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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
UPDATE | 16 killed and 70 wounded in Israel's bombing of the European Hospital in Gaza and its vicinity, according to the Ministry of Health.
Israel is attacking anyone who tries to get close to the site.
BREAKING | Chaos at Ben Gurion Airport after missile launch from Yemen.
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Update | At least four killed and many injured in the large-scale attack on the vicinity of the European Hospital in Khan Yunis.
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BREAKING | Missile sirens sound in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
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Tehran says open to 'temporarily limit' uranium enrichment as US imposes new sanctions
Washington has consistently imposed new sanctions against the Islamic Republic following each round of indirect nuclear talks
❗️Israeli PM Netanyahu: Israel is actively seeking a country to take in Palestinians from Gaza, more than 50% are expected to leave.
He announced that Israel will soon launch a full-scale assault to 'complete the military operation and destroy Hamas,' and that while a temporary ceasefire may occur, the war will not stop.
Netanyahu confirmed that the Israeli cabinet has approved a plan to expand the occupation of Gaza, with officials indicating that full occupation is on the table.
❗️Senior envoys of US President Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, are scheduled to travel to Istanbul on Thursday for possible talks aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war, though it is unclear if the Russian government will attend.
(Reuters)
⭕️ "We have helped all of those countries, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, and others, we keep them safe. If it wasn't for us they probably wouldn't exist right now."
US President Donald Trump humiliated Gulf countries ahead of his visit to the region.
❗️Qassam Brigades: "We clashed with a Zionist engineering unit using light weapons and killed the driver of a military vehicle east of the Shujaiya neighborhood two days ago."
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⭕️ Iran is willing to consider temporary restrictions on its uranium enrichment program, the country’s deputy foreign minister said today.
"For a limited period of time, we can accept a series of restrictions on the level and volume of enrichment," said Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi.
"We have not yet gone into details about the level and volume of enrichment," he said, quoted by Tasnim news agency.
❗️Israel's Channel 12: A small delegation of families of Israeli captives has traveled to Qatar to meet with President Trump and the Qatari Prime Minister.
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⭕️ Saudi Arabia will keep its crude oil exports to China steady at 48 million barrels in June, matching May’s level, the highest since at least 2024, following OPEC+’s decision to boost output.
(Reuters)
BREAKING | Israel targets a motorcycle in Houla, south Lebanon in what appears to be an assassination.
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⭕️ Europe Day 2025: Lebanese students take top honors in EU knowledge contest
32 students from 8 public and private schools across Lebanon participated in the fourth edition of the Europe Day Student Competition, held at ESA Business School on May 8. Organized by the EU Delegation to Lebanon, the event tested students’ knowledge of European history, culture, institutions, and member states.
Chloé Farah from Collège Notre-Dame de Jamhour won the competition with the highest score. EU Ambassador Sandra De Waele praised the students and expressed hope for a peaceful and opportunity-rich future for Lebanon. The event also featured a round where European diplomats and Lebanese students teamed up to answer questions about Lebanon and Europe.
(EU Delegation to Lebanon)
⭕️ Italy and Greece reaffirm their support for ceasefire in Gaza
“We reconfirm our support for the full implementation of the ceasefire agreements in Gaza and Lebanon and for a two-state solution with an independent Palestinian State in peace and security,” they said Monday in a joint statement following a bilateral meeting held in Rome.
The CIA’s war-before-war: From Iraq to Iran
A US blueprint drawn in 2002 to break Iraq before invading is being revived against Iran – with sabotage, assassinations, and psychological warfare already underway.
By Shivan Mahendrarajah
BREAKING | Trump announces from Riyadh that the US will lift all sanctions on Syria.
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Trump signs 'largest arms deal in history,' secures $600bn Saudi investment pledge
The Gulf kingdom secured a wide array of advanced US military equipment and services from the US in a landmark $142 billion arms deal
BREAKING | Israel bombs vicinity of the European Hospital near Khan Yunis, south Gaza. People were buried under the sand due to the impact of the attack. Deaths and injuries have been reported.
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❗️According to Axios, US President Donald Trump will meet with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa (Julani) tomorrow in Riyadh.
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Israeli cabinet votes to formalize annexation of occupied West Bank territory
Israel will take over land registration in Area C of the West Bank, in a move that amounts to 'annexation on steroids'
❗️Sanaa International Airport in Yemen is set to reopen on Wednesday, according to the airport’s general director.
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⭕️ Israeli cabinet vote formalizes de facto annexation of West Bank's Area C
For the first time, Israel's cabinet has voted to assume exclusive control over land registration in Area C of the occupied West Bank — 60% of the territory — effectively nullifying any Palestinian claims to the land.
The move, seen as de facto annexation, voids Palestinian land registry efforts and paves the way for expanded settlement building.
War Minister Israel Katz said the decision will “strengthen and expand” Jewish settlements.
Israel kills Palestinian journalist in new hospital bombing
Israel assassinated Hassan Aslih while he was receiving burn treatments for injuries from a previous Israeli strike
❗️Hamas: “We call for a unified national stance to confront the unpatriotic actions of the Palestinian Authority’s security forces in the West Bank.”
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⭕️ US signals deeper involvement in Lebanon under pretext of “stability” and army support
A US State Department official told Al-Arabiya that “stability in Lebanon affects the entire region,” calling the current moment “a historic chance for Lebanon to move forward”—language often used by Washington to justify political interference and economic leverage.
US State Department Arabic-language spokesman Sam Werberg told LBCI that Washington is committed to backing the Lebanese Army “to enable it to extend its control across Lebanon,” a longstanding US objective aimed at sidelining the Resistance and reshaping the country’s security doctrine. Werberg added that the US is monitoring developments “around the clock” and is open to discussing mechanisms of economic support—further signaling Washington’s intent to shape Lebanon’s internal direction through conditional aid and military backing.
❗️Trump's Special Representative Witkoff: No Peace Deal in Ukraine Without Putin's Approval
– Witkoff stated that the main topics of the Russia-Ukraine talks, scheduled for Thursday in Istanbul, will include territorial issues, the status of the Zaporizhia Nuclear Power Plant, Ukraine’s use of the Dnieper River, and access to the Black Sea.
– “The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is extremely important in these talks due to its capacity,” he said.
– The US reportedly seeks to establish a neutral zone under its own control around the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant.
(APA)
Trump lands in Riyadh to secure major US–Saudi investment, weapons deals
The President arrived in Riyadh with high-profile US business leaders to attend the Saudi–US Investment Forum
❗️Trump’s Gulf tour doesn’t bode well for Israel
“The president’s approach to foreign policy is heavily influenced by economic statecraft,” said CFR’s Steven Cook, highlighting Trump’s focus on Gulf wealth over Israeli alignment.
US President Donald Trump’s ongoing Gulf tour stopping in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar, marks a sharp shift in regional priorities, with Gaza treated as a sideshow and Israel notably left off the itinerary. According to Politico, Trump is focused on transactional diplomacy, pushing for multibillion-dollar oil, trade, and investment deals, including a potential $1 trillion in Saudi investments.
(Politico)
Syria's de facto president to skip Arab League summit in Iraq: Report
Many Iraqi politicians opposed the government's invitation to Sharaa and called for his arrest due to his past as a commander of Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq