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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️Iraq–Qatar strengthen transport ties under $17b development road plan
Iraqi PM Mohammad Shia al-Sudani met with Qatari Transport Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani in Baghdad to boost cooperation in transport and ports.
The initiative aims to connect the Faw Grand Port to the Turkish border via a major rail and highway network, positioning Iraq as a regional trade and energy hub. Both sides discussed joint projects along the route, aviation growth, and improved infrastructure management.
Backed by Iraq, Turkiye, the UAE, and Qatar under a 2024 agreement, the project seeks to link the Gulf to Europe. Turkiye is also coordinating with Bulgaria, Hungary, and Serbia to extend the corridor further into Europe.
❗️In a statement, Hamas condemns: “The Israeli cabinet's approval of plans to expand its ground operation in the Gaza Strip represents a clear decision to sacrifice Israeli prisoners in the Strip, reproducing the cycle of failure it began eighteen months ago without achieving any of its declared objectives.”
“The statements made by the terrorist Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court, confirm his insistence on committing further war crimes against innocent civilians in the Gaza Strip, with full American cover provided by the US administration.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "dragging the United States into another disaster in the Middle East." As tensions escalate, Araghchi accused Netanyahu of manipulating US foreign policy to provoke conflict with Iran.
“Netanyahu is directly meddling within the US government to drag it into another disaster in our region,” he wrote on X, warning that “any mistake against Iran” would have serious consequences.
As Israel bombs Syria and expands its 'military' operations and occupation, Syrian interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa (Julani) is seen playing basketball with Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
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⭕️ US President Donald Trump said he had a “very good and productive” telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday. He stated that they will cooperate with Ankara to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump also claimed that they discussed issues related to Syria, Gaza, and sanctions, and expressed their "readiness to exchange official visits."
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France’s Gaza evacuation scheme: Israel’s Trojan horse for ethnic cleansing?
As European states quietly extract select Gazans under the guise of humanitarian evacuation, Tel Aviv’s goal of demographic reengineering may be unfolding – with French complicity and Arab passivity in tow.
❗️Al-Masirah's correspondent in Hodeidah, Yemen:
"Two martyrs and 42 wounded in the preliminary toll of the US-Israeli aggression on the Bajil Cement Factory."
❗️Israeli drones are currently flying low over the skies of Beirut, Lebanon.
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❗️Israel bombed the southern Lebanese town of Tayr Harfa for the third time in less than an hour.
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❗️An Israeli drone bombed the town of Tayr Harfa in southern Lebanon.
Israel has bombed Gaza, Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon within the span of one hour.
❗️Yemeni Ministry of Health announces that 21 civilians were injured in a preliminary toll from the Israeli-American attack on the Bajil Cement Factory in Hodeidah.
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BREAKING | Israeli warplanes bomb the Shaara area near the Syrian town of Serghaya, close to the Syrian-Lebanese border.
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❗️Israeli Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) reports that at least 50 missiles and bombs were launched by Israeli warplanes on Yemen.
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❗️Channel 13, citing a security official:
"The current airstrikes in Yemen are merely a repetition of the past. We do not expect the airstrikes to stop Houthi missile launches, and the Air Force is also preparing for a possible Houthi response."
UPDATE | US and Israel target Hodeidah Port with at least 6 airstrikes.
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❗️British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday evening, according to a statement from a Downing Street spokeswoman.
The statement noted that "discussing the situation in Gaza, both expressed their deep concern at recent developments and agreed a renewed peace process was required."
❗️ Times of Israel military correspondent Mannie Fabian reports that the Israeli army has evacuated another ten wounded Syrian Druze to Ziv Hospital in Safad over the past two days, bringing the total to over 25 treated in Israel this past week.
The military says its troops are “deployed to southern Syria” and remain “prepared to prevent hostile forces from entering the area and Druze villages.” The military adds it is “monitoring the developments” and maintaining readiness for various scenarios.
⭕️ Yesterday, Palestinian child Hassan Alaa Ayyad was tragically killed in an Israeli airstrike on Nuseirat Camp in central Gaza.
He was known across Gaza and on social media for his powerful voice and renditions of revolutionary songs.
❗️Self-appointed Syrian interim president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, is set to visit Paris on Wednesday at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, according to the Élysée Palace, as reported by the French news agency.
The visit signals France’s ongoing backing of efforts to reshape Syria under the banner of a “new, free, and stable” state.
(AFP)
❗️US President Donald Trump says he is "gonna help the people of Gaza get some food," and that it is hard because Hamas is "taking everything that's brought in."
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❗️Israel attacked the town of Sfriha, north of Tyre, in southern Lebanon. No casualties or injuries are reported.
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The Cradle goes to Tehran: Will there be war?
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⭕️ Israeli journalist Barak Ravid for Axios: Trump gives Netanyahu green light to do as he sees fit in Gaza
– "The White House focus has shifted to the Russia-Ukraine war and nuclear talks with Iran, with little to no bandwidth for Gaza, Israeli and US officials say."
– "Trump is not currently playing an active role in efforts to reach a ceasefire and has effectively given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a green light to do as he sees fit, Israeli officials say."
– "Israel's Security Cabinet approved a plan Sunday night to gradually reoccupy all of Gaza and hold it indefinitely if no deal is reached by May 15. Plans for the operation call for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to flatten any buildings that remain standing and displace virtually the entire population of 2 million people to a single "humanitarian area."
❗️ Israeli warplanes bombed the outskirts of the towns of Janta and Serghaya in the eastern Bekaa Valley, near the Lebanese-Syrian border, for the second time today.
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❗️Israel's Channel 14 reports that the Israeli Air Force launched raids on "Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley."
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❗️Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz watched the Israeli airstrikes on Yemen live from an underground bunker in the Kirya, Tel Aviv.
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❗️A video shows Israel's bombardment of a cement factory in Bajil, Hodeidah Governorate, Yemen.
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❗️Israel bombs Hodeidah while the US bombs the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
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❗️Israel's Channel 12 reports that over 30 Israeli warplanes are currently launching extensive attacks on Yemen.
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BREAKING | Joint Israeli-American airstrikes reported in Hodeidah, Yemen.
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