The Cradle ✔

❗️IRGC Navy disables commercial tankers using US military cover in Strait of Hormuz The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy published video footage documenting two commercial oil tankers engulfed in flames after being brought to a complete halt in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to IRIB. Naval command statements confirmed that the targeted vessels were intercepted in the eastern and western corridors of the waterway after entering restricted security zones without authorization, forcing both tankers to ground in the southern waters of the strait. The IRGC Navy revealed that both vessels were operating covertly with their Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) turned off, relying directly on operational escorts and heavy air defense cover provided by the US military. Despite the active presence of US naval assets guarding the commercial convoy, IRGC fast-attack craft successfully breached the US security perimeter to attach tactical limpet mines directly to the hulls of the violating ships before maneuvering safely back to coastal bases.

❗️Thai authorities expand probe into Israeli-linked chief rabbi's corporate network and family assets Thai authorities have broadened their multi-agency investigation into relatives of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor alongside 19 commercial entities linked to his network, according to Thai Inquirer. The expanded probe follows an order issued on 28 October by Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul revoking Kantor's Thai citizenship under Section 19(2) of the Nationality Act, after investigators documented that the naturalized citizen repeatedly utilized his US passport for international travel while operating extensive commercial holdings. Deputy Interior Minister Polapee Suwunchwee confirmed that the Department of Provincial Administration, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the Department of Lands, and the Department of Business Development are coordinating to examine corporate shareholdings, real estate acquisitions, and potential nominee arrangements. The joint task force is probing whether corporate structures were deployed to bypass strict statutory limits on foreign land ownership and commercial control, warning that substantiated violations could trigger asset freezes, compulsory land sales, and structural seizures. The enforcement push against Kantor—who serves as head of Chabad of Thailand and leader of the local Jewish Association—occurs amid heightened government scrutiny targeting unregistered Israeli business networks, foreign-linked real estate acquisitions, and illicit commercial operations across major tourist provinces including Phuket and Bangkok. Israeli media outlets like Yedioth Ahronoth and The Jerusalem Post reported that recent state raids on Chabad centers and associated properties have raised concerns in Tel Aviv over a wider government crackdown on Israeli commercial influence and unauthorized intelligence-linked footprints in Southeast Asia.

❗️Exxon, Chevron withdraw executives from Abu Dhabi oil show US oil giants ExxonMobil and Chevron have withdrawn plans for their executives to attend the United Arab Emirates' largest oil exhibition next week, citing security concerns, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Exxon CEO Darren Woods was scheduled to attend the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), while Chevron had planned to send its upstream president, Clay Neff, the sources said. "US participation is very strong, with more than 120 exhibiting companies - the second-largest country representation after China," DMG said in a statement. The organizer said this year's ADIPEC is expected to draw a record number of exhibitors, with participants from more than 170 countries. However, a list of confirmed US industry speakers provided by DMG did not include representatives from either ExxonMobil or Chevron.

❗️Tehran slams UN rapporteur for whitewashing US and Israeli aggression against Iran Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei sharply condemned the UN Special Rapporteurship on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran, accusing the body of shielding Washington and Tel Aviv from international accountability. Writing on social media on Thursday, Baghaei criticized the recent presentation by UN Special Rapporteur Mai Sato to the General Assembly, characterizing the mechanism as a "politically motivated" mandate initiated by the UK to deflect from western and Israeli atrocities. The diplomatic response followed a UN report that sought to frame systemic human rights issues in Iran while downplaying the direct humanitarian toll of external military aggression and coercive sanctions imposed by the US and the Israeli occupation. Baghaei asserted that "exploiting the so-called Special Rapporteurship... to blame Iran for the crimes committed by the US and Israel amounts to nothing less than a deliberate attempt to whitewash aggression, atrocities, and unilateral coercive measures," calling the UN framing "deeply misleading and profoundly disingenuous."

❗️Yemeni Armed Forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said on Friday morning that Yemeni forces had not launched any operation targeting Saudi Arabia, dismissing Riyadh's claim that it intercepted a drone over Mecca as a "blatant and egregious fabrication." Saree said Yemeni operations target Saudi oil facilities and military bases, accusing the kingdom of spreading "fabrications and lies."

❗️UK expands military backing for Saudi airstrikes on Yemen despite rising civilian death toll According to an investigation by Declassified UK, Britain’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has expanded its military assistance to Saudi Arabia, deploying Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon fighter jets and providing critical aerial refueling for Saudi airstrikes targeting Yemen. The increased support was authorized by British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting, who previously advocated for an arms embargo against Riyadh over its civilian casualty record in Yemen, but is now presiding over direct British involvement as Saudi strikes hit civilian centers. Data from the Yemen Data Project reveals that Saudi airstrikes caused more civilian casualties last month than in any single period since 2022, resulting in at least 66 deaths and 90 injuries—including eight children. Among the deadliest incidents was a September 22 strike on a residential home in Mokha that killed six civilians, followed days later by an attack on a market in the Al-Taiziyah district of Taiz that killed seven and injured 40 others. Despite the rising toll, London agreed to send up to 20 Voyager aerial refueling sorties from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus with their transponders deactivated, while deploying Typhoons from Qatar to support Saudi air operations without charging the kingdom for the military assistance. The escalation follows the collapse of a four-year UN-brokered ceasefire in July, triggered when Saudi-led forces bombed Sanaa International Airport. In response to the breakdown, Yemen's Armed Forces have launched retaliatory drone and missile strikes against strategic targets inside Saudi Arabia, including King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. While ten leading British trade unions and human rights monitors have demanded an immediate halt to UK military collaboration, British officials maintain that RAF deployments serve strictly "defensive counter air" purposes to protect regional allies.

❗️Siege of West Bank displaces nearly 5,000 Palestinians as occupation forces seal off Hebron According to a detailed data analysis published by Al Jazeera, nearly 5,000 Palestinians have been forcibly displaced from their homes as Israel’s punitive military siege on the southern West Bank city of Hebron enters its second week. Occupation forces have locked down the city by sealing off all 10 primary access points, trapping the civilian population and systematically removing 4,969 residents across 780 families—representing approximately two percent of Hebron's 250,000 inhabitants. Municipal and human rights data show that the sweeping forced displacement campaign heavily impacts vulnerable populations, including 441 elderly citizens, 336 infants under two years of age, 312 chronic illness patients, over 200 pregnant or nursing women, and 44 individuals with disabilities. Hebron Mayor Youssef al-Jabari condemned the operation as a campaign of severe "collective punishment," noting that the number of displaced residents more than doubled within a 48-hour period as military units expanded home seizures and forced evacuations. The total blockade on Hebron coincides with broader military escalation across the occupied West Bank, where troops have commandeered residential structures into military outposts and restricted humanitarian movements. The ongoing structural isolation, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and targeted mass displacement in Hebron serve as part of an overarching strategy to fracture Palestinian territorial continuity and enforce long-term military domination.

VIDEO | "We are occupiers. Everything that is happening now is the result of the occupation" According to a report by Arutz Sheva, veteran Israeli actress Chelli Goldenberg sparked widespread public controversy after declaring that she is "no longer proud to be Israeli" during a candid discussion she mistakenly believed was taking place off-air. Speaking with television hosts during what she assumed was a commercial break, Goldenberg condemned decades of Israeli policy, stating, "We are occupiers. Everything happening now is a consequence of the occupation," while explicitly denouncing settler violence and "Jewish terrorism." The former fashion model and cinema figure, who rose to prominence in the 1978 film Ha-Lahaka, emphasized that understanding the "sin of the occupation" took years, directly attributing the current regional crisis, military aggression, and social fragmentation to colonial expansion and extremist dominance. Visibly distressed upon realizing the conversation had been broadcast live, she confronted the show's producers for failing to notify her that the cameras were rolling.

‼️According to local sources, a Heron TP (Eitan) reconnaissance drone has been operating in the airspace over Beirut since 9:00 AM, maintaining an altitude above 20,000 feet (approx. 6 kilometers).

BREAKING | Saudi Arabia launches airstrikes across multiple Yemeni governorates Saudi Arabia has launched a series of airstrikes targeting multiple sites across Yemen, according to Al-Masirah. The strikes hit the Mahliyah area in Marib governorate, Hayfan in Taiz governorate, and the Huswain area in Al-Jawf governorate.

❗️Tucker Carlson accuses US government of ignoring Israeli settler violence against Palestinian-Americans Tucker Carlson publicly sparred with US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee after publishing unreleased footage of a Palestinian-American citizen who was severely beaten by extremist Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank town of Turmus Ayya. Carlson accused Huckabee and US diplomatic personnel of intentionally ignoring the victim's pleas for assistance despite formal outreach submitted to the embassy on 19 October. "Ambassador Huckabee, this is unreleased video of an American who was beaten almost to death last week by Israeli settlers. You know his name because he came to you for help, but you blew him off. That’s disgraceful. Do your job," Carlson wrote. Huckabee rejected the accusations, insisting that consular officials initiated repeated phone calls and emails to offer assistance, claiming diplomatic outreach was hampered by communication handling on the part of the victim's son, none of which could be independently verified. The political feud coincides with another violent incident in the South Hebron Hills village of Umm al-Khair, where Israeli settlers assaulted US journalist Jasper Nathaniel alongside peace activists Andrey X and Adele Shoko. The group was attacked while documenting an illegal military gate that blocks local Palestinian communities from accessing their land. Israeli occupation police responded to the scene by arresting the targeted activists while leaving the violent settlers unpunished and keeping the military blockade in place.

❗️NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte conducted a telephone earlier today with Saudi Arabian Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman to evaluate heightened regional security dynamics across the region, official military coalition sources confirmed. According to NATO spokesperson Allison Hart, the discussions centered on maintaining regional stability and safeguarding international freedom of navigation across critical strategic maritime corridors.

❗️Israeli settlers assault Palestinian farmers and land activists in occupied West Bank According to WAFA, groups of Israeli settlers—operating under the direct protection of Israeli occupation forces—assaulted local Palestinian farmers and solidarity activists before forcibly expelling them from their agricultural land in Kafr Malik, northeast of Ramallah. The assault targeted community members and international activists assisting indigenous families with the annual olive harvest. Armed settlers physically attacked the gatherers, vandalized agricultural equipment, and threatened those present with live ammunition while Israeli military units provided top cover and enforced the illegal expulsion by declaring the surrounding area a closed zone. The coordinated attack highlights the systemic pattern of state-sponsored land grabs across the occupied West Bank, where military forces routinely facilitate settler violence to strip Palestinians of access to their ancestral farmland.

❗️Earlier this morning, at least one interceptor missile exploded over the southern Lebanese town of Taybeh. The origin of the missile remains unclear, and the Israeli military has not yet commented on the incident.

❗️An Israeli military Humvee vehicle was reportedly stolen from an emergency storage facility belonging to a reserve unit at the Julis military base, near the Malachi Junction. The incident triggered widespread search operations and an urgent military investigation, according to Israeli Army Radio. In response, the military issued immediate warnings to regional bases regarding the potential use of the stolen vehicle in attempts to infiltrate camps or training areas.

❗️Global oil prices surge as naval mine strikes in Strait of Hormuz disrupt maritime transit According to a report by Gulf News, international oil prices spiked sharply today, positioning benchmark crude for its fourth consecutive monthly gain following reports that multiple commercial oil tankers struck naval mines while attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy confirmed that several vessels caught fire after navigating through designated security zones without authorization, highlighting severe ongoing supply risks as the regional war between Washington, Tel Aviv, and Tehran enters its eighth month. The fresh disruptions in the Persian Gulf triggered an immediate reaction across global commodities markets. Brent crude futures for December delivery surged by $1.20, or 1.04 percent, reaching $116.08 per barrel in early trading, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed $1.37, or 1.34 percent, to $103.37 per barrel. For the month of October, Brent is on track to finish nearly 11 percent higher, while WTI is heading toward a 14 percent monthly increase as energy traders price in systemic maritime security risks.

❗️Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, in an effort to thwart the opposition "Change Bloc" from maneuvering to establish a minority government, Channel 12 reports. The high-stakes meeting comes as political factions scramble behind the scenes to secure governing majorities or block rival coalitions from coming to power.

❗️Commercial tanker in Strait of Hormuz targeted by explosives attached to its hull According to an updated bulletin from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a small vessel approached a commercial tanker's port side, northeast of Khasab, Oman, and attached two explosive devices above the waterline. The resulting detonations triggered a blaze in the engine room, temporarily crippling the vessel. The onboard fire has since been brought under control, and the vessel has resumed transit toward its destination. UKMTO confirmed that all crew members are accounted for and safe, with no oil spills or environmental fallout recorded.

❗️Qatari negotiators have arrived back in the Iranian capital today in a high-stakes diplomatic effort to broker a deal to defuse escalations between the US and Iran, sources tell Al Jazeera. The emergency talks are being coordinated directly with Washington and come on the heels of a letter delivered to Iranian officials on Sunday from US Vice President JD Vance. While Tehran confirms receipt of Vance’s message, Iranian authorities have yet to issue a formal response as negotiations get underway.

London tourism expo promotes Israeli agency linked to theft of Palestinian land The event will promote the Jerusalem Development Authority, which builds illegal Jewish settlements and 'Biblical parks,' in occupied East Jerusalem