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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
⭕️ Shale boom takes hold in Saudi Arabia’s desert as Aramco pushes $100 billion gas project
The shale boom that propelled the US to become the world’s leading oil producer is now emerging in the Arabian Desert.
In the sands southeast of Ghawar oilfield, state energy giant Saudi Aramco is advancing a massive $100 billion natural gas project that could add billions of dollars to Saudi Arabia’s income in the years ahead.
To accelerate drilling and well completion at the Jafurah basin, Aramco has enlisted US and Chinese companies such as Halliburton and Sinopec, deploying advanced equipment including 'walking rigs', towering structures that can relocate short distances without being taken apart and rebuilt.
Jafurah, which is estimated to hold 229 trillion standard cubic feet of raw gas and 75 billion barrels of condensate, could rank as the largest shale gas project outside the US.
Anti-genocide groups confirm massive 'Freedom Flotilla' to challenge Israel's blockade of Gaza
Thousands of activists from at least 150 countries are set to sail on a new humanitarian mission carrying medical personnel and aid for Palestinians in Gaza
❗️US opinion turns on Israel as sympathy for Palestinians hits record high
A new Gallup poll shows 41 percent of US citizens now sympathize more with Palestinians, compared to 36 percent with Israelis, effectively erasing Israel’s decades-long dominance in US public opinion. For nearly a quarter century, Israel maintained commanding double-digit leads, with the gap averaging 43 points between 2001 and 2018. That consensus has now fractured.
Support for an independent Palestinian state stands at 57 percent, near a historic high, while favorable views of the Palestinian Territories have climbed to a record 37 percent. Israel’s favorability has slid to 46 percent, hovering near its lowest level ever recorded.
The shift is being driven largely by political independents, who now back Palestinians over Israelis by 41 to 30 percent, reversing years of alignment with Israel. Democrats remain firmly tilted toward Palestinians, with 65 percent expressing greater sympathy, while Republican support for Israel, though still dominant at 70 percent, has fallen to its lowest point in two decades. Since February 2023, independent voters’ favorability toward Israel has plunged by 26 points, underscoring the depth of the erosion.
The generational divide is equally stark. A majority of US citizens aged 18 to 34 now sympathize more with Palestinians, the first time this has occurred, while middle-aged US citizens have nearly reversed their previous pro-Israel leanings. Even among those over 55, Israel’s once commanding advantage has narrowed to its slimmest margin in twenty years. After decades of near-automatic alignment with Israel, US public opinion is undergoing a structural realignment that Washington can no longer ignore.
❗️The Lebanese Army has established seven new checkpoints across the southern Lebanese border towns of Yaroun, Maroun al-Ras, Aitaroun, and Mais al-Jabal as part of efforts to reinforce its deployment along the frontier with occupied Palestine and counter potential Israeli incursions.
Military sources say the number of checkpoints will rise to 12 within the next two days, expanding to include Blida. The positions are set along likely infiltration routes, in addition to the army’s main deployments in the towns.
❗️Maersk cites Red Sea 'constraints' in temporary route change
Denmark's Maersk announced today that it will temporarily reroute some of its sailings around the Cape of Good Hope, bypassing the Suez Canal, due to unforeseen "constraints" in the Red Sea.
Maersk explained that challenges arising from the broader operating environment in the Red Sea were creating difficulties. “After conversations with our security partners, it is clear that these constraints are making it challenging to avoid delays in regard to passage through the area,” the company said in a statement.
❗️Jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan said today that “peace-related laws were needed for a transition to democratic integration” in Turkiye.
“The transition to democratic integration necessitates laws of peace,” Ocalan said, according to a statement read by a senior figure in the pro-Kurdish DEM Party at a press conference, adding that the democratic society solution envisions a “legal framework with political, social, economic, and cultural dimensions.”
⭕️ ADNOC to boost crude oil exports in April
UAE oil producer Abu Dhabi plans to export increased volumes of its flagship Murban crude in April, two trade sources told Reuters today signaling that major West Asia exporters are boosting supply amid growing concerns that a US war on Iran could disrupt regional flows.
State-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Co (ADNOC) has offered additional volumes to partners in its onshore concession, the sources said, without specifying the exact amount. However, two onshore fields are scheduled for maintenance in May, which may reduce export availability, according to another informed source.
Oil traded above $72 a barrel on Friday, near its highest levels since July.
❗️Hebrew sources report that an Iron Dome battery was seen near the Knesset as part of preparations for potential strikes on Iran.
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❗️Satellite images reveal first-ever US F-22 deployment to Israel in escalation signal toward Iran
Satellite images released by Chinese firm MizarVision on 26 February show 11 F-22 Raptor aircraft at Ovda Airbase in southern Israel, marking the first known deployment of the jets at the base.
The aircraft reportedly arrived from RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom between 24 and 25 February, supported by aerial refueling tankers. The deployment comes amid a broader US-Israel military buildup that includes Patriot missile system batteries and increased C-17 Globemaster III flights.
No official details have been released regarding the aircrafts’ mission, and there have been no confirmed reports of operational sorties.
US voters sympathize more with Palestinians than Israelis for first time: Poll
Attitudes toward Israel in the US have changed drastically since the start of the genocide in Gaza
❗️Yesterday, UNIFIL handed over the last two of five Israeli-laid minefields cleared in Blida, southern Lebanon, to the Lebanese Army. Since last August, demining operations have cleared 12,030 m² and destroyed 2,173 Israeli mines.
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❗️Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty spoke with Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this morning to discuss regional developments.
During the call, Araghchi updated his Egyptian counterpart on the latest Iran-US talks, including the recent Geneva meeting, emphasizing Iran’s commitment to diplomacy and noting that progress requires seriousness and realism from the other side, while avoiding miscalculations or excessive demands.
❗️Two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters that US envoy Tom Barrack met with former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is the Shia Coordination Framework candidate for premier.
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❗️Following the US Embassy in Jerusalem’s announcement that it is allowing non-emergency staff to evacuate amid rising tensions with Iran, residents report a heavy security presence and roadblocks around the West Jerusalem area hosting the US Embassy in Jerusalem.
Open-source intelligence accounts on social media also indicate that at least one helicopter has been seen flying overhead.
❗️Palestine Red Crescent crews transport two injured foreign activists who were severely beaten by Israeli settlers in the town of Qusra, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank.
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❗️Marco Rubio to visit Israel for talks on Iran & 'regional issues'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit Israel next week, where Iran will be a key topic of discussion, according to a Friday statement from the US Department of State.
The State Department said Rubio’s trip to Israel will take place 2–3 March. He is also expected to address other regional issues, including Lebanon and US President Donald Trump’s Gaza 'peace' proposal.
❗️Medical sources in Gaza report that at least 7 Palestinians have been killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip since this morning.
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Bomb shelters open in Israel as US embassy evacuates staff in preparation for war on Iran
The Israeli military is on ‘high alert’ as Tehran has vowed that Israel will be a target in the event of a US war on the Islamic Republic
VIDEO | "I hope that ordinary people like us around the world ... can come together and become a moral force that guides the world towards greater justice... Free Palestine."
A Japanese hotel owner delisted from Airbnb and Booking.com after requesting Israeli guest sign war crimes declaration breaks his silence.
US media discusses triggering retaliation from Iran, and in the same cycle, defense shortages. What does that accomplish?
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VIDEO | Israeli settlers launched a large-scale attack on the village of Jalud, south of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, destroying a Palestinian-owned car, home and shop, and damaging four additional Palestinian houses.
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VIDEO | Mehr News reports that a major fire broke out at a shoe manufacturing facility on Khavaran Road in southeast Tehran, engulfing five warehouses storing production materials.
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Francesca Albanese's family sues Washington over 'unconstitutional' sanctions
The lawsuit challenges severe punitive measures imposed on the Italian lawyer for her work as a UN special rapporteur
VIDEO | An armed Israeli settler attacked Palestinian residents of Khirbet al-Hamma, in the northern Jordan Valley, after forcibly entering their land.
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❗️Huckabee urges embassy staff to 'Leave TODAY'
The US State Department allowed non-emergency personnel and their families in Israel to leave the country today due to “safety risks,” with US Ambassador Mike Huckabee reportedly telling embassy staff that those wishing to depart “should do so TODAY.”
According to The New York Times, Huckabee wrote in an email that the embassy’s call for non-emergency staff to leave “will likely result in high demand for airline seats today.” He advised staffers to “focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to DC, but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of country.”
“There is no need to panic,” Huckabee added, “but for those desiring to leave, it’s important to make plans to depart sooner rather than later.”
VIDEO | As Israeli occupation forces storm the outskirts of the village of Jalud, in the occupied West Bank, settlers attack residents and set fire to a Palestinian home.
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❗️Yedioth Ahronoth reports that the US aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford is approaching Haifa with its strike group amid peak US military presence in the region. Additional US refueling planes have also landed at Ben Gurion Airport.
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US warns Syria against using Chinese tech citing 'national security'
Syria relied on Chinese communications infrastructure for years due to US sanctions, prior to the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad’s government
BREAKING | Israeli occupation forces shoot and kill a young Palestinian man near Kuwait Roundabout, south of Gaza City.
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Clashes rage on Afghanistan–Pakistan border after Islamabad declares ‘open war’ against Taliban
Following a series of Pakistani airstrikes and retaliatory Afghan attacks, authorities in Islamabad accused the Taliban of becoming a 'proxy for India'