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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
⭕️ The Kremlin anticipates that Russia and Ukraine will address the list of ceasefire conditions during discussions in Istanbul next week, its spokesperson said today, while commending the US for its role in facilitating the negotiations.
Russia has suggested holding a second round of talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on 2 June. However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha stated today that Kyiv wants to review Russia’s peace proposals before agreeing to send a delegation to Turkiye.
Yemen adds Israel's national airliner to target bank: Report
Yemeni President Mahdi al-Mashat warned Israel of a ‘hot summer’ after it destroyed the last civilian plane at Sanaa airport earlier this week
❗️Israeli military says it targeted Hezbollah-linked site in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley
The Israeli army said it carried out an airstrike on a Hezbollah facility in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, claiming the site was used to store weapons and had been previously destroyed before attempts were made to rebuild it.
While the Israeli statement did not disclose the precise location, Lebanese media reported that four airstrikes struck the outskirts of Shmestar, a town in the Bekaa region. Local outlets also reported nearly 20 Israeli strikes overnight across southern and eastern Lebanon, targeting what were alleged to be Hezbollah weapons depots and positions.
❗️Israeli War Minister Israel Katz on a visit to the illegal resettlement of Sha-Nur after approving the establishment of 22 new settlements in the occupied West Bank:
"This is a historic moment for settlement, a crushing answer to the terrorist organizations and a clear message to Macron and his friends: You will recognize a Palestinian state on paper and the paper will be thrown into the dustbin of history."
❗️Hebrew pages publish footage of an elderly Palestinian man in south Gaza being tracked by Israeli drones and killed in cold blood.
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❗️UN: 100 percent of Gazans at risk of famine
Gaza is the "only defined area" on Earth where the entire population is at risk of famine, a spokesman for UN humanitarian agency OCHA said Friday.
"Gaza is the hungriest place on earth," said OCHA spokesman Jens Laerke. "It's the only defined area, a country or defined territory within a country where you have the entire population at risk of famine. 100 percent of the population at risk of famine."
Palestinians flee intensified Israeli attacks after mass displacement orders in north Gaza
Israel has ordered the evacuation of almost all of Gaza City and other areas of the north, where around one million Palestinians reside
❗️The Israeli military said Thursday that one of its soldiers was seriously wounded during fighting in the southern Gaza Strip. No further details about the soldier’s identity or the specific location of the clash were provided.
The army confirmed its total casualties since October 2023 now stand at 858 soldiers killed, including 416 during ground operations in Gaza.
⭕️ Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri to Reuters:
"We were surprised last night by the Israeli response, which was practically the opposite of what the movement had agreed to and communicated to the American envoy through mediators.
The Israeli response to the agreement contains no commitment to a ceasefire, no withdrawal from the [Gaza] Strip, and maintains Israeli control over the mechanism for aid entry.
Hamas did not rush to announce its position, and it will do so at the appropriate time.
What Netanyahu is offering is a bad proposal aimed at forcing our Palestinian people into submission through these conditions."
⭕️ Reuters: Turkish FM Hakan Fidan discusses Gaza ceasefire with Hamas
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a phone conversation on Thursday with members from Hamas to discuss ongoing efforts toward a ceasefire in Gaza.
Fidan also spoke separately with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, to review the latest developments in Gaza and Syria.
⭕️ Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls for establishment of Zangezur Corridor to connect Turkiye to the 'broader Turkic world'
Speaking from Azerbaijan, Erdogan expressed support for the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and emphasized the importance of establishing the Zangezur Corridor — a transport route intended to connect Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan through Armenia’s Syunik Province.
He dismissed concerns about Iran obstructing the corridor, highlighting that the project is not only a link between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan, but also a strategic route connecting Turkiye to the broader Turkic world.
Erdogan called on Iran to support the initiative, framing it as a mutually beneficial opportunity for regional peace, development, and cooperation.
(Tasnim News)
⭕️ Tension in southwest Damascus after Syrian intelligence officer killed in armed clash
A Syrian internal security officer was killed and another injured late Thursday night in the city of Qatana, southwest of Damascus, during an armed clash with suspected Druze smugglers accused of trafficking narcotics through surrounding villages.
According to local sources, the officer Jamil Momneh led a unit that intercepted a drug shipment toward Jabal al-Sheikh region. The operation led to arrests, the seizure of weapons and narcotics, and triggered rising tensions in the area, including reported retaliation and property damage targeting Druze residents.
⭕️ India grants investment rule exemption to Saudi wealth fund to boost capital inflows
India has decided to grant an exemption to Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund from certain foreign portfolio investment regulations.
The regulations in question group investments from multiple sovereign entities under a single cap of 10% in any one company, which has limited the ability of various Public Investment Fund subsidiaries to increase their investments in India.
The rule requiring investments from different sovereign entities to be grouped together restricts the Saudi fund and its subsidiaries from investing independently.
The exemption provided to the fund will enable its different branches to make separate investments, increasing their flexibility to allocate capital in Indian equity markets without exceeding regulatory limits.
(Reuters)
❗️Israel has killed at least 18 Palestinians in attacks on the Gaza Strip since dawn today.
(Medical sources to Al Jazeera)
❗️A woman has been killed and several people injured in an Israeli airstrike on a house in Jabalia al-Balad, north of the Gaza Strip, according to local sources.
Sources in Gaza hospitals confirmed that three people were also killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Saftawi area, north of Gaza City.
⭕️ OPEC+ may consider a larger oil production increase for July than the 411,000 barrels per day hikes approved for May and June, according to sources familiar with the group's discussions.
(Reuters)
⭕️ In just its first 15 months, Israel’s war on Gaza has produced more greenhouse emissions than 100 countries combined
The carbon emissions generated during the first 15 months of Israel's war on Gaza are projected to exceed the yearly climate-warming output of over 100 individual nations, which is comparable to the emissions from charging 2.6 billion smartphones or operating 84 gas-fired power plants for an entire year.
The long-term environmental impact of Gaza's destruction, debris removal, and reconstruction could surpass 31 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e). This figure is higher than the total greenhouse gas emissions for 2023 from both Costa Rica and Estonia combined.
(The Guardian)
❗️Lebanese General Security raids home of Lebanese journalist Wissam Saade, confiscates personal devices
Lebanese General Security forces raided the home of prominent academic and journalist Wissam Saade on Thursday, seizing his phone, computer, and passport. The operation was reportedly linked to phone calls made by a domestic worker in his household to a number in Israel, allegedly to contact her sister. Saade was summoned for interrogation before the military court, with his lawyer present, according to Rabih al-Amine, head of the Lebanese Executive Council.
The raid, carried out under orders from Military Court Commissioner Judge Fadi Akiki.
❗️Starlink in talks with Lebanese government, raising concerns over digital sovereignty
Elon Musk’s satellite internet company Starlink is in negotiations with the Lebanese government to introduce its services in the country, the presidency announced Thursday. President Joseph Aoun met with Starlink’s Global Director of Licensing and Development, Sam Turner, who outlined the ongoing coordination with Lebanon’s Telecommunications Ministry. Telecoms Minister Charles Hage also updated Aoun on the talks, which could see Lebanon join 136 countries currently connected to Starlink’s network.
While officials highlighted the potential benefits to Lebanon’s industrial, banking, educational, and government sectors, the move has raised quiet concerns over data sovereignty. With Starlink’s ties to US defense infrastructure, analysts warn that the deal could expose Lebanon to external monitoring, data extraction, and espionage under the guise of connectivity, particularly given the country’s long-standing vulnerability to foreign interference.
❗️New illegal settler outposts established in West Bank
Israeli settlers have reportedly erected new unauthorized outposts in the Umm al-Quba plain and near the Balata area, situated north of the town of Bruqin, according to reports from the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
Settlers from the Telem and Adora settlements, located northwest of Hebron (Al-Khalil), staged a march along Route 35 that extended to the entrance of the town of Idhna. The Israeli military had previously blocked all secondary roads leading to Idhna with earth barriers, further restricting Palestinian movement in the area.
❗️The PIJ's Quds Brigades announces that its fighters, in a joint operation with Hamas's Qassam Brigades, eliminated an Israeli force that had infiltrated the European area southeast of Khan Yunis by targeting it with an anti-personnel shell and engaging in direct close-range combat.
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❗️Somaliland says US recognition 'is on the horizon'
"We are a partner in security ... a partner in counter-terrorism ... a partner in safe marine routes for world trade."
Somaliland's new president Abdirahman Mohammad Abdullahi says that it is “likely” that the country will be recognized, as US president Donald Trump could be the first leader to recognise Somaliland in return for building a military base near the port of Berbera, a strategic location on the Gulf of Aden.
Project 2025, a Trump administration initiative, proposes the recognition of Somaliland as a “hedge against the US’s deteriorating position in Djibouti."
“Recognition is on the horizon,” said Abdullahi.
“It’s a matter of time. Not if, but when and who will lead the recognition of Somaliland,” he added.
Abdullahi also said that US military officials, including the Horn of Africa’s most senior officer, have recently visited the capital Hargeisa. Another Washington delegation is expected to “evaluate the asset (Berbera).”
(The Guardian)
❗️The Palestinian Islamic Jihad's (PIJ) Quds Brigades reports from the field that its fighters targeted an Israeli special force consisting of 10 soldiers who had fortified themselves inside a building in the European Housing area. They struck the location with a TBG shell, causing casualties among the soldiers, some killed and others wounded, which prompted the landing of several helicopters at the site. The operation took place at 4:00 PM yesterday, Thursday, 29 May 2025.
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⭕️ Freedom Flotilla Coalition to launch new voyage to Gaza after drone attack on last aid ship
The Freedom Flotilla Coalition announced that its next vessel, the Madleen, will set sail from Catania, Sicily, this Sunday in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade on Gaza. Named after Gaza’s only known fisherwoman in 2014, the Madleen will carry activists, including Greta Thunberg and Liam Cunningham, despite what organizers describe as ongoing threats and international inaction.
The announcement follows a recent drone attack on the coalition’s previous ship, the Conscience, in international waters.
🇾🇪 Yemeni Armed Forces announced that it targeted Ben Gurion airport with a hypersonic ballistic missile yesterday at night.
"The operation has successfully achieved its objective, causing millions of usurping Zionists to rush to shelters and bringing the airport to a standstill."
⭕️ ISIS claims first attack on Syria’s new government forces since the fall of Bashar al-Assad
The US-backed Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for its first attack against the new Syrian government forces, according to a statement published by SITE Intelligence Group on Thursday.
The group says it detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) planted earlier on a Syrian military vehicle in Sweida, killing one and injuring three soldiers from the 70th Division. While ISIS activity has persisted in northeastern Syria, attacks on the newly installed government in Damascus have been rare since it took power in December 2024.
❗️Hamas signals rejection of US ceasefire proposal in Gaza
A senior Hamas official told the BBC that the group will likely reject the US-brokered ceasefire proposal recently approved by Israel, citing the absence of a humanitarian mechanism to allow the entry of hundreds of aid trucks daily into Gaza.
Hamas says the proposal fails to guarantee a permanent ceasefire or prevent Israel from resuming hostilities if talks collapse. Politburo member Bassem Naim stated the deal “does not meet any of our people’s demands.”
❗️French President Emmanuel Macron says France will 'toughen' stance against Israel if Gaza aid blockade continues
Speaking at a joint press conference in Singapore with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Macron reiterated France’s commitment for a 'Two-State Solution'.
"The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground," Macron said.
He cautioned that "if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position," noting that France is considering sanctions targeting Israeli settlers.
"But I still hope that the government of Israel will change its stance and that we will finally have a humanitarian response."
❗️Israeli Beitar Jerusalem fans assault Palestinian bus drivers after football cup final loss
Following Beitar Jerusalem’s defeat in the Israeli national football cup final last night, multiple eyewitness reports confirm that Palestinian bus drivers were brutally attacked in the aftermath of the match by Israeli settlers.
The attackers, affiliated with Beitar’s nationalist fan base, unleashed verbal abuse and physical violence on Palestinian workers near public transportation hubs in the city.
❗️Israeli police arrested Sanaa Salama, the widow of the late Palestinian intellectual Walid Daqqa, while she was with her daughter Milad in Jerusalem after Ben-Gvir demanded her deportation.
According to Hamas’ Prisoners’ Media Office, Sanaa was transferred to an interrogation center.
The Israeli police confirmed the arrest in a statement, claiming she was being investigated for allegedly posting content that “incites against the state and its soldiers.”