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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
Update | Lebanese Civil Defense reports one person killed in the Israeli strike on a car in Kawthariyet al-Siyad.
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Israel denies plans for imminent attack on Iranian nuclear facilities
Recent western media reports said US President Donald Trump rejected an Israeli plan for a joint attack on Iran
❗️The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced that its Intelligence Directorate "obtained information about preparations for a new rocket attack towards the occupied Palestinian territories," and "raided an apartment in the Sidon-Zahrani area, seizing a number of missiles and their launch pads, and arresting several individuals involved in the operation."
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BREAKING | Israel carries out an attack on a vehicle in Kawthariyet al-Siyad in south Lebanon.
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⭕️ Pentagon turmoil: Three top officials fired amid leaks and controversies
The Pentagon is in turmoil as three top officials close to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have been fired, including his chief of staff, Joe Kasper, amid an ongoing leak probe. Senior adviser Dan Caldwell, deputy chief of staff Darin Selnick, and Stephen Feinberg's chief of staff, Colin Carroll, were also placed on leave and later terminated, adding to the chaos that has already plagued the department. This follows Hegseth’s controversial actions, including the release of sensitive information via a Signal chat about US military strikes on Yemen, as well as a visit by Elon Musk. The turmoil has left Hegseth without his top advisers and raised concerns about his leadership, with some even questioning whether he is suited to lead the Pentagon. (Politico)
Iran-US talks wrap up in Rome with agreement to establish framework for potential nuclear deal
Omani officials stated that the indirect talks are 'gaining momentum' after Tehran and Washington agreed to establish technical delegations to draft a potential replacement for the Obama-era JCPOA
❗️Scenes from the aftermath of the latest US attacks on Hodeidah, western Yemen.
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⭕️ According to military correspondent Doron Kadosh:
– At 12:58 p.m., resistance fighters fired an RPG at an unarmored Israeli vehicle traveling on an internal route in Beit Hanoun, near Nir Am and Mefalsim, in the Gaza buffer zone.
– Three combat reconnaissance soldiers were seriously injured in the RPG attack.
– The fighters reportedly emerged from a tunnel recently cleared by Israeli forces, part of ongoing operations in the buffer zone.
– A rescue force arrived shortly after the attack, led by the Northern Brigade commander, Col. A, with special forces and reconnaissance units.
– At 1:25 p.m., 30 minutes after the RPG attack, an explosive device hit the scouts' vehicle, killing one soldier and injuring two others.
– Air Force helicopters evacuated the wounded to hospitals, with a total of one soldier killed and five others seriously injured.
❗️BREAKING | US warplanes launch at least 13 airstrikes on Hodeidah port and airport in Yemen.
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🇾🇪 BREAKING | Yemeni Armed Forces announces the downing of a US MQ-9 drone over Sanaa Governorate, the 21st since 7 October, 2023.
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❗️ Medical sources tell Al Jazeera:
"44 martyrs in Israeli raids on Gaza since dawn today."
❗️The moment Israeli occupation forces bombed the tents of displaced Palestinians in the Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.
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❗️Israeli police prevent worshippers from reaching Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Holy Saturday celebrations.
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❗️Hebrew media reports that a "difficult security incident" occurred in Gaza leaving at least one soldier in critical condition, with an evacuation operation carried out by helicopter.
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❗️Axios reports that prior to the second round of nuclear talks between the US and Iran, US Special Envoy to West Asia Steve Witkoff held a meeting with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Mossad Chief David Barnea, who traveled specifically to see him.
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❗️Until Victory = an empty slogan.
Signs bearing photos of Israeli military casualties and the slogan "Until Victory" were vandalized and defaced outside the "Tel Aviv – Savidor" train station.
Alongside the defaced images, protest slogans were written, including:
– "Enough exploitation of their memory in a disgusting propaganda campaign."
– "Most of those killed would have supported the release of prisoners."
– "Until Victory = an empty slogan."
(Israel Hayom)
⭕️ The death toll from the Ras Issa Oil Port Massacre, carried out by the United States of America on 17 April, 2025, has risen to 80 civilians, with at least 150 more injured, according to Al-Masirah.
The port, which had a storage capacity of 3 million barrels of crude oil, was completely destroyed.
❗️The Ministry of Health in Gaza reports that "44 martyrs and 145 injuries arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals during the past 24 hours."
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❗️Sanaa's National Defense Council held a meeting today, chaired by President of the Supreme Political Council Mahdi al-Mashat, to discuss the latest developments and the US aggression against Yemen.
(Saba)
❗️Secretary-General of Iraq's Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, Qais al-Khazali:
"There are relations between the two neighboring countries, Iraq and Syria, and the matter is a necessity, and in its interest, they share. However, the presence of the current Syrian regime's president in Iraq is previously a point of concern, as it could lead to repercussions if the law is implemented and arrests are made by the military forces before it is applied, in light of the existence of an arrest warrant against him. It is necessary for there to be an immediate arrest of the individual in question, and action must be taken accordingly with the judicial decisions issued by the Iraqi courts, respecting and adhering to them by everyone."
Israeli occupation forces have taken over a residential building in the town of Turmus Ayya, north of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, detaining residents and turning it into a military barracks.
There are no clashes or resistance groups in the area.
❗️Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on talks with the US:
– "Relatively positive atmosphere in Rome has enabled progress on principles and objectives of a possible deal."
– "We made clear how many in Iran believe that the JCPOA is no longer good enough for us. To them, what is left from that deal are "lessons learned." Personally, I tend to agree."
– "The initiation of expert level track will begin in coming days with a view to hammer out details. After that, we will be in a better position to judge."
– "For now, optimism may be warranted but only with a great deal of caution."
❗️UPDATE | Israeli army confirms its first "combat fatality" in Gaza in over three months.
Warrant Officer G'haleb Sleiman Alnasasra, a Bedouin soldier, was killed in an ambush by resistance fighters in north Gaza.
The fighters emerged from a tunnel that was said to have been "cleared," firing an RPG at a military vehicle before detonating an explosive device. Three other soldiers, including a female officer, a combat medic, and another tracker, were severely wounded.
Pentagon confirms plan to cut troop presence in Syria to less than 1,000
US troops have occupied Syria's major oil fields since 2017, regularly looting the country's resources to fund its Kurdish proxies
❗️Former Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Jumblatt responded to US envoy Morgan Ortagus’s comment about him on X, posting the following photo with the caption: "The ugly American # MorganOrtagus."
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❗️Iranian TV:
"Iran–US nuclear talks in Rome have concluded."
❗️BREAKING | Spokesman for Hamas's Qassam Brigades Abu Obeida:
– "We were able to retrieve a martyr who was tasked with guarding the captive Edan Alexander. The fate of the captive and the rest of the fighter captors remains unknown."
– "We are trying to protect all captives and preserve their lives despite the brutality of the aggression. However, their lives are in danger due to the criminal bombing operations carried out by the enemy army."
– "The occupation is lying about the inhumane treatment of captives and fabricating false testimonies from former prisoners, with the aim of inciting against the resistance and covering up the scandal of its killing of a number of its captives, causing the continued suffering of the rest."
Israel mulls 'limited attack' on Iran as second round of nuclear talks takes place in Rome
US and Iranian officials are engaged in a new round of talks, facilitated by Omani mediation, in hopes of securing a new nuclear and sanctions relief deal
⭕️ The United States is prepared to abandon its push for a Russia-Ukraine peace agreement if tangible progress isn't made soon, President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday.
"Quickly, we want to get it done," Trump told reporters at the White House. "Now if for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we're just going to say, 'you're foolish, you're fools, you're horrible people, and we're going to just take a pass. But hopefully we won't have to do that."
“If I die, I want a loud death.”
Just days before her wedding, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna was murdered by an Israeli massacre on Wednesday when an airstrike struck her home in northern Gaza. The attack also killed ten members of her family, including her pregnant sister.
“If I die, I want a loud death,” Hassouna posted on social media. “I don’t want to be just breaking news, or a number in a group, I want a death that the world will hear, an impact that will remain through time, and a timeless image that cannot be buried by time or place.”
Israel claimed that the strike targeted a Hamas member.
One day before her death, it was announced that a documentary about Hassouna’s life in Gaza during Israel's assault on the Strip would premiere at a French independent film festival held alongside Cannes.
(The Guardian)