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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
❗️US President Donald Trump greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House.
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❗️Israeli War Minister Israel Katz:
"The Yemenis will pay a heavy price for any attempt to strike us.
We are imposing a painful air and naval blockade on the Yemenis and have attacked infrastructure — and this is just the beginning."
Moscow, Tehran push to complete Rasht–Astara railway
Officials say the railway segment is the missing link needed to unlock the full potential of the International North–South Transport Corridor
❗Israel’s intensified air and ground assault on Al Zeitoun is laying the groundwork for a full invasion and takeover of Gaza City, with more than 300 homes destroyed in three days, at least eight Palestinians killed, and hundreds wounded.
“This is no longer a military operation – it’s a campaign to erase Al Zeitoun,” said resident Mahmoud Arhim, who fled with his family after four days under siege.
“We saw death with our own eyes. The neighbourhood has been wiped out completely.”
Civil defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal described the offensive as “a grave and complex crime” that “aims to destroy what remains of Gaza City and its centre.”
Rescue crews say heavy bombardment has prevented them from reaching many trapped residents, leaving their fate unknown.
❗The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry says war crimes were likely committed by both interim government forces and fighters loyal to Syria’s former rulers during sectarian violence in the country’s coastal areas that culminated in a wave of massacres in March.
The commission’s report estimates some 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed in attacks that primarily targeted Alawi communities, with reports of violations still emerging.
The coastal incidents marked the worst violence in Syria since the overthrow of President Bashar Assad last year, prompting the interim government to appoint a fact-finding committee.
❗️Chief of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani from shrine and burial site of former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah:
– "The martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was a great man and a great asset to the entire Islamic world."
– "The principle that the martyr Sayyed Nasrallah possessed is what distinguished him from everyone else."
– "The martyr Sayyed Nasrallah is the one who established the strength and presence of Hezbollah."
– "Indeed, we have lost this martyr, but his sons who were educated in his school are still alive."
– "Hezbollah today is a living movement, an honor for humanity, and a source of pride."
–"We will always stand by you and never interfere in the internal affairs of countries, but we affirm our support for resistance movements around the world."
Syrian Arab tribes declare ‘general mobilization’ against SDF
Skirmishes have been breaking out between the SDF and government forces, coinciding with tension over a deal to integrate the Kurdish group into the Syrian army
⭕️ Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that while many Western countries plan to recognize a Palestinian state in September with good intentions, they are approaching the issue incorrectly.
“With the Gaza crisis still unfolding, this focus on recognition seems totally beside the more pressing realities. Amid the suffering of Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages—and Israel’s announced plan to occupy all or part of the enclave—averting famine, recovering the hostages and ending the conflict in Gaza are the priorities. Talk of two states can wait,” he wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
Blinken noted that Israel has accomplished two of its three war objectives in Gaza. However, he says freeing the Israeli captives in Gaza “is unlikely to be met by fully occupying Gaza,” and Israel “has failed to develop a plan to withdraw from Gaza and prevent Hamas from taking over again.
⭕️ Trump administration not considering Gaza airdrops
Under former US president Joe Biden, the US military conducted multiple waves of food airdrops into Gaza, delivering about 1,220 tons of aid.
However, the approach has not been seriously considered under Donald Trump’s administration, US officials and other sources said, despite his public concern about starvation in Gaza amid Israel’s nearly two-year military campaign against Hamas.
One source described the idea as unrealistic, noting that airdrops could not meet the needs of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents.
"It just hasn't been part of the discussions," a US official said, speaking anonymously about internal Trump administration talks.
A source familiar with the matter added: "It hasn’t been a serious consideration because it’s not really a serious option at this moment."
(Reuters)
❗️Hamas's Qassam Brigades reports that its fighters targeted an Israeli command and control site on the Salah al-Din axis near Tel Za’arb, south of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip, with the short-range “Rajum” rocket system, caliber 114 mm.
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Turkiye’s drive in Africa: Where ambitions meet reality
As the US and France pull back from Africa, Turkiye is pushing forward with humanitarian projects, a growing military footprint, and arms exports. Yet Ankara’s ambitions remain constrained by political realities and contested outcomes.
By Aidan J. Simardone
❗️Trump demands $1 billion from UCLA
US President Donald Trump on Friday demanded that the University of California system pay a $1 billion fine, as his administration pressed accusations of antisemitism over UCLA’s handling of 2024 Gaza-related student protests.
The amount is five times what Columbia University agreed to in settling similar federal antisemitism allegations and would “completely devastate” the UC public university system, according to a senior official.
President James Milliken, who oversees the UC system’s 10 campuses, including UCLA, confirmed that administrators received the $1 billion demand on Friday and were reviewing it.
“As a public university, we are stewards of taxpayer resources and a payment of this scale would completely devastate our country’s greatest public university system as well as inflict great harm on our students and all Californians,” he said.
❗️Israeli Channel 12 correspondent Amit Segal:
"The significance of the cabinet’s decision — Israel has not closed the door on a captives deal, and a decisive move against Hamas will be delayed.
The most dramatic element in last night’s cabinet decision is what it lacks: in stark contrast to Israel’s publicly stated position of only supporting a comprehensive deal, the cabinet did not rule out the possibility of reaching a partial deal.
Ministers from both sides weighed in on the importance of the decision. In fact, it could be said that almost everyone present — from Smotrich, to Saar, to Chief of Staff Zamir — left disappointed. On one hand, the decision does not include an actual resolution on defeating Hamas; on the other hand, there is a large-scale operation in Gaza City, with its heavy costs in lives and in Israel’s international standing."
WATCH | US fans the flames of CIVIL WAR in Lebanon
Watch on YouTube
BREAKING | Israeli airstrikes target Brigade 107 near the village of Zama in the Jableh area of Latakia countryside, Syria.
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❗️Lebanese news outlet Al-Jadeed:
Lebanese security forces foiled an infiltration attempt by fewer than 10 Syrian militants through Kfarzabad and Qawsaya heights. The Lebanese army confronted them as they crossed the earthen barriers and forced them to retreat, amid a large deployment of Lebanese troops along the border.
Israeli strikes on Gaza City persist as Tel Aviv gears up for mass displacement of Palestinians
The Israeli army has been laying waste to neighborhoods in Gaza City in preparation for its assault to occupy the area
Israel intensifies assault to wipe Gaza City 'off the map'
Israel launched a media campaign claiming enough food is entering Gaza, even as the number of Palestinians starving to death continues to grow
"That type of monstrousness, that level of of heinous behavior can only happen if your hatred is formulated by design from your birth."
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mark Perlmutter, from the US state of North Carolina, recalls a story he heard about two children being buried alive by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza.
❗️According to the Israeli Peace Now settlement watchdog, the authorized plans are not part of the original E1 proposal but instead pertain to a different neighborhood within Ma’ale Adumim.
"The 3,300 housing units in Ma’ale Adumim represent an increase of about 33% in the settlement’s housing stock — an enormous expansion for a settlement whose population has been stagnant at around 38,000 for the past decade and has experienced net out-migration. The tenders are for a large neighborhood that will connect Ma’ale Adumim’s built-up area with the industrial zone to its east.”
Arab states court Syria’s Sharaa, but few trust his Al-Qaeda-linked rule
While Arab capitals roll out the red carpet for Syria’s interim ruler, behind the handshakes, suspicion and distrust remain high, and each leader brings his own calculus and red lines to the Syrian table.
World's largest sovereign wealth fund divests from Israeli companies
The decision by Norway followed revelations of the fund's stake in an Israeli jet engine manufacturer
Israel's army formed special intel unit to 'justify killing' of hundreds of Gaza journalists
The unit, called the ‘Legitimization Cell,’ was established by the military intelligence directorate, which includes Unit 8200
Zangezur or bust: A US corridor scheme meets an Iranian red line
The US-backed 'Meghri Corridor initiative' seeks to isolate Iran, undercut Russia, and entrench Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Israeli influence, but Tehran insists the ‘American corridor’ will be dead and buried.
Israel assassinates entire Al Jazeera crew ahead of Gaza City occupation
Anas al-Sharif, accused by Tel Aviv of being a Hamas operative, was killed alongside five of his colleagues in a strike on their tent in Gaza City
VIDEO | Israelis stormed the studios of Channel 13 in a protest demanding an end to the war on the Gaza Strip. On their shirts was written “Get out of Gaza.” The channel cut the live broadcast.
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⭕️ On Friday, the World Bank announced it had approved a $650 million loan for the Istanbul Resilience Project, aimed at enhancing the city’s capacity to prepare for and respond to disasters and climate-related risks. The initiative seeks to bolster Istanbul’s overall resilience by safeguarding lives, livelihoods, and economic activity, the bank said in a statement.
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UPDATE | Israel assassinated Mohammad Shehadeh, the correspondent and director of the Hawana Lebanon news website.
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❗️Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
“The recent statements made by Iranian Foreign Minister Mr. Abbas Araghchi, in which he addressed internal Lebanese matters that do not concern the Islamic Republic in any way, are rejected and condemned. They constitute a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, unity, and stability, and are considered interference in its internal affairs and sovereign decisions.
Relations between states can only be built on the basis of mutual respect, equality, non-interference in internal affairs, and full adherence to the decisions of legitimate constitutional institutions. It is completely unacceptable for these relations to be exploited to encourage or support internal parties outside the framework of the Lebanese state and its institutions, and at its expense.”
IMEC’s imperial illusion: Why the US-backed trade corridor will fail
Disguised as infrastructural development, IMEC is the latest Atlanticist attempt to reassert control over West Asia. But from Gaza to BRICS, regional actors are shutting that door.
By Suleyman Karan