43030
The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
⭕️ 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.
Читать полностью…
⭕️ 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.
Читать полностью…
⭕️ 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.”
Читать полностью…
❗️"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
UPDATE | Israel has killed at least 92 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip since dawn today.
Nearly 100 in one day.
BREAKING | Car ramming reported south of Hebron, occupied West Bank. Israeli forces reportedly opened fire on the Palestinian who carried it out.
This follows the shooting in Jenin, marking two acts of resistance within the span of 15 minutes.
❗️Two of the four wounded in the shooting at the Rihan checkpoint in Barta'a, northern West Bank, were seriously injured.
(Maariv)
⭕️ US considers leading post-war Gaza administration, excluding Hamas & PA (Reuters)
The US and Israel have held early-stage talks about Washington leading a temporary 'post-war' administration in Gaza, five sources told Reuters.
The plan would reportedly involve a US-headed transitional government overseeing Gaza until it is "demilitarized" and a new Palestinian administration emerges, mirroring the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq following the 2003 invasion.
There would be no fixed timeline, and other countries could join the effort.
The proposed administration would include Palestinian technocrats but exclude both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA). The talks remain preliminary, with no agreement yet on leadership roles or specific implementation.
The idea draws parallels to past occupation efforts.
UPDATE | Israel has killed at least 66 Palestinians in ongoing Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip since dawn today.
(Medical sources to Al Jazeera)
❗️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.
Читать полностью…
❗️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."
Читать полностью…
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)
🇾🇪 BREAKING | In a military statement, Yemen vows to continue targeting Israeli maritime routes and enforcing its air blockade.
The Yemeni Armed Forces also announced strikes targeting Ramon Airport in Eilat and a vital site in Tel Aviv.
Separately, it attacked the USS Truman and accompanying ships before the US announced a halt to its attacks on Yemen, thwarting a US airstrike, causing an F-18 to crash amid panic, and forcing the Truman to retreat north.
WATCH | As part of the 'Gates of Hell' series of operations, Qassam Brigades fighters carried out a complex ambush targeting Israeli soldiers and vehicles east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
Читать полностью…
UAE brokers secret Israel–Syria rapprochement talks: Report
Damascus is open to establishing relations with Tel Aviv despite Israel's bombing and occupation of territory in Syria
BREAKING | Several injured in a shooting operation targeting an Israeli vehicle near the Barta'a checkpoint, southwest of Jenin in the occupied West Bank.
Читать полностью…
❗️Israel committed a massacre in Al-Rimal, Gaza City, bombing the Thai Restaurant and killing at least 20 Palestinians including women, children, and a journalist.
Читать полностью…
❗️Local sources in south Lebanon report that Israeli warplanes bombed the village of Majdal Zoun.
Читать полностью…