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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️Russia is alarmed by the rapid rise in tensions between Israel and Iran and strongly condemns it, according to Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
"Russia is concerned about the developments and condemns this sharp escalation," he stated.
Peskov added that the Russian Foreign Ministry will soon release a detailed statement on the matter, following instructions from President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin spokesman also noted that Putin is being kept updated in real time. "President Putin receives real-time reports on developments in the region through the Russian Defense Ministry, the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Foreign Ministry."
(TASS)
❗️Israel is reportedly moving to enforce a total blockade on the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media reports.
Large deployments of Israeli forces are being sent into key areas across the West Bank, Israel Hayom has reported.
This development follows Israel’s continued military assault on Gaza and its pre-dawn airstrikes on Iran, fueling fears of a wider regional escalation.
❗️Israeli Channel 12 reports that warplanes bombed a missile production plant in Shiraz, Iran.
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❗️Iran FM Abbas Araghchi sends letter to IAEA chief Rafael Grossi following Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities
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Following the aggression by Israel on multiple locations in Iran, including the Natanz nuclear facility, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi sent a letter to Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), calling for a clear condemnation of the Israeli regime’s attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.
In the letter, Araghchi emphasized Iran’s decision to adopt special measures to protect its nuclear equipment and materials, stating that the Islamic Republic of Iran will deliver a decisive response to this aggression.
He also urged Grossi to immediately convene an emergency meeting of the Board of Governors to address the situation.
⭕️ Brig. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour appointed as the new commander of the IRGC (Iran's slamic Revolutionary Guard Corps).
Brig. Gen. Ali Shadmani named commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters.
Brig. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi appointed as Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Army.
❗️ Amid a complete outage of internet and telecommunications, and media destraction, Israeli warplanes bombard Jabalia al-Balad in northern Gaza.
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⭕️ Times of Israel: Mossad operatives built drone base inside Iran, Israeli official reveals
Israel spent years laying the groundwork for an operation targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure. Mossad operatives constructed a drone launch site near Tehran. These drones were activated overnight to strike surface-to-surface missile launchers directed at Israel.
Additionally, weapons-carrying vehicles were covertly brought into Iran.
These systems "took out" Iran’s air defenses, allowing Israeli aircraft to practice "supremacy and freedom of action" within Iranian airspace.
A third covert operation involved Mossad commandos placing precision missiles near anti-aircraft installations in central Iran.
The official says the operations were made possible by “groundbreaking thinking, bold planning and surgical operation of advanced technologies, special forces and agents operating in the heart of Iran while totally evading the eyes of local intelligence.”
Press coverage: The Israeli occupation army closes all entrances to Nablus and other West Bank cities following the attack on Iran.
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⭕️ Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz:
"From genocide in Gaza to an attack on Iran — Netanyahu is dragging the world into a dangerous war escalation."
❗️IAEA chief urges restraint, offers to visit Iran after Israeli strike
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has called for “maximum restraint” from all parties following Israel’s attack on Iran, warning against further escalation.
Grossi expressed his readiness to travel to Iran immediately to assess the situation and ensure nuclear safety, security, and non-proliferation. He added that the agency is prepared to facilitate technical talks to promote transparency and peaceful resolution of nuclear issues. His statement comes just one day after the IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution censuring Iran for non-compliance with nuclear safeguards, the first such censure in two decades.
❗️Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization has confirmed that the Natanz uranium enrichment facility sustained damage in Friday’s Israeli strike but reported no radioactive or chemical leakage beyond the site.
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❗️Israel's Channel 14:
The assessment in Israel is that the campaign against Iran will continue for weeks with varying degrees of intensity.
❗️Iranians rally in Qom demanding retaliation for Israeli strikes
Hundreds of Iranians gathered at the Jamkaran Mosque in the holy city of Qom on Friday, calling for a “severe punishment” against Israel in response to its deadly strikes across Iran.
Protesters waved national flags and chanted anti-Israel slogans, according to footage shared by Tasnim News Agency. The attack, which reportedly killed several top military officials, nuclear scientists, and civilians including women and children, has sparked widespread public outrage.
❗️Israel lifts shelter directive after Iranian drone attack
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"After Iran launched over 100 drones at Israel, the Israeli military claimed it had “control over the situation,” with most drones intercepted outside the country. The Home Front Command has eased shelter requirements but maintained gathering restrictions."
❗️Israeli army announces that its air force is still intercepting UAVs launched from Iran.
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❗️Axios, citing Israeli officials:
The operation against Iran was carried out after eight months of intensive and secret preparations with the green light of the United States.
WATCH | Quds Brigades releases footage of an Israeli military vehicle being blown up by a reverse-engineered explosive device made from repurposed Israeli remnants, north of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.
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❗️The Jordanian Armed Forces announced on Friday that the Royal Air Force and air defense systems intercepted several drones that entered Jordanian airspace earlier in the day.
“We are operating at a high level of readiness to protect the skies of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,” the military said in a statement, as regional tensions escalate following Israel’s attack on Iran and anticipated Iranian retaliation.
❗️Iran’s military vows ‘no limits’ to response after Israeli strike
Iran’s Armed Forces have declared that their retaliation against Israel will know “no limits,” following Israeli strikes that killed senior commanders and nuclear scientists.
In a second statement issued Friday, the General Staff condemned Israel for crossing all red lines and vowed a “terrible revenge” for those assassinated, including IRGC Chief Hossein Salami, Armed Forces Chief Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, and Major General Gholam Ali Rashid. The statement echoed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s warning that Israel has ensured for itself a “bitter, painful fate.”
❗️Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is expected to address the nation soon, according to a statement released on his official X account.
“The Zionist regime will regret its action today,” the statement warned.
BREAKING | Iranian media reports a renewed Israeli attack on Tabriz.
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❗️Iraq has issued a strong condemnation of Israel’s attack on Iran, with government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi denouncing the strike as “military aggression” by the “Zionist entity.”
In a statement, the Iraqi government stressed that verbal condemnations are no longer sufficient and urged the international community to take concrete and deterrent action. It also called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council to adopt decisive measures to prevent further Israeli escalation.
❗️Oil prices surged by over $4 a barrel today, reaching their highest level in nearly five months following the Israeli attack on Iran.
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❗️‘Flag of revenge’ raised above Jamkaran Mosque in Qom
Iran’s Fars News Agency published footage on Friday showing a red flag hoisted atop the Jamkaran Mosque in the holy city of Qom, a symbolic gesture signaling impending retaliation.
“The red flag of revenge flies over the holy mosque of Jamkaran,” Fars reported, referencing a traditional Shiite symbol of avenging unjust bloodshed, typically raised in times of war or mourning.
❗️Initial reports of a security incident in the northern Gaza Strip.
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❗️At least six Iranian nuclear scientists killed in Israeli strikes on Tehran
Israeli airstrikes on Tehran early Friday reportedly killed at least six Iranian nuclear scientists, according to initial reports published by Iranian state media. The scientists named include Abdolhamid Minoochehr, Ahmad Reza Zolfaqari, Seyed Amir Hossein Feqhi, Matlabizadeh, Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, and Fereydoon Abbasi, several of whom held senior positions in Iran’s nuclear program.
Feqhi, a professor at Shahid Beheshti University and deputy head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and Matlabizadeh, who was killed alongside his wife, were among those targeted.
❗️Israeli army: Our attack was not just a military operation, it was a broad and long declaration of war on Iran.
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❗️Lebanese President Michel Aoun warned that Israel’s strike on Iran threatens not just the Iranian people, but also ongoing international efforts to preserve West Asia stability and prevent further escalation.
In a statement shared by the Lebanese presidency, Aoun said the attack aims to sabotage diplomatic initiatives that had made tangible progress toward averting war and securing just, realistic solutions. He urged the international community to act swiftly to block Israel from achieving its destabilizing objectives.