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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
UPDATE | Israeli army:
"A short while ago, the IDF struck weapon storage facilities containing coastal missiles that posed a threat to international and Israeli maritime freedom of navigation, in the Lattakia area of Syria.
In addition, components of surface-to-air missiles were struck in the area of Lattakia."
❗️BREAKING | Israeli warplanes bomb Tartous and Latakia on Syria's coast.
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British intelligence give Al Qaeda a facelift ... and a nose job.
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Riches vs ideology: Extremists battle over Syria's spoils
Sharaa trades principles for power – courting the west, purging rivals, and invoking the Umayyad past to cement neo-Islamist rule in post-Assad Syria.
By Fehim Tastekin
Brazilian oil unions demand energy embargo on Israel
Two of the largest federations of oil trade unions called on President Lula help prevent the ‘ongoing Nakba’ and stay ‘on the right side of history’
❗️Gaza Ministry of Health:
– "72 martyrs and 278 injuries arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals during the past 24 hours. The statistics do not include hospitals in the North Gaza Strip Governorate due to the difficulty of accessing them."
– "The death toll and injuries since 18 March 2025 has reached 4,058 martyrs and 11,729 injuries."
Israeli blockade leaves '100 percent' of Gaza's population at risk of famine: UN
Israel allowed only a 'trickle' of food into the strip this week after three months of a complete blockade, while killing seven Gaza police officers seeking to prevent the looting of aid
⭕️ 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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❗️Hamas sources commented on Witkoff's proposal to Asharq al-Awsat:
"The proposed formula for a 60-day ceasefire is vague and allows Israel to return and carry out attacks in Gaza, based on the attacks in Lebanon, whenever it wants."
A Hamas source confirmed that the proposal "contains many traps" and that many of its conditions complicate the situation for the Palestinians. Therefore, Hamas is "carefully studying it to respond." According to him, this requires clarification and perhaps even changes to the wording.
❗️US President Donald Trump:
"They're very close to an agreement on Gaza... I think we have a chance of making a deal with Iran also... If we could have a deal without bombs being dropped all over the Middle East, that would be a very good thing."
Germany examining new arms shipments to Israel based on Gaza 'humanitarian situation'
Berlin has been a major supporter of Tel Aviv, claiming Israel has the 'right to defend itself' since the start of its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza
Israeli war chief vows to build ‘Jewish state’ in occupied West Bank
Katz was firing back at French President Emmanuel Macron, who called Palestinian statehood a ‘moral duty’ and warned of a tougher European stance against Israel over the Gaza war
WATCH | Qassam Brigades publishes footage of its fighters targeting a group of undercover Israeli soldiers east of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.
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BREAKING | Israeli warplanes bomb a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, massacring at least 13 people.
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⭕️ 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."