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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "77 martyrs (including 7 martyrs who were recovered) and 275 injuries arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals during the past 48 hours."
– "The death toll and injuries since 18 March 2025 has reached 2,396 martyrs and 6,325 injuries."
Pentagon orders USS Truman to remain in Red Sea amid ineffective Yemen bombing campaign
Washington spent over $1 billion in just the first three weeks of its renewed war in support of the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza
⭕️ The US State Department has given the green light for a potential foreign military sale to Saudi Arabia involving 'AIM-120C-8' Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles and associated support services valued at $3.5 billion, according to a Pentagon announcement on Friday.
During US President Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia in May, Washington is expected to propose a defense deal exceeding $100 billion.
While the State Department has granted approval, the notification does not confirm the finalization of a contract or the end of negotiations.
❗️Kuwait Specialized Hospital in Rafah, southern Gaza:
– "Severe shortage of most essential medicines and basic food supplies needed for patients."
– "The stock of medicines and medical supplies will not last more than a week."
– "Gaza Strip is suffering from a severe shortage of more than 75% of essential medicines."
– "The ability to continue providing medical services is now at stake."
Israel targeted police officers in Gaza who were trying to stop looters and secure aid.
The thieves were given air cover by Israeli aircraft.
❗️Israeli military announces in a statement that it "struck a military site, anti-aircraft cannons, and surface-to-air missile infrastructure in Syria."
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❗️Until this moment, the bombing continues. A third wave was launched targeting the Deraa countryside and other areas.
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From loans to crypto, the US financial siege of Hezbollah
The US and Israel are waging an all-out financial war on the Lebanese resistance, using border clampdowns, banking restrictions, and digital surveillance to cripple Hezbollah finances and shift Lebanon’s political balance.
By The Cradle's Lebanon Correspondent
❗️ A convoy of US occupation forces left the Al-Omar and Conoco oil fields in Syria's Deir Ezzor countryside, heading towards two bases in the Hasakah countryside.
The convoy will redeploy to Qasrak and Al-Shaddadi bases in the Hasakah countryside.
(Sources to Al Jazeera)
Iran says US 'not serious' about nuclear talks after Trump imposes new sanctions
Tehran says it is committed to reaching a 'fair agreement' despite US President Trump's announcement of secondary sanctions on firms and countries purchasing Iranian oil
Lebanon warns Palestinian factions against 'threatening national security'
Beirut has come under increasing pressure from the US to disarm Hezbollah and Palestinian resistance groups in Lebanon
❗️Quds Brigades announces that its fighters detonated an 'MK84' bomb that was pre-planted in a convoy of Israeli military vehicles in Al-Tuffah, Gaza City.
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❗️Qatar also condemned the Israeli attack that happened near the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria.
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Rubio demands Iran 'walk away' from uranium enrichment, long-range missiles
Iran has insisted that its enrichment of uranium and defense capabilities are ‘non-negotiable’ in nuclear talks with the US
❗️Israeli media reports that fires have reignited in the Latrun area west of Jerusalem, and the authorities have dispatched firefighting teams.
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❗️Israel's security cabinet has approved plans for an 'expanded military campaign' in the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported on Friday. The decision follows remarks earlier this week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, both signaling Israel’s intent to escalate its operations in Gaza.
"As long as Hamas does not release our hostages, we will significantly deepen our military action," Ynet quoted an unnamed Israeli official as saying.
❗️An unverified video circulating on the internet shows Israeli soldiers distributing food and aid to people in Suwayda, southern Syria.
Some people are saying that the video is old.
❗️The Israeli army says that it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen earlier this morning.
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❗️❗️ BREAKING | Gaza’s Ministry of Interior announces in a statement that police and security forces are actively pursuing criminals and collaborators with the Israeli occupation who have exploited the ongoing war to loot property and spread chaos.
The statement stresses that despite Israeli airstrikes targeting police units, efforts to restore order and punish those involved in these acts will continue with full force.
❗️Reports that an Israeli helicopter briefly landed in the city of Suwayda, south Syria.
(Al Jazeera)
❗️Circulating video reportedly shows humanitarian aid (food, mattresses can be seen in the footage) delivered to the Druze in south Syria's Suwayda via Israeli helicopters.
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BREAKING | Israel has launched a massive wave of bombing across Syria, targeting Damascus and its countryside, Deraa, Hama, Latakia, Idlib, and other areas.
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❗️Summary of Press Statement by Hamas leader Abdulrahman al-Shadid:
– Hamas submitted a comprehensive proposal on 17 April for a permanent ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, unrestricted aid and reconstruction, a major prisoner exchange, and a five-year truce backed by international and regional guarantees. It also calls for an independent technocratic body to govern Gaza, in line with Egypt’s proposed framework.
– Netanyahu rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire, withdrawal, and prisoner exchange, instead insisting on continued war even at the cost of Israeli captives, exploiting their suffering for political gain.
– Gaza is facing "one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history," with full-blown famine, mass malnutrition, and collapsed medical services due to Israel's blockade. Israel is waging a "slow-motion genocide" by using starvation as a weapon of war, and over a million children are suffering from hunger, while hospitals are overwhelmed and aid is blocked.
– Despite international appeals, Israel continues to block thousands of aid trucks waiting at the Rafah crossing, using starvation as a deliberate tactic. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s government continues to defy the ceasefire framework and escalate through bombing and siege. Meanwhile, the resistance Gaza remains defiant and "retains initiative and morale."
– Israel continues its assaults across the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, while troops and settlers escalate killings and arrests under a “scorched earth” policy. In Jerusalem, there are intensified attempts to divide Al-Aqsa Mosque temporally and spatially, while in Hebron, access to the Ibrahimi Mosque is being restricted to Palestinians. Despite repression, the West Bank remains a front that “disrupts Israeli calculations.”
– Direct appeal to Arab and Islamic governments, criticizing their inaction amid the Gaza massacre and famine and urging them to enforce summit decisions, open crossings for aid, halt all forms of normalization with Israel, expel Israeli envoys, and pressure Western supporters of Israel by leveraging economic ties. The continued display of Israeli flags in Arab capitals while Palestinians in Gaza are being starved and killed is a “moral disgrace.”
– Called for global pressure to stop Israel’s starvation siege, praised Spain’s arms embargo, and condemned the attack on the 'Conscience' ship as state terrorism.
(Full subtitled video by Resistance News Network here)
❗️Today, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) Quds Brigades reported from the field that its fighters:
– Detonated an MK84 bomb, previously left behind by Israeli forces, targeting an enemy vehicle convoy in Gaza City's al-Tuffah neighborhood last Saturday.
– Detonated an Israeli D9 military bulldozer during its incursion into the same area.
⭕️ The Conscience, a Freedom Flotilla vessel with 30 international activists aboard, carried no weapons.
Only food, medical supplies, and solidarity with the Palestinian people.
This is not an isolated incident, but part of Israel’s long-documented strategy to criminalize and violently suppress any challenge to its blockade on Gaza.
The attack sends a clear message: Humanitarian solidarity with Gaza will be met with aggression and violence.
❗️Argentinian President Javier Milei on X:
"A day like today, 77 years ago, a State was born—modern yet ancient.
77 years of miracles, hope, courage, and determination.
77 years in which FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY rose above DARKNESS.
I congratulate the State of Israel on its short but glorious 77 years of existence.
A country small in size but immense in spirit.
Just like Argentina, Israel is a beacon of FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY.
AM ISRAEL CHAI!
VLLC!"
Iraqi PM defends Syrian president's visit despite calls for his arrest
Ahmad al-Sharaa previously carried out terror attacks against civilians in Iraq as an Al-Qaeda chief following the 2003 US invasion
❗️A statement from the Syrian Presidency condemns the Israeli attack that happened overnight near the Presidential Palace in Damascus, describing it as "a dangerous escalation by the occupying state and its backers."
The statement also urges the international community and Arab countries to "stand by Syria in confronting this hostile aggression, which violates international laws and conventions."
⭕️ Greece has reached a preliminary agreement with Dubai's Emirates, which includes a codeshare deal with Greek airline Aegean, according to a statement from the country's Tourism Ministry on Friday. The agreement aims to boost year-round tourism by enhancing traveler access to key destinations such as Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes.
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❗️Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announces that the PM spoke with Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel's Druze community, to discuss recent developments. Sheikh Tarif thanked Netanyahu for his actions to protect the Druze in Syria, including the strike near the presidential palace in Damascus.
Netanyahu also emphasized the importance of the Druze community continuing to uphold the law in Israel, while Sheikh Tarif assured him that Druze leaders condemn violence and remain committed to respecting the rule of law.