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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️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.
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❗️At least two Palestinians, including a child, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, a short while ago.
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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.
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⭕️ 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.
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⭕️ 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.
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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
❗️Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani
arrives in Russia on an official visit. His plane landed at the Vnukovo airport in Moscow.
He is set to hold talks with Vladimir Putin.
Israel committed a massacre in south Gaza's Khan Yunis, targeting the tents of displaced Palestinians, which went up in flames, killing at least 15 people.
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❗️The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) announced in a statement that its Intelligence Directorate, in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces and General Security, identified the group responsible for the "two rocket launches at the occupied Palestinian territories on March 22 and 28, 2025."
Several members of the group, consisting of Lebanese and Palestinian individuals, were arrested following raids in several areas, and the equipment used in the attacks was seized.
According to the statement, investigations are ongoing under judicial supervision, with efforts to apprehend the remaining suspects.
❗️Hamas on the occasion of Palestinian Prisoners' Day:
– "The liberation of prisoners from Zionist occupation prisons will remain at the top of our priorities in the Al-Aqsa Flood exchange deal, in loyalty to their sacrifices and steadfastness."
– "The crimes of the occupation against our male and female prisoners will not succeed in breaking their willpower. The perpetrators will not escape accountability, and their crimes will not be forgotten regardless of how much time passes."
– "We hold the occupation fully responsible for the lives and well-being of the thousands of abducted individuals from Gaza since October 7, 2023, and for all our prisoners in the occupation’s prisons. We condemn the international silence over the continued executions and deliberate killings they are being subjected to."
– "The world has seen how our movement treated the enemy’s prisoners with care, humanity, and civilized values—while the fascist occupation government commits the most heinous forms of torture, intentional murder, and crimes against our prisoners, in blatant violation of international humanitarian law and all international norms and conventions."
The US–Israeli strategy to weaken Arab armies
For decades, Washington has ensured Israel’s military dominance by systematically weakening Arab armies. Lebanon is the most current and obvious example of this doctrine in practice.
By Mohamad Sweidan
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.
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⭕️ 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.
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BREAKING | Israel bombs the UNRWA-run Al-Ayyoubiya School in north Gaza's Jabalia, housing displaced Palestinians.
Several casualties reported, among them children.
❗️Saudi Defense Minister Khaled Bin Salman arrives in Tehran, Iran, and is set to partake in several meetings with officials to discuss bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest between the two countries.
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❗️Summary of Hamas official Hussam Badran's comments:
– Hamas denies seeking any special privileges in negotiations, stating its only goal is to alleviate Palestinian suffering.
– The group rejects all proposals demanding the disarmament of the resistance, calling such demands counterproductive.
– Hamas is working to form a national-consensus government for both Gaza and the West Bank, without factional quotas.
– It is ready to hand over Gaza’s administration once a national agreement is reached.
– Hamas proposed creating a National Support Committee made up of 40 non-Hamas national figures to help resolve internal divisions.
–The priority, according to Hamas, is not the specific administrative model but addressing Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and ending the aggression.
BREAKING | US aircraft launch a series of airstrikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa and Al-Jawf Governorate.
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Tariff Wars: Who will last longer, China or the US?
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Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen border areas hours after intense US airstrikes
UAE-backed militias in southern Yemen are reportedly preparing a 'ground offensive' against Ansarallah with the support of the US