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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
Breaking | Yemen’s Ansarallah strikes Ben Gurion Airport, enforces no-fly zone over Israel
Ansarallah’s military spokesman just announced a “qualitative operation” targeting Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Lod with a hypersonic ballistic missile, claiming the strike successfully hit its target.
The spokesman said the attack is part of enforcing a no-fly zone over Israel’s airspace in response to Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.
In a separate operation, Ansarallah reported striking a “vital Israeli enemy target” in Tel Aviv with a Yaffa drone.
The group renewed warnings to international airlines that continue flights to Israeli airports, stating that the air traffic ban over occupied Palestine will remain in effect until the aggression on Gaza ends.
Damascus appoints extremist with ISIS links as north Syria army leader
The US criticized the appointment, despite its own past support for ISIS and its offshoot, the Nusra Front, which now rules Syria under a new name
Chinese exports surge despite US tariffs
China has reduced exports to the US as President Trump's tariffs take effect, but this has been offset by boosting trade with other Asian countries
❗️The Jerusalem Governorate announces that Israel has reissued a 14-day demolition notice
to residents of the Al-Waad apartment building in Wadi Qaddum, East Jerusalem, home to around 85 Jerusalemites.
A similar order was issued by the municipality in 2022, but efforts and actions by local residents and institutions at the time successfully halted the demolition.
Update | Mira appears in a new video stating she willingly married Ahmad and was never abducted. While some view this as closing the case, many others remain skeptical.
The online uproar stems from fears sparked by a wave of dozens of real recent abduction cases.
❗️The Kurdish PKK group announced in a statement that it convened its congress from 5 - 7 May:
"The PKK 12th congress was successfully held in the Media Defense Areas from 5 to 7 May. The congress was conducted in two different areas in parallel, with delegates representing all areas of work."
The congress was convened to discuss a landmark letter from leader Abdullah Ocalan, released in late February, in which he stated that the PKK had fulfilled its mission and called for a transition from armed struggle to political engagement in the fight for Kurdish rights. He urged the group to disband and disarm.
The PKK announced that decisions on disarmament and dissolution were made during the congress, and the outcomes will be made public “very soon” after results from two separate areas are consolidated.
❗️Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responds to the “Very Scary Satellite Images," allegedly showing a third Iranian nuclear site, calling the allegations unfounded efforts to sway public opinion before the resumption of the US-Iran nuclear talks.
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❗️Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Mike Johnson threatens "pro-Hamas rioters" on college campuses, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that "pro-Hamas thugs" are not welcome to the US.
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❗️Times of Israel reports that approximately 550 Palestinians have left Gaza since 18 March, 2025. In contrast, Egyptian Shorouk News reported that about 103,000 Palestinians exited via the Rafah crossing between November 2023 and March 2024.
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❗️Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that three rounds of secret talks between Syrian and Israeli officials were held in Abu Dhabi, hosted by a prominent Emirati figure. The discussions, which were mediated by the UAE’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Intelligence under Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, included two Israeli security-focused personnel and three close associates of Syria’s new interim president. The talks were described as “exploratory and non-binding,” with each side reporting directly to their leadership.
“Unlike Iranian-American negotiations, the Syrian and Israeli delegations sat together at the same table, surrounded by luxurious Emirati hospitality designed to foster trust.”
⭕️ Ahead of Donald Trump’s West Asia visit next week, heavy US and regional pressure is mounting on Israel and the Palestinian resistance to finalize a ceasefire and prisoner-exchange deal.
The proposed outline includes a temporary ceasefire, the release of 5–8 captives (including a US-Israeli soldier), and the introduction of humanitarian aid. However, Israeli officials fear the plan will be watered down to give Trump a diplomatic win during his visit, potentially forcing Israel to accept a less favorable version of the agreement.
Israeli sources say Netanyahu is under immense pressure to comply with Washington’s timeline and avoid embarrassing Trump. The Americans have warned Israel not to launch a renewed military offensive in Gaza before or during Trump’s stay, urging a pause instead.
(Maariv)
❗️The Head of the Bakery Owners Association in Gaza tells Al-Arabiya TV: “All bakeries have shut down due to a total lack of flour and fuel. Bread has run out completely, and half of Gaza’s homes have no flour left.”
He warns of looming famine: “We will die of hunger if we wait two more weeks for the American plan. The occupation has destroyed 25 bakeries—mostly in northern Gaza. The only solution is immediate access through open crossings.”
BREAKING | Gaza’s Water Crisis Deepens
Gaza Municipality spokesperson Asem al-Nabih told Al Jazeera that 75% of Gaza’s water wells are significantly damaged, leaving residents without sufficient daily water. Currently, less than 50% of the area can be supplied.
⭕️ Iran’s Foreign Ministry has announced that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Saturday, as part of Tehran’s ongoing efforts to strengthen regional ties. In Riyadh, Araghchi is scheduled to meet with senior Saudi officials, including Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Later that day, he will travel to Doha to participate in the Iran-Arab World Dialogue Summit.
He is set to meet with senior Saudi officials in Riyadh before traveling to Doha in the evening to attend the Iran-Arab World Dialogue summit.
❗️Circulating footage from Beit Lahia, northern Gaza, shows dozens of local youth clearing rubble from the streets with their bare hands to open a path for a civil defense vehicle rushing to a bombed home.
With Israeli airstrikes last month destroying nearly all remaining rubble removal equipment in the area, such scenes reflect both the devastation and the resilience of Gaza’s civilians, who are forced to rely on their own hands to clear the way for emergency aid.
WATCH | Russia marks Victory Day on 9 May with a military parade featuring troops from former Soviet states, attended by leaders from the region and the Global South.
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❗️Israeli Channel 14:
The US THAAD system failed for the second time this week to intercept a missile from Yemen.
❗️Google Earth updates reveal unimaginable destruction in Gaza:
Google Earth has updated its satellite imagery of Gaza to reflect the state of the territory as of December 2024. The new images, particularly from northern Gaza and the Netzarim Corridor, reveal an almost total erasure of once-populated areas, with entire neighborhoods and villages reduced to rubble. In parts of the corridor, not a single building remains standing across entire square miles. While southern Gaza’s imagery only extends to June 2024, before the full-scale demolitions in Rafah, the updated visuals offer a stark, nearly complete view of Israel’s brutal campaign of mass displacement and destruction.
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "27 martyrs (including 1 recovered martyr) and 85 injuries arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals over the past 24 hours."
– "The martyrdom toll and injuries since March 18, 2025 (when Israel resumed its genocidal war) has reached 2,678 martyrs and 7,308 injuries."
❗️Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir criticized the decision to resume humanitarian aid to Gaza, calling it a "moral and strategic mistake." He urged Prime Minister Netanyahu and cabinet members to reverse the move, stating: “It is foolishness and a moral and strategic mistake for Gazans to get supplies while our hostages are starved. The equation must be clear: Want humanitarian [aid]? Release our hostages.”
(Times of Israel)
US to use Gaza aid plan as 'bait to force displacement': UNICEF
Since March, Israel has imposed a crippling aid blockade on Gaza as part of its effort to starve Palestinians and ethnically cleanse them from the strip
❗️Massive crowds gather at Al-Sabeen Square in Sanaa and other cities across Yemen today for the million-man march in solidarity with Gaza. Crowds are chanting “By God’s power, we defeated America—and we’ll defeat Israel too.”
Yesterday, the leader of Yemen’s Ansarallah movement, Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi, called on the people for a million-man march. The demonstration is intended to express gratitude for what he described as the American failure, affirm defiance of Israel, and show steadfast support for the Palestinian people and resistance fighters in Gaza.
SYRIA | Reports emerge of abduction and forced marriage of young woman in Homs
According to sources close to the family and accounts circulating widely on social media, Mira Jalal Thabat, a young Alawite woman from the city of Talkalakh – Al-Mukhattabiya in Homs province, was abducted on 27 April, 2025, under suspicious circumstances. Mira had reportedly gone to the Teachers' Training Institute in Homs to sit for an exam after receiving a phone call from a woman named Suha al-Akkari. Her father, who personally drove her and waited outside the building, confirmed that she never exited the institute, prompting growing concerns of internal collusion involving members of the faculty and student body.
After days of silence and escalating pressure on Mira’s family, including the arrest of her father, Mira reappeared on 8 May under heavy security presence. In photos shared online, she is seen wearing a niqab and being pulled by the wrist by a man identified as Ahmad, with members of the General Security Forces visibly present. The attire she was forced to wear is not culturally native to Syria, or even West Asia as a whole.
A video released by those involved shows Mira saying she left of her own free will and eloped due to family pressures. However, this narrative is being strongly disputed by her family and others who point out that she had been previously engaged and preparing for her wedding. Activists say her case fits a disturbing pattern of young women being abducted and coerced into so-called “consensual marriages” under the threat of violence, facilitated by armed factions and shielded by a mix of religious pretense and security apparatus complicity.
No official investigation has been announced to date.
Since HTS toppled Assad’s government in December, Syria has seen a disturbing wave of mysterious kidnappings targeting young women, mostly from the Alawite community.
❗️Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office:
– "The occupation authorities are holding 31 Palestinian female detainees under harsh conditions in Damon Prison on Mount Carmel."
– "The detainees are subjected to repeated raids on their rooms—three times in the past week alone—without any reasonable justification."
– "The occupation forces confiscated the communal wall clock, depriving the detainees of knowing the times for prayer and meals."
– "The detainees were forced to hand over their winter clothes in exchange for summer clothing, despite the cold weather."
– "The food provided is scarce and of poor quality; the detainees combine their daily meals to eat them all at once in an effort to stave off hunger."
– "There is a severe shortage of personal hygiene items—for example, only 15 shower scrubs are available for all 31 detainees."
– "Some detainees have had to use bedsheets as makeshift prayer garments due to the lack of appropriate clothing."
– "Several detainees are ill and in urgent need of medical treatment, but the occupation authorities are stalling and neglecting their health conditions."
⭕️ Just days ahead of the Eurovision contest in Switzerland, Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) issued a travel advisory for Israelis heading to Basel for the annual music event.
On Thursday, the NSC highlighted that around 360 pro-Palestine demonstrations have occurred across Switzerland over the past year, with more expected during the contest, driven by opposition to the participation of Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael.
“It is recommended to stay away from these centers of friction and demonstrations, which may escalate into violence,” the NSC stated.
⭕️ Abu Dhabi’s biggest publicly traded firm, IHC, announced that it intends to launch a $1 billion AI-powered reinsurance platform in collaboration with BlackRock.
According to a statement from IHC, the new venture aims to take on $10 billion in liabilities, with BlackRock and Abu Dhabi-based alternative investment firm Lunate participating as partners.
Breaking | Haaretz: The US is applying intense pressure on Israel to strike a deal with Hamas, warning Tel Aviv it will be left to face the consequences alone if it refuses. This comes as Trump is set to visit the region.
Senior Israeli official Witkov reportedly told families of Israeli captives that continued war risks their children’s lives. He warned that if kidnapped soldiers are punished for the war’s failures, Israel itself will suffer the most. Witkov’s criticism of the Israeli government was intentionally leaked at his own request.
⭕️ Despite tens of thousands of children being injured in Gaza, the UK government has admitted only two Palestinian girls for medical treatment—and not for war injuries, but for congenital conditions unrelated to Israel’s ongoing assault. Their care was privately arranged and funded by doctors and volunteers, not the NHS or Foreign Office.
This stands in contrast to the UK’s swift acceptance of Ukrainian children during the war in 2022. Despite British hospitals offering to treat wounded children from Gaza and funds being secured, UK authorities have repeatedly denied visas, blocking life-saving care for blast victims, amputees, and burn survivors.
Source: Middle East Eye
⭕️ In a joint statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping warned of the rising global risk of nuclear conflict, criticizing the US’s ‘Golden Dome’ missile defense system as a direct threat to strategic stability.
The leaders condemned the deployment of advanced weapons systems near nuclear powers, the expansion of military alliances, and efforts to weaponize space. They accused some nuclear-armed states of clinging to Cold War mentalities and stressed that such policies are escalating tensions between nuclear powers.
❗️A new Maariv poll shows Netanyahu’s coalition would win just 48 Knesset seats if elections were held today, falling short of a majority.
Meanwhile, opposition parties would secure 62 seats.