will not witness any civil war."
– "The Houthis boasted about launching a drone called Yaffa, and I tell them Yaffa is not occupied, and our firm response to you is coming."
⭕️ 49 young people who were detained during the Imamoglu protests appeared before a judge today at the Istanbul 27th High Criminal Court.
During the hearing, Mahsuni Kahraman, one of the youths brought in handcuffed, said in response to a question from his lawyer that the last time they ate was at midnight the previous night. His lawyer told the judge, "When was the last time you ate?" and explained that the youths were being kept waiting downstairs without food. The judge responded, "They can eat dry bread just this once. The hearing will be over in an hour; they can eat then."
Following public backlash, the hearing was paused and sandwiches were brought into the courtroom for the youths, who had not eaten since the previous night.
❗️At least two Paslestinians were killed and four injured in an Israeli airstrike on tents of displaced Palestinians Mawasi, Khan Yunis.
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Israeli army stopped designating Gaza 'safe zones' after restart of genocide
Nearly 2,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in one month, as Gaza remains besieged and deprived of humanitarian aid
Wael Ghafri, 48, died due to suffocation from tear gas bombs fired by Israeli occupation forces in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, the Palestinian Health Ministry reports.
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⭕️ A Times of Israel report claims, citing anonymous officials, that Hamas has offered to enter a long-term truce with Israel, halting all military operations, including the development of weapons and tunnel digging, as part of a comprehensive deal to end the war on Gaza.
The movement is also willing to cede control of Gaza to an independent Palestinian technocratic body, as proposed by Egypt, and has indicated a potential 5 to 15-year duration for the truce, according to these sources.
While Hamas is open to having its weapons placed in a guarded warehouse, the offer still falls far short of Israel’s demand for complete disarmament, making the proposal a "nonstarter."
❗️Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated today that retrieving the captives from Gaza is not the most important priority of the government.
In an interview with Radio Galey Israel, he said, “We have to say the truth, returning the hostages is not the most important thing.”
Smotrich added, “It is obviously a very important goal, but if you want to destroy Hamas so that there can’t be another 7 October, you need to understand that there can’t be a situation where Hamas remains in Gaza.”