The Cradle

12 March 2026 09:56

❗️Deleted US energy chief post sends oil prices plunging and sparks accusations of wartime market manipulation

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a former fracking executive, sent markets into a tailspin on Tuesday after claiming on social media that the US Navy had escorted an oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz to keep oil flowing. The post was deleted minutes later, but not before oil prices dropped sharply. The White House later admitted the claim was false, while the Energy Department blamed unnamed staff for “incorrectly captioning” the message.

The brief post quickly led to accusations of market manipulation, with analysts questioning who may have benefited from the sudden plunge in oil prices. Critics argued the incident highlights the dangerous overlap between wartime messaging and financial markets. Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi also accused US officials of spreading false information to influence markets, warning that the war could trigger an unprecedented global energy shortfall.

The Strait of Hormuz has become a central flashpoint in the US-Israeli war on Iran. Tehran has warned that vessels linked to aggressor states may not be allowed to pass through the vital waterway, which carries roughly a third of the world’s seaborne crude. Despite Wright’s claim, reports indicate the US Navy has declined repeated requests from the shipping industry to escort tankers through the strait because of the high risk of escalation.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 03:24

Footage of an Iranian fragmentation missile as seen from the West Bank.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 03:02

BREAKING | Missiles from Iran detected heading toward Israeli targets.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 02:41

⭕️ Hezbollah announces 24 operations against Israeli forces and sites on 11 March

Hezbollah said the operations came in response to Israeli attacks on dozens of Lebanese cities and towns, including Beirut’s southern suburb, and as part of the newly announced ‘Asf al-Ma’kul’ operations.

Border clashes:

Hezbollah reported several strikes targeting Israeli troop concentrations and vehicles along the border front. Rocket salvos and artillery fire struck Israeli forces and vehicles at Marj position opposite Markaba, the newly established Markaba position, troops advancing toward the Khanouq area in Aitaroun, troops near the Manara position, and Israeli forces south of Khiam (twice). Hezbollah also said it shelled the newly established Balat position in south Lebanon with artillery.

Drone attacks:

Hezbollah announced several suicide drone strikes targeting Israeli settlements and military installations, including Kiryat Shmona (twice), Shlomi, Avivim, and Shtula. Drone swarms also struck the Stella Maris naval surveillance base in Haifa, as well as the Rafael military industries complex north of Haifa.

Rocket/missile strikes:

Hezbollah reported extensive rocket salvos targeting Israeli settlements and troop concentrations in the northern front, including Kiryat Shmona (three times), Nahariya (twice), and Metula (twice) following evacuation warnings. Rockets also struck Israeli positions near Manara, south of Khiam, and Marj opposite Markaba.

Strategic military targets:

Hezbollah also announced strikes on deeper Israeli military infrastructure, including Misgav Am base and the Yodfat military industries company northeast of Haifa, Amiad base north of the Sea of Galilee, Shamshon base west of the Sea of Galilee, the Israeli army’s Northern Command headquarters (Dado base), Ein Zeitim base north of Safad, Haifa naval base, Tirat Carmel base in Haifa, and Nesherim base southeast of Haifa, using salvos of qualitative rockets and drone swarms.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 02:27

VIDEO | Fuel tanks on fire at Muharraq airbase in northern Bahrain.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 01:21

Israel has committed a massacre of innocent civilians in Ramlet al-Baida in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, where many people displaced from their homes have been sheltering in tents, cars, and on mattresses along the beach with nowhere else to go.

According to local reports, at least 15 killed/injured.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 01:01

⭕️ Israeli drone strikes reported on Tehran checkpoints

Israeli drones carried out strikes on several neighborhoods in Tehran on Wednesday, targeting checkpoints staffed by security personnel and Basij volunteers, according to Iran’s Fars News Agency, while an AFP journalist in the northern part of the capital reported hearing a drone overhead followed by multiple explosions.

Fars said the attacks resulted in the deaths of several members of Iran’s security forces and Basij stationed at the checkpoints, marking the first reported drone attacks inside Tehran since the war began on 28 February, though it remains unclear whether some of the blasts were caused by air defense systems or direct strikes.

Following the attacks, Fars reported a surge of volunteers joining Basij checkpoint units, with large numbers of civilians and Basij members offering to serve after the strikes, prompting authorities to reorganize checkpoint deployments and provide basic training for new volunteers. Some observers note that US–Israeli real-time intelligence may be weakening as the attacks increasingly target lower-level security positions, while others believe the strikes are intended to provoke unrest inside Iran, though officials say checkpoint security has been strengthened and that many attempted attacks have failed due to existing security protocols.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 00:27

BREAKING | Early reports of an Israeli attack on the Ramlet al-Baida beach area in Beirut, Lebanon, which is situated along the southern end of the Corniche Beirut promenade.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 00:06

BREAKING | Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburb.

The Cradle

11 March 2026 23:41

❗️Al-Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib:

"A very strict media blackout is being imposed by the Israeli occupation army inside the occupied territories, where even filming interceptor missiles is prohibited, amid the intense barrage of fire directed by the resistance through swarms of drones and missiles of varying sizes targeting settlements and military bases."

The Cradle

11 March 2026 23:16

❗️Israel's Walla News reports that Hezbollah carried out a cyberattack on train stations, disrupting Home Front Command instructions displayed on advertising boards and in passenger halls.

The Cradle

11 March 2026 23:04

❗️Three powerful explosions shake Erbil International Airport in Iraqi Kurdistan.

(Sputnik correspondent)

The Cradle

11 March 2026 22:54

BREAKING | Explosions reported near Erbil Airport in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Cradle

11 March 2026 22:24

⭕️ Spokesman for Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters of the Iranian Armed Forces says the incident that occurred at the Port of Salalah in neighboring Oman appears highly suspicious, adding that the Islamic Republic of Iran is currently investigating the matter and reaffirming that the security and sovereignty of the Sultanate of Oman are respected by Iran’s armed forces.

The Cradle

11 March 2026 21:55

❗️Israeli drone sirens continue to ring across multiple northwestern settlements amid launches from Lebanon.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 04:41

BREAKING | More than 20 killed after US-Israeli airstrikes hit Popular Mobilization Units' positions in Akashat, western Iraq near the Syrian border.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 03:20

❗Israeli Home Front Command says Iran launches missiles toward central Israel while Hezbollah fires rockets from Lebanon toward northern areas.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 02:51

⭕️ From a drone strike on a building in Dubai earlier tonight.

According to observers, it appeared to be an assassination attempt.

Dubai media office said there were no casualties.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 02:38

The price of war on Iran: Washington’s mounting military and financial drain

As the conflict widens, the decisive arena may shift from the battlefield itself to the immense economic and military burden of sustaining a prolonged war against a prepared regional power.

By Abbas al-Zein

The Cradle

12 March 2026 02:26

🇮🇶 Islamic Resistance in Iraq reports that over the past 24 hours, its fighters have carried out 13 operations, in which dozens of drones and missiles were used against enemy bases in Iraq and the region.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 01:12

BREAKING | Israeli attack on Aramoun in the Aley District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, south of Beirut.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 00:47

UPDATE | Two fuel tankers ablaze off Iraq after explosive boat collision

Two foreign-flagged fuel tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil caught fire near the port after boats loaded with explosives collided with them, according to Farhan al-Fartousi, director general of Iraq’s General Company for Ports, speaking to Reuters.

One foreign crew member was reportedly killed and 25 others were evacuated, while both vessels remained ablaze late Wednesday night.

The Cradle

12 March 2026 00:12

❗️Israeli media reports a direct rocket impact in Netanya following launches from Lebanon.

The Cradle

11 March 2026 23:43

❗️Al-Manar correspondent Ali Shoeib:

"Warplanes and drones are flying intensely across southern Lebanon at very low altitudes amid the heavy firepower and the continued rocket launches without interruption, despite ongoing airstrikes and extensive aerial surveillance."

The Cradle

11 March 2026 23:33

BREAKING | Joint launches towards Tel Aviv by Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iran.

The Cradle

11 March 2026 23:08

VIDEO | Vessel on fire near the Port of Umm Qasr in Iraq’s Basra province.

The Cradle

11 March 2026 22:59

WATCH | Footage filmed by Chinese sailors on 9 March shows Iranian missiles striking an oil storage facility in the UAE after Patriot air defenses fired six interceptors but failed to stop the attack, sparking a fire at the site.

The Cradle

11 March 2026 22:34

❗️Avi Issacharoff – Yedioth Ahronoth:

“Unfortunately, Hezbollah is in a better position than we thought, and there are no signs of disintegration. The combat system is still functioning, as is the missile arsenal.”

The Cradle

11 March 2026 22:07

❗️Amit Segal - Israel's Channel 12:

"The sirens have not stopped sounding in Galilee and the northern regions for three consecutive hours due to the intense rocket attacks from Lebanon."

The Cradle

11 March 2026 21:48

⭕️ Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that Wave 40 of Operation True Promise 4, launched under the code name “Ya Amir al-Mu’minin,” involved Qadr, Emad, Kheibar-Shekan, and Fattah missiles targeting sites in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa, and US bases in the region including Muwaffaq Salti (Azraq) in Jordan and Prince Sultan Airbase (Al-Kharj) in Saudi Arabia in coordination with forces of the Islamic Resistance.