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The Cradle is an online news magazine covering West Asian geopolitics from within.
'Israel's new border must be the Litani': Israeli minister demands annexation of south Lebanon
Israel has sought to annex south Lebanon for decades to secure additional water resources and expand 'Greater Israel'
Jewish settler gangs rampage through West Bank villages for three consecutive days
The recent acceleration of Israel’s plans to illegally annex the occupied West Bank has coincided with a major surge in settler violence against Palestinians
⭕️ Iranian Armed Forces announced in Communique No. 40 that it launched a new wave of drone attacks targeting Israel’s Tel Nof airbase, described as a key hub for long-range operations, and the Muwaffaq Salti (Azraq) airbase (Jordan), a major US operational and support center hosting F-35 and F-15 fighter jets and electronic warfare aircraft, using suicide drones deployed by its ground, air, and naval forces from multiple areas across the country.
The statement added that the strikes are part of ongoing, multi-phase operations targeting strategic Israeli and US military sites involved in attacks on Iran since the start of the war.
BREAKING | The Israeli army announces it will bomb Haret Hreik, Ghobeiry, Laylaki, Hadath, Burj al-Barajneh, Tahwitat al-Ghadir, and Chiyah in the southern suburb of Beirut, Dahiye.
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❗️Israeli strikes have killed 1,039 people and injured 2,876 in Lebanon since 2 March, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
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❗️Air France said on Monday it has prolonged the suspension of its flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh until 31 March, and to and from Tel Aviv and Beirut until 4 April.
"Due to the security context at the destination and the closure of certain airspaces, the company is forced to extend the suspension of its flights," the airline said.
Australia, New Zealand, South Korea impose emergency energy measures amid Hormuz shutdown
The IEA warned that ‘no country will be immune’ to the deepening energy crisis as global supply losses deepen and economic pressure intensifies
BREAKING | Israeli drone targets a residential building in Hazmieh, in the southeastern suburbs of Beirut.
Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee says that the attack targeted an alleged member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps's (IRGC) Quds Force.
US Patriot missile injured dozens in Bahrain during ‘irresponsible interception’
A group of researchers determined that the US military was operating the battery, as Manama did not start operating its own systems until 2024
BREAKING | Israel bombs the Dallafa Bridge, which connects south Lebanon to the western Bekaa.
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❗️IRIB reports that, following Trump’s threat against Iran’s electrical infrastructure, the US, in coordination with Israel, assassinated Dr. Saeed Shamghadari, a professor of electrical engineering at Iran University of Science and Technology, earlier today.
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WATCH | Israeli airstrikes have recently targeted areas across the southern suburb of Beirut (Dahiye), impacting residential buildings and key civilian infrastructure.
The attacks have disrupted daily life, damaged essential services, and put local communities under heightened pressure, affecting both mobility and access to critical resources in the densely populated suburb.
VIDEO | Israeli media report a passenger bus was damaged in Kiryat Shmona after a rocket launch from Lebanon, with reports of severe injuries.
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Trump walks back threats to strike Iranian power infrastructure
Iran denied Trump’s claims that the two sides are negotiating, and said it will continue to fight until its objectives are achieved
BREAKING | Israeli missile sirens have sounded multiple times in Kiryat Shoma, Upper Galilee, the past hour, with the latest being a few minutes ago.
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❗️Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf:
"Our people demand the complete and humiliating punishment of the aggressors. All officials stand firmly behind their Leader and people until this goal is achieved.
No negotiations with the US have taken place. This fake news is intended to manipulate financial and oil markets and to escape the quagmire that the US and Israel are trapped in."
❗️China urges end to war in West Asia, warns of escalating 'vicious cycle'
China on today called on all parties in the war in West Asia, especially the US and Israel, to halt military actions, warning that continued fighting could create a “vicious cycle” that may drag on growth and reduce demand for Chinese exports.
"The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it," said Chinese special envoy to West Asia Zhai Jun at a briefing following a shuttle diplomacy trip that included visits to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Kuwait.
In a separate briefing, foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian warned that the use of force would only deepen a “vicious cycle,” adding that the war should not have been started.
"Should the hostilities continue to spread and intensify, the entire region will be plunged into chaos," he said.
"The lessons of the past are not far behind us," the Chinese foreign ministry said on Monday in response to a Reuters request for comment marking the Iraq War anniversary last week.
❗️In its latest statement, the Israeli military claims it carried out a wide-scale overnight wave of strikes in Tehran, targeting IRGC and Quds Force headquarters, including air defense and ground forces command sites, as well as intelligence centers, a defense ministry cruise missile production facility, and additional sites linked to ballistic missiles, electronics, and weapons manufacturing.
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BREAKING | A Palestinian was injured by Israeli gunfire in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip.
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Rising number of US troops oppose Iran war, refuse to 'die for Israel': Report
US soldiers say they have no protection from Iranian missiles and drones targeting US bases in the Gulf
❗️Ebrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee:
"Trump is either lying or speaking nonsense; the devastating strikes by the armed forces and the rise in oil prices have rendered the devil powerless, and there is no logic to negotiating under these circumstances. The enemy understands nothing but the language of force and missiles."
❗️Public Relations of the Iranian Armed Forces reports that two US suicide drones intending on targeting naval units stationed in Bandar Abbas were identified, intercepted, and destroyed by Iran’s air defense systems before they could carry out the attack.
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❗️Speaking on an Israeli radio program, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that the war on Lebanon "needs to end with a different reality entirely, both with the Hezbollah decision but also with the change of Israel's borders."
"I say here definitively ... in every room and in every discussion, too: the new Israeli border must be the Litani," he added.
Japan 'not considering' Iran's offer to allow its tankers passage through Strait of Hormuz
US envoy Mike Waltz says Japan is considering deploying its navy for military operations to open the strategic waterway
⭕️ According to Israel's Channel 14, Hezbollah launched 7 rocket barrages toward the settlement of Kiryat Shmona in less than an hour.
Israeli army spokesman is urging settlers along the frontline to remain near shelters, minimize movement, avoid gatherings, and enter protected areas immediately upon receiving alerts until further notice.
❗️Italy turns to Algeria as Qatar unable to deliver gas
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to visit Algeria this week as Rome seeks to lock in alternative gas sources following extended disruptions to Qatari deliveries. Her office confirmed she will arrive in Algiers on Wednesday, though no detailed itinerary was provided.
Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin stated on Friday that Algeria is among the countries Italy is actively negotiating with to shore up its gas supply, after Iranian strikes on Qatar appeared to have knocked out its exports for the foreseeable future. He added that Italian state-owned energy firms are in discussions with suppliers from Algeria, the US, and Azerbaijan to boost incoming gas volumes, with the government working to facilitate those efforts.
Qatar had previously supplied around 10% of Italy's gas demand, but in the wake of the war in West Asia, it informed Italian customer Edison that it "would not be able to fulfil its contractual obligations for April."
⭕️ Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that Wave 76 of Operation “True Promise 4,” carried out under the slogan “Ya Aba Abdillah al-Hussein (peace be upon him),” targeted US and Israeli sites as part of continued strikes on enemy military infrastructure.
The IRGC said missiles struck Al-Dhafra Air Base (UAE), Victoria Base (Iraq), the US Fifth Fleet (Bahrain), and Prince Sultan Air Base (Saudi Arabia) using Qiam liquid-fuel and Zolfaghar solid-fuel missiles. It added that Israeli military infrastructure in Ashkelon, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Gush Dan, and Ashdod was targeted with heavy guided missiles, including Qiam and Kheibar-Shekan systems, achieving direct impacts.
The statement said the continued launch of Iranian missiles and drones, overcoming advanced air defense systems and striking strategic targets, disproves US and Israeli claims that Iran’s missile and naval capabilities have been destroyed, adding that operations in this wave are ongoing and results will be announced.
❗️Israel destroys Qaaqaait al-Jisr Bridge in south Lebanon following repeated strikes
Israeli artillery shelling has destroyed the Qaaqaait al-Jisr Bridge linking the Nabatieh area to Wadi al-Hujeir and the Ghandourieh sector in southern Lebanon. The bridge had already been attacked last week.
(NNA)
BREAKING | Israeli media report several injuries as a result of rockets falling in Kiryat Shmona after being launched from Lebanon.
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VIDEO | "I urged the President to launch this attack."
In a recent interview on the YouTube program Triggernometry, US Senator Ted Cruz acknowledged that he advised President Donald Trump on military action against Iran only days ahead of the US-Israeli strikes.
Cruz reportedly told Trump, “America will be much much safer” after conducting attacks on Iran. He added, “I believe our objective should unequivocally be collapsing this regime, and in my view the decision to launch this attack was the most consequential decision President Trump has made in his second term.”
During the interview, Cruz also openly called for arming Iranian rioters, arguing that while US-Israeli tactics in Iran have been "effective" it has not been enough.