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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
⭕️ Saudi Arabia has so far refrained from officially joining the BRICS group of nations, despite participating in a meeting in Brazil last week. The BRICS website lists Saudi Arabia, the world’s top oil exporter, as a member, although the kingdom has not formally joined. Brazil's foreign ministry said to refer to the Saudi government when asked about the kingdom's listed status as a member on the website.
In January, US President Donald Trump warned that if BRICS moved forward with plans to create a new currency or backed any alternative to the US dollar, the bloc’s member states would be hit with 100% tariffs.
(Reuters)
Dozens of Israeli raids hit Nabatieh region in south Lebanon in major escalation
Israel continues to violate the 27 November ceasefire agreement with Lebanon
❗️Lebanese Ministry of Health releases preliminary toll:
One killed and eight injured in Israeli airstrikes on Nabatieh district so far today.
❗️Jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, whose X account got banned in Turkiye, shared a video on Tik Tok from a rally held in Beyazit Square yesterday with the caption:
“We will not give up — you will.”
❗️The Israeli army announces that it is now operating a mobile triage facility near the village of Hader, southern Syria, to "support the Syrian-Druze population and ensure their safety."
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BREAKING | An investigative documentary by Zeteo has revealed the identity of the Israeli sniper who murdered iconic Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in 2022: 22-year-old Captain Alon Sacagiu of the sniper platoon in the Haruv Patrol, Kfir Brigade.
Though there was never any accountability for her killing, her blood was ultimately avenged: Sacagiu was killed in a fierce ambush carried out by the Jenin Brigade in June 2024 involving two improvised explosive devices.
❗️Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on X:
"Israel must be able to defend itself independently against any threat and any enemy. This has been true in the face of many past challenges, and it will remain so in the future.
The Houthis will suffer heavy blows from Israel if they continue to fire at us. The IDF is prepared for any mission.
I also warn the Iranian leadership, which funds, arms, and directs the Houthi terrorist organization: the proxy model is over, and the axis of evil has collapsed. You bear direct responsibility. What we did to Hezbollah in Beirut, to Hamas in Gaza, to Assad in Damascus, and to the Houthis in Yemen—we will do to you as well in Tehran.
We will not allow anyone to harm Israel—and whoever harms us will be severely harmed in return."
❗️US Police detained dozens of Columbia University students on Wednesday after they seized part of the school’s main library in one of the largest pro-Palestinian protests on campus since last year.
Between 40 and 50 students, their hands bound with plastic zip-ties, were seen being taken into NYPD vans and buses outside Butler Library, while officers moved through the six-story building to apprehend remaining protesters who had refused to leave.
Columbia officials had requested police presence, stating that students in the second-floor main reading room were trespassing.
❗️ Former Israeli Chief of Staff to the Israeli forces, Moshe Ya’alon, in comments to Yedioth Ahronoth:
– The Israeli forces Chief of Staff is pushing soldiers toward war crimes.
– The government is enabling criminal conduct in Gaza.
– Ben Gvir and Smotrich’s calls to forcibly displace Gazans amount to ethnic cleansing.
– Netanyahu has abandoned the Israeli captives, his only priority is political survival.
– There is a deliberate effort to prolong the war, because ending it would collapse the government.
⭕️ Access to the X account belonging to jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the chief political opponent of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been restricted within Turkiye due to a legal order, according to a message posted on the account Thursday.
Imamoglu was detained by police on 19 March, sparking the country’s most significant protests in ten years. He was imprisoned four days later to await trial on corruption charges, which he has rejected.
BREAKING | Jerusalem Governorate: Israeli forces have stormed UNRWA schools in Shuafat refugee camp, ordering immediate evacuation of students and staff. Israeli closure orders have been posted, with the decision taking effect today—leaving hundreds of Palestinian students in Jerusalem without access to education.
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❗️Gaza Civil Defense:
“75% percent of our vehicles have stopped operating due to a lack of diesel fuel,” the agency’s spokesman Mahmud Bassal tells AFP, adding that its first responders were also facing a “severe shortage of electric generators and oxygen devices.”
❗️The Government Media Office in Gaza reports that "the genocide committed by the [Israeli] occupation has so far resulted in more than 180,000 martyrs, wounded, and missing persons."
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Macron hosts Syria's de facto president on first European visit
Sharaa arrived in Paris for his first official trip to Europe after shedding his identity as a former Al-Qaeda leader and deputy commander to the founder of ISIS
UPDATE | Israel has killed at least 99 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip since dawn today.
(Medical sources to Al Jazeera)
❗️Gaza communal kitchens shut as supply runs out
Dozens of community kitchens in Gaza shut their doors on Thursday due to a lack of supplies, closing off a lifeline used by hundreds of thousands of people in a further blow to efforts to combat growing hunger in the enclave.
Amjad al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO) in Gaza, told Reuters that most of the enclave's 170 community kitchens had shut down after running out of stock due to Israel's continued blockade of Gaza.
Shawa said the decision by the WCK, announced late on Wednesday, and the closure of community kitchens on Thursday would cause a drop of between 400,000 and 500,000 free meals per day for the 2.3 million population.
"Everyone in Gaza today is hungry. The world must act now to save the people here," said Shawa.
❗️Ambulances transported a young man injured by Israeli bullets in the Old City of Nablus a short while ago, during an ongoing raid by occupation forces.
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BREAKING | After the dozens of Israeli airstrikes that targeted southern Lebanon this morning, Israel renewed its bombing of Ali ofoal-Taher Hill, near Kfar Reman.
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❗️The Israeli army is withholding conscription orders from soldiers who have refused to fight, fearing they will not comply, according to sources cited by Haaretz.
Military sources admit that enlistment in the reserves is significantly lower than the officially stated 80%, exposing a growing gap between reported figures and on-the-ground reality.
One officer confirmed an increasing reliance on pressure tactics to compel service, as the army faces mounting difficulties in summoning troops.
❗️Al-Akhbar correspondent in south Lebanon:
"A US military team, accompanied by a unit from the Lebanese Army, has been conducting a tour since this morning through the valleys stretching along the slopes of Qusayr, Deir Siryan, and Taybeh."
⭕️ US approves Qatari plan to fund Syria’s public sector
In a statement on Wednesday, Syria’s finance minister said that Qatar will deliver $29 million per month for three months—extendable—to cover the salaries of civilian public-sector employees. The grant has received a US sanctions waiver and will be managed by the United Nations Development Programme, the minister added.
Qatar was notified of the US approval and stated that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control was expected to issue a letter soon, officially confirming the initiative’s exemption from US sanctions.
(Reuters)
❗️Over ten Columbia University public safety officers placed a student in a chokehold and tackled him to the ground as he screamed in pain, reportedly without providing medical assistance. They also surrounded a student, forming a physical barrier to prevent them from recording the incident.
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⭕️ According to Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad, Iran has increased its daily oil production by 150,000 barrels, raw gas production by 30 million cubic meters, refining capacity by 180,000 barrels per day, and petrochemical output by 7 million tons annually. Daily gasoline and diesel output has risen by 7 and 8 million liters respectively, and despite intensified sanctions, oil exports remain at peak levels.
He also announced plans to complete over 30 major oil projects worth approximately $10 billion by the end of 2025, expected to boost daily oil output by 250,000 barrels and raw gas production by another 30 million cubic meters.
BREAKING | Israeli warplanes bomb the Kfar Reman Hills in south Lebanon over a dozen of times.
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⭕️ Ahmed al-Sharaa confirms indirect talks with Israel after Macron meeting and visits Eiffel Tower
Following a high-level meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Syria’s interim President Ahmed Sharaa confirmed that indirect negotiations with Israel are ongoing. In a joint press conference, Sharaa addressed questions about recent Israeli strikes on Syrian territory, stating:
“Indirect talks with Israel are continuing. This is an initiative aimed at de-escalating the situation before it spirals out of control.”
Shortly after the meeting, he was seen visiting the Eiffel Tower.
WATCH | Yemeni Armed Forces released a video identifying the locations of Israeli airports, calling them “Unsafe airports.”
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❗️"There's a lot of bravery there ... it was amazing, what they took."
US President Donald Trump says he "honors" Ansarallah's word, hoping they will "leave the ships alone," and describes their resilience as a "great capacity to withstand punishment," calling it "bravery."
IMEC interrupted: The resistance that's buying Beijing time
As Tel Aviv and Washington redraw the region’s economic map, China quietly benefits from the resistance’s disruption of rival US-led trade corridors and maritime control.
By Abbas al-Zein
UK arms exports to Israel continue months after government 'ban': Report
Thousands of UK-made munitions, bombs, and fighter jet parts have been delivered to Israel since the Labour government suspended several arms licenses last year
US in talks with Israel to lead 'temporary post-war administration' of Gaza: Report
The secret talks are taking place as Israel has mobilized thousands of reservists ahead of the intended 'conquest' of Gaza and the forced displacement of its entire population