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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
Damascus boosts security near Hmeimim air base after attack on Russian forces
Neither Moscow nor Damascus has commented on the incident, which reportedly resulted in the killing of Russian soldiers at the air base in western Syria
❗️Israel issues forced mass evacuation orders for northern Gaza amid plans for expanded assault
An Israeli army spokesperson has threatened residents in Beit Lahiya and Jabalia refugee camp to evacuate immediately, declaring them “dangerous combat zones.” He added that the military will “significantly expand its activity” in the areas.
❗️Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, on X:
“Threats from the rogue Israeli regime are nothing new. But the recent leak citing US officials as divulging Israeli plans for an unlawful attack on Iran and its nuclear facilities is alarming and warrants immediate and serious condemnation from the UN Security Council and the IAEA.
In a letter to UNSG Guterres and IAEA DG Grossi, I have called on the international community to take effective preventive measures against the continuation of Israeli threats, which if unchecked, will compel Iran to take special measures in defense of our nuclear facilities and materials.
My letter is a serious pre-action warning. The nature, content, and extent of our actions will correspond and be proportionate to preventive measures taken by these international bodies in accordance with their statutory duties and obligations.
Evidently, the Wanted War Criminal Netanyahu—desperate to dictate what the US can and cannot do—spares no effort to derail diplomacy and divert attention from his ICC arrest warrant.
The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to forcefully respond to any transgression and will stop at nothing to protect its interests and people.”
❗️Gaza’s Port Becomes a Refuge of Last Resort
Once a symbol of life and trade, Gaza’s port has now turned into a makeshift displacement camp, sheltering thousands of Palestinians forced from their homes by relentless Israeli bombardment. As airstrikes and massacres continue to target civilians, especially children, and a crippling blockade chokes off aid, famine and starvation spread among the displaced.
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– “107 martyrs (including 3 recovered bodies) and 247 injuries were admitted to Gaza Strip hospitals in the past 24 hours.”
– “The death toll and injuries since March 18, 2025 has reached 3,613 martyrs and 10,156 injuries.”
❗️Israeli forces have stormed the vicinity of the Abu-Baker al-Siddiq mosque in Aqraba, near Nablus in the occupied West Bank. Earlier this morning, Israeli settlers reportedly attempted to set the mosque on fire, according to local sources.
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⭕️ Syria and Turkiye sign energy agreement, plan cross-border gas pipeline
The Syrian and Turkish energy ministers have signed a deal in Damascus to supply Syria with Turkish natural gas for electricity generation.
Syria’s Energy Minister, Mohammad al-Bashir, confirmed the agreement includes broader cooperation in energy and electricity, with plans underway to extend a gas pipeline connecting the two countries.
Two Israeli embassy staffers shot dead in Washington
The shooter, Elias Rodriguez, chanted 'Free Palestine' as he was detained by police shortly after the killings
❗️Israeli military reports second missile intercepted from Yemen
The Israeli army announced it had intercepted another missile launched from Yemen, which triggered warning sirens. This follows an earlier statement in which the military claimed to have downed a separate missile fired by Ansarallah earlier in the day.
❗️One of the Israeli embassy staffers killed in the shooting outside the Jewish museum in Washington also had a German passport, a German diplomatic source said Thursday.
"The male victim also had a German passport," the source said, referring to Israeli citizen Yaron Lischinsky."
(AFP)
⭕️ How the idea for a Trump Tower in Damascus was born
A 45-storey Trump Tower is being planned in Damascus as part of Syria’s effort to attract international investment following the recent lifting of US sanctions. The $200 million project, spearheaded by UAE-based Tiger Group, was conceived to appeal directly to Donald Trump, blending business with diplomacy to fast-track Syria’s reintegration into global markets. Developer Walid Mohammad al-Zoubi is expected to apply for building permits this week, though the Trump Organization has not yet granted branding rights.
The idea originated after US Congressman Joe Wilson suggested a Trump Tower in Damascus last December. Syrian figures close to interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, including writer Radwan Ziadeh, advanced the plan as part of a broader charm offensive.
❗️Sirens were activated in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv shortly after a missile was launched from Yemen.
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BREAKING | Yemeni Armed Forces claim missile and drone attacks on Israeli targets
The Yemeni Armed Forces announces it carried out a missile strike targeting Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Lod using a Zulfiqar ballistic missile, reportedly bringing operations at the airport to a halt for nearly an hour.
In a separate operation, the group says its UAV unit launched two Yaffa drones at critical Israeli sites in Tel Aviv and Haifa.
⭕️ “We have suspended negotiations with this Israeli government on a new free trade agreement,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told Parliament.
Despite the shift in tone, Britain’s economic and military ties with Israel remain in place. These include a 2019 trade deal signed in Tel Aviv allowing tariff-free trade on 99% of goods, over £442 million in licensed arms sales since 2015, and the UK’s involvement in Israel’s F-35 program. A 2023 “2030 Roadmap” agreement also deepens cooperation in trade, security, and fighting “anti-Israel issues.”
❗️Israeli politicians blaming one another for shooting attack in Washington
Netanyahu’s office announced increased security at Israeli embassies worldwide. Meanwhile, political infighting has erupted, with far-right figures like Bezalel Smotrich blaming leftist leader Yair Golan for inciting violence. Golan fired back, saying it’s the hardline government’s actions and global unpopularity fueling such incidents.
⭕️ Austrian singer JJ, the winner of this year's Eurovision Song Contest, urged in an interview published Thursday that Israel be excluded from the 2026 competition in Vienna because of the ongoing brutal war on Gaza.
"It is very disappointing to see Israel still participating in the contest. I would like the next Eurovision to be held in Vienna and without Israel," the 24-year-old JJ was quoted by Spanish newspaper El Pais as saying.
❗️Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar blamed "toxic anti-Semitic incitement" by unnamed European officials for creating a hostile atmosphere that led to the deadly shooting of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington.
"There is a direct line connecting anti-Semitic and anti-Israel incitement to this murder," he said speaking at a press conference in Jerusalem. "This incitement is also done by leaders and officials of many countries and organizations, especially from Europe."
❗️Palestinian detainee from Gaza killed behind bars of Israeli torture prison
Amr Hatem Odeh, a 33-year-old father of three, who was abducted by Israeli forces during the ground invasion of Gaza on December 7, 2023, has been confirmed dead inside Sde Teiman detention camp.
According to the Prisoners Media Office, Odeh died on December 13, 2023, just six days after his abduction. He was abducted along with several members of his family.
Details surrounding the circumstances of his death remain undisclosed.
⭕️ Julian Assange brought Gaza to Cannes
Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, made a powerful statement at the Cannes Film Festival yesterday by wearing a T-shirt bearing the names of nearly 5,000 Palestinian children killed in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The shirt served as a tribute to the victims, with the back boldly reading “Stop Israel,” transforming the red carpet into a moment of protest.
❗️Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein has published what he says is the alleged manifesto of Elias Rodriguez, the man accused of shooting two Israeli embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC.
Klippenstein believes the document is authentic, citing that it is signed by Rodriguez and timestamped before law enforcement or the media had named him. He states his intent in publishing it is not to glorify violence, which he condemns, but to “prevent information vacuums” that could be filled by disinformation, writing, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant, especially when politics is involved.”
The manifesto, titled “Explication” and dated May 20, offers a long, emotional justification for the attack as a political protest against Israel's war in Gaza, which Rodriguez describes as a genocide enabled by US complicity. He cites a death toll of 53,000 killed by traumatic force, 10,000 under rubble, and a population at risk of famine due to the blockade, writing:
“We who let this happen will never deserve the Palestinians' forgiveness. They've let us know as much.”
Rodriguez frames his act not as random violence but as “armed demonstration,” drawing parallels to historical cases of protest against impunity, including an attempt to throw Robert McNamara off a ferry in protest of Vietnam war crimes. He references Aaron Bushnell, the US airman who self-immolated in front of the Israeli Embassy in February, writing:
“Bushnell and others sacrificed themselves ... and the state works to make us feel their sacrifice was made in vain ... We can't let them succeed.”
In his closing, Rodriguez reflects on the morality of action, expressing that the perpetrators of genocide may still be recognizably human, and that humanity “doesn’t exempt one from accountability.” He ends with a message to his family and signs off with:
“Free Palestine – Elias Rodriguez.”
⭕️ Israeli Supreme Court rules government's dismissal of Shin Bet chief as 'unlawful'
The court concluded that the dismissal of Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar violated legal procedures, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a conflict of interest due to his involvement in the Qatar-Gate scandal.
(Times of Israel)
⭕️ OPEC+ members are in talks about potentially approving another significant boost in oil production at their upcoming meeting on 1 June.
One of the proposals being considered is a 411,000 barrels per day (bpd) increase for July, though delegates noted that no final decision has been made yet.
(Bloomberg)
❗️Uruguay summons Israeli ambassador over attack on EU diplomats in Jenin, Palestine
Uruguay has become the latest to join a growing list of countries summoning Israeli ambassadors after Israeli forces opened fire near a group of EU and Arab diplomats in Jenin.
The Uruguayan Foreign Ministry called in Ambassador Michal Hershkovitz, requesting clarification after an Uruguayan representative was among those targeted during Wednesday’s incident.
❗️Israeli forces detain 25 Palestinians in West Bank raids
Israeli troops arrested 25 Palestinians overnight across multiple locations in the occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society (PPS). Among those detained are individuals previously released under the recent prisoner-exchange agreement.
The number of Palestinian political prisoners has surged dramatically, doubling from 5,250 in October 2023 to nearly 10,000 by April 2025.
Israel betting on collapse of nuclear talks, preparing ‘imminent’ attack on Iran: Report
Iran has rejected US demands for a complete halt to uranium enrichment, raising concerns about a potential failure of the talks
❗️Footage shows Israelis panicking as Yemen fires missiles in response to the blockade on Gaza.
Israeli media reports that a total of 37 ballistic missiles have been fired from Yemen toward Israel since the war on Gaza resumed on 18 March, 2025.
❗️Israeli media reports flights diverted from Ben Gurion Airport after Yemeni missile strike
Israeli outlets say several planes en route to Ben Gurion Airport were forced to turn back following a missile launched by Yemeni forces targeting central Israel.
UPDATE | Medical sources in Gaza report that 41 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since dawn today.
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⭕️ Iran and Russia aim for $10B trade target through financial reforms and regional integration. A 16 percent rise in Iran-Russia trade was reported last year, crediting the growth to intensified collaboration between entrepreneurs.
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❗️Thirteen bodies pulled from the rubble of destroyed homes in northern Gaza
13 bodies have been pulled from the rubble of two houses struck by Israeli forces in Jabalia al-Balad in the north of the Gaza Strip. According to Al Jazeera correspondents, a search and rescue operation is under way.