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#ICYMI Clip from #Iran's Ofogh TV's documentary about #Zainabiyoun militants. A Pakistani #Shiite #Pashtun fighter of #Iran-backed #Zainabiyoun militia in #Syria helping his Iranian colleague interrogate a Pakistani #Sunni #Pashtun fighter of #Saudi-backed outfit Jaysh al-Islam.

#Syria’s #HTS leadership is reviving a big regional idea: the “Four Seas” project. The pitch is simple but ambitious, turn Syria into a regional transit hub linking the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Persian Gulf, and Caspian routes.

Crazy story from the West Bank: A Palestinian candidate won the municipal elections in the town of Deir Samet — and was arrested by the Israeli army the next day. He was released hours later on one condition: step down.

EU Special Envoy Gilles Bertrand held talks with #Taliban officials in #Kabul on efforts to combat the Islamic State Khorasan Province (#ISKP). 8am.media/eng/eu-taliban…

Afghan migrant Safi Dawood, 23, admits stabbing two people in west London. He is charged with murdering Wayne Broadhurst and attempting to murder his landlord and a teenage boy. news.sky.com/story/afghan-m…

🚨🇺🇦🇮🇱 A senior Ukrainian diplomatic source tells me that if the vessel PANORAMITIS, which is allegedly carrying wheat stolen from occupied Ukrainian territories, enters the port of Haifa and unloads its cargo, it will lead to a crisis in relations between Ukraine and Israel 🚨"We are tracking this new vessel and won’t let this slide. If it’s permitted to dock and unload, there will be fallout, specifically for our bilateral ties", the Ukrainian diplomatic source said 🚨The Ukrainian diplomatic source added: "If this ship and its cargo isn’t rejected, we reserve the right to deploy a full suite of diplomatic and international legal responses" 🚨The Ukrainian diplomatic source said Israel has "essentially shrugged off" our demands regarding the previous vessel that unloaded stolen wheat in Haifa port 🚨"⁠⁠Frankly, this feels like a slap in the face given the strategic goodwill Ukraine has extended - from designating the IRGC as terrorists to criminalizing antisemitism", the Ukrainian diplomatic source said 🚨"Profiting from stolen cargo should be beneath Israel’s dignity", the Ukrainian diplomatic source said

Iran is couching its plans for Strait of Hormuz jointly with Oman not as a toll on all shipping but a fee for services, a fee that it says it is entitled to impose under UNCLOS. Aim is to seek buy in with the UN and International Maritime Organisation, and to show the fee is non-discriminatory.

Three Civilians Killed, Dozens Injured in Pakistani Attacks on Kunar, Taliban Officials Claim The Taliban’s Public Health Director in Kunar Province, Muzaffar Mukhlis, reported that three civilians were killed and 45 others injured in attacks carried out today by Pakistani forces. Mukhlis condemned the Pakistani government, describing its actions as “barbaric and cruel.” #aamajnews

Amit Segal can say that but surely the most obvious explanation for why the Syrian government prefers to cut off Hezbollah from remaining supply lines is that it resents Hezbollah's role in supporting Assad and sees Hezbollah as a de-stabilising actor both internally & externally

إسقاط الجنسية البحرينية عن من أبدوا تعاطفهم وتمجيدهم للأعمال العدائية الإيرانية الآثمة وعددهم حتى الآن بمن فيهم عوائلهم بالتبعية (69) شخصاً policemc.gov.bh/news/78177/

Afghan migrant admits stabbing two people in west London news.sky.com/story/afghan-m…

An Iraqi fighter who was part of Hezbollah's Radwan force was recently killed by Israel on the S. Lebanon front. He was from Diwaniyah governorate.

And, worth noting that an Egyptian economic and state collapse immediately hits all of its immediate neighbours, including the EU

Egypt historically relied on being to too big to fail to ensure it could get the financing it needed even if it refused to implement vital structural reforms asked of it, but Egypt may be approaching a situation where it is also "too big to bail" as @ishacdiwan has warned.

Egypt and Pakistan have both walked a tightrope of economic precarity and heavy reliance on Gulf financing while navigating repeated IMF programs and attempting to conserve their foreign policy independence. Both declined UAE/Saudi requests to join their fight against the Houthis

"Saudi bailing out Pakistan while it leads mediation efforts & shielding it from UAE efforts to punish Pakistan show Saudi support for mediation & deescalation. Egypt, who also aligned with Saudi in its rivalry with the UAE, backs mediation too"

The UAE suddenly withdrew deposits in Pakistan's Central Bank which Saudi quickly replaced. This report indicates UAE did so to punish Pakistan for its mediator role in US-Iran talks. The story clarifies the 2 Gulf powers' views on the war & is a warning for states like Egypt 🧵

Sabotage-for-hire: ‘Iranian agent’ offers to pay undercover @LBC reporter for criminal acts on London’s streets. The tasking had all the hallmarks of a previous Russian-ordered arson attack on a warehouse in London, providing aid to Ukraine. lbc.co.uk/article/iran-u…

The Iran war has forced thousands of Indian workers to leave their jobs in Gulf nations and return home. Their future remains unclear, and now India itself is feeling the economic impact. dw.com/en/indians-for…

‘India is going to face a food crisis’: Farmers panic over fertiliser shortages amid Iran war Ripple effects of oil and fertiliser shortage felt by farmers in India and Sri Lanka despite governments saying there is enough stock to go round theguardian.com/world/2026/apr…

The Iran war has caused a shortage of Diet ​Coke in India, where it is sold only in aluminium cans that ‌have run short because of delayed shipments from the Gulf. The Gulf accounts for around 9% of global aluminium production. reuters.com/world/india/di…