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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️Al-Manar:
The building highlighted by the Israeli army has previously been bombed during the war last year.
Algeria joins BRICS New Development Bank
The bank was established to finance infrastructure and sustainable development projects in BRICS and other developing countries
The hidden war: Powers clash over global trade corridors
From West Asia to the Arctic, a ruthless battle for economic corridors is redrawing borders, reigniting conflicts, and forging strange alliances – all in pursuit of controlling the world's commercial arteries.
By Suleyman Karan
❗️Local Syrian media reports:
An Israeli patrol deployed on the Ain al-Bayda-Jubata al-Khashab road in the northern Quneitra countryside and began searching civilians.
❗️Al-Mayadeen correspondent:
"Occupation forces destroyed an entire residential block near Al-Nazzaz Street, east of the Shujaiya neighborhood east of Gaza City."
France, KSA promote 'Hamas disarmament' plan ahead of UN Gaza summit
The plan will focus on transforming Hamas into a ‘purely political entity’ that can still play a part in Gaza’s future
❗️Leader of Yemen's Ansarallah resistance movement, Abdel Malik al-Houthi:
– "We carried out operations this week with eight hypersonic and ballistic missiles and drones."
– "Three missiles were launched this week towards Lod Airport (Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv).
– "Many airlines have extended the suspension of flights to occupied Palestine, and this is a significant effect of Yemeni operations."
– "Zionist statements reveal the extent of the impact of Yemeni operations and demonstrate the Israeli enemy's inability to deter or influence the Yemeni position."
– "The Israeli aggression on the ports in Hodeidah, with 22 raids, attempted to provide a deterrent to stop the Yemeni operations, but it completely failed."
– "The enemy's escalation calls for escalation in action, support, and intensive attention."
⭕️ Israeli embassy employee killed in Washington had served in Israeli military, openly supported Gaza genocide strategy
One of the Israeli embassy employees killed in Washington on Wednesday, Yaron Lischinsky, had served in the Israeli military and dismissed UN warnings about mass child deaths by starvation in Gaza as a “blood libel.” Days before his death, he endorsed Israel’s “Gideon’s Chariots” operation—Israel’s announced strategy to occupy and seize full control of Gaza through a ground invasion, forcibly displace its population to a southern enclave, and ration humanitarian aid to the bare minimum.
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.
❗️Reports of Israeli warplanes and drones in Lebanese airspace, flying over the Nabatieh district in southern Lebanon following the issuing of an evacuation order for a building in the area.
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BREAKING | The Israeli army issued an evacuation order for a building in the village of Toul, near Nabatieh in southern Lebanon, north of the Litani River – citing the presence of a Hezbollah site.
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❗️The Israeli army announces that a tank commander from the 52nd Battalion was seriously injured today during fighting in northern Gaza.
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❗️Journalist Khalil Nasrallah:
"More than a hundred Palestinian martyrs every day, hundreds of wounded, displacement and starvation, and the world is watching, even participating. A young American man went out and killed employees at the Israeli embassy in Washington. Trump did not sleep at night, and every American and Western official condemned, made statements, denounced, and denounced. This duality is what makes the people of our region take up arms, and it is justified."
Turkiye, Israel in talks to set up Syria 'deconfliction mechanism': Report
Both Ankara and Tel Aviv illegally occupy large swathes of territory and seek broader influence in Syria
❗️The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement's Quds Brigades reports that it managed to "lure an Israeli ... force into a well-planned and complex ambush" in a building east of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza. It said the building had been rigged in advance and detonated when the force entered it.
"Upon the arrival of rescue relief forces, our fighters targeted them with an anti-tank missile ... helicopters had landed to evacuate the dead and wounded," it added.
No aid entering Gaza has reached starving Palestinians: UN
Israel has allowed around 300 aid trucks into Gaza following an 11-week total blockade, which is far below the 500 trucks per day the UN says are required to avert famine
❗️Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) spokesman Brigadier General Naeini warned that "If the delusional Zionist regime does a foolish act and attacks, it will receive a devastating and decisive response inside its small geography."
He emphasized the significant growth of Iran’s military capabilities over the years, stating, "We have become stronger in various aspects compared to previous years, and our military advancements are amazing."
The spokesman also declared, "Stability will not be restored to the world and the region unless Israel is wiped out."
(Mehr News Agency)
⭕️ 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)