Feb. 11: Senior Hamas official says group has yet to receive disarmament proposal

Lebanon to decide on plan to control arms north of Litani next week, minister says

Lebanese army soldiers secure the site of a drone attack that targeted a vehicle on the road of the southern Lebanese village of Ansarieyh on February 2, 2026. (Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP)

Lebanon’s government will decide next week how to move to the second phase of a plan to extend its authority and place all arms under state control in areas north of the Litani River, its information minister says.

The decision will be based on a presentation by the army outlining its needs and capabilities, the minister, Paul Morcos, tells reporters during a visit to Kuwait, where he is attending a meeting of Arab nations.

The Lebanese army said in January that it had taken operational control in the area between the Litani River and the border with Israel. The cabinet asked the army to brief it in early February on how to pursue disarmament in other parts of the country.

“We have completed the first phase, south of the Litani River. Next week the government will take a decision regarding the second phase, considering what the army commander sets out in terms of needs and capabilities, so that we can decide accordingly, based on that explanation,” Morcos says.

Lebanon has been seeking to place all arms under state control, in line with a November 2024 US-brokered ceasefire that ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Morcos rules out the possibility of any confrontation between the Lebanese army and Hezbollah, saying the objective is “to extend state authority and achieve stability, and insofar as these goals can be achieved together, we will proceed.”

Israel has carried out regular strikes in Lebanon since the end of the war with Hezbollah, saying it is targeting the terror group for ceasefire violations. Israel has accused Hezbollah of seeking to rearm in violation of the truce agreement.

Qatari and Turkish FMs discuss ‘regional security’ ahead of first Board of Peace meeting

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Thani met in Ankara today to discuss regional “de-escalation,” a week before the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s international Board of Peace, of which both countries are members.

The two officials – who last month signed the Board of Peace’s charter in Davos, Switzerland, along with other global leaders – discussed “the latest developments in the region, in addition to a number of topics of mutual interest,” according to a readout from Qatar’s foreign ministry.

Minister of Foreign Affairs @HakanFidan met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, in Ankara. pic.twitter.com/MA6Xt897fv

— Turkish MFA (@MFATurkiye) February 11, 2026

“Both sides also stressed the importance of intensifying regional and international efforts to de-escalate tension in the region through dialogue and peaceful means, in order to consolidate regional security,” the readout adds.

Turkey’s and Qatar’s involvement in Trump’s Gaza peace plan – especially the inclusion of Fidan and top Qatari diplomat Ali Al Thawadi on the Gaza Executive Board, another key oversight panel in Trump’s Gaza peace plan – has drawn concern in Israel, as both countries have close ties to Hamas and are fierce critics of Jerusalem. None of the three countries has confirmed its participation in next week’s Board of Peace meeting.

Iran’s FM denies report of mass executions by ‘Miriam Adelson’s mouthpiece’

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi scorns an Israel Hayom report that the regime secretly executed thousands of people who participated in protests after telling Washington it would not do so.

“Whenever Miriam Adelson’s mouthpiece pushes a dramatic claim about Iran, it’s worth asking who it serves,” Araghchi says of the newspaper. “Even the US president has acknowledged where her primary loyalties lie.”

He adds: “The facts: No executions have taken place, no court process has been concluded, and more than 2,000 prisoners have been pardoned. Before buying the narrative being peddled, consider who benefits from it — and who may actually be doing the deceiving.”

Whenever Miriam Adelson’s mouthpiece pushes a dramatic claim about Iran, it’s worth asking who it serves. Even the U.S. President has acknowledged where her primary loyalties lie.

In its latest piece, Adelson's outlet declared—just an hour before Netanyahu’s White House… pic.twitter.com/pJK3JFqRz8

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) February 11, 2026

Senior Hamas official says group has yet to receive disarmament proposal

Hamas official Osama Hamdan speaks during an interview with AFP in Istanbul, Turkey, on September 15, 2024. (Ozan Kose/ AFP/ File)

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan says the group has not received any disarmament proposals from Gaza ceasefire mediators, and reiterates Hamas’s refusal to give up its weapons.

Hamdan tells Al Jazeera: “We have not received from mediators any draft or official proposals relating to the weapons of the resistance.” He adds that Hamas has yet to adopt an official position on “freezing” its arms — a move it has proposed as an alternative to full disarmament.

Palestinians’ armed struggle “is a right as long as the occupation remains,” Hamdan says. The word “occupation” is typically used by Hamas to denote Israel in its entirety.

The comments come after a New York Times report yesterday said officials in the US-led Board of Peace planned to let Hamas keep some small arms while requiring it to surrender most of its long-range weapons. The report said mediators planned on sharing the document with Hamas in the coming weeks. Israel has said Gaza can be rebuilt only once Hamas disarms.

Hamdan also repeats Hamas’s position that the International Stabilization Force, which is supposed to maintain security in Gaza under US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, should deploy only on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, to “prevent hostilities against our people, in accordance with Trump’s plan.”

(That is not what the plan states. The ISF is meant to “train and provide support to vetted Palestinian police forces in Gaza,” provide a “long-term internal security solution,” and “help secure border areas, along with newly trained Palestinian police forces.”)

Hamdan says Hamas has conveyed that position to the government of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, which on Monday announced it would contribute thousands of troops to the ISF, and whose troops are expected to be the first ISF personnel to deploy in Gaza.

Hamdan accuses Israel of preventing the entry into Gaza of the 12-member technocratic committee that is supposed to administer the Strip under the ceasefire plan. An Arab diplomat has told The Times of Israel that the Palestinian committee will not enter Gaza until it is equipped to govern.

Hamdan also accuses Israel of obstructing operations at the Rafah border crossing and of letting only very few people through since it reopened earlier this month, as part of the Gaza ceasefire.

US prepping to send 2nd carrier strike group to Mideast — Wall Street Journal

Three US officials tell The Wall Street Journal that the Pentagon has instructed another aircraft carrier strike group to get ready for deployment to the Middle East, amid preparations for possible military action against Iran.

A first carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln arrived in the region in late January.

As negotiations continue, the Trump administration is seeking to ramp up the pressure on Tehran, the report says.

IDF to carry out drill in Eilat tomorrow

The IDF says it will be conducting a military exercise in the southernmost city of Eilat tomorrow morning.

“As part of the drill, there will be an increased movement of security, emergency, rescue forces, and vessels in the area,” the army says.

Tucker Carlson reportedly to interview Huckabee in Israel after public disputes

Tucker Carlson attends the United States Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025. (Pool/Getty Images North America/AFP)

Popular conservative commentator Tucker Carlson is expected to visit Israel soon to interview US Ambassador Mike Huckabee after recent clashes between the two on social media, according to unsourced Hebrew media reports.

Huckabee’s office does not immediately confirm the reports, which follow public disputes between the two over issues related to Israel and the region.

In an episode aired last week of The Tucker Carlson Show, Carlson accused Huckabee of not doing enough to ensure proper treatment of Christians in Israel, prompting Huckabee to respond on X, “Instead of talking about me, why don’t you come talk to me?” Carlson later welcomed the invitation, and both figures posted that they were working to set up an interview.

In a separate clash last month, Huckabee slammed Carlson on X for comments he made last year denying that Hamas is a terrorist group and saying it “seems more like a political organization.”

Israel initially considered barring Carlson from entering the country for the expected visit, but decided against the move so as not to cause a “diplomatic incident,” according to a Channel 13 report.

Police say they arrested man who planned ramming-stabbing in East Jerusalem

Police recently nabbed a 50-year-old man who planned to carry out a ramming-stabbing attack at Hizma checkpoint in East Jerusalem, law enforcement announces.

While the suspect was on his way to the checkpoint earlier this month, he crashed his car into a pole on the side of the highway. Cops dispatched to the scene of the accident searched his vehicle and found several knives and army fatigues affiliated with a terror group, police say.

The suspect, a Palestinian from Qalandiya in the West Bank, allegedly was driving a car with a forged Israeli license plate.

He was interrogated on suspicion of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit a terrorist act, and vehicle forgery, and he will be indicted in the near future, police say.

A day later, police detectives raided the suspect’s home and arrested his 21-year-old son, who was found to be in possession of a Hamas flag and headbands bearing the terror group’s insignia.

The son also remains in police custody, though police have not announced plans to file charges against him.

Netanyahu’s office: PM stressed Israel’s security needs during Trump meeting

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office puts out a relatively terse readout on his lengthy meeting with US President Donald Trump, saying the two sides “addressed negotiations with Iran, Gaza, and regional developments.”

“The prime minister emphasized Israel’s security needs in the context of the negotiations, and the two agreed to maintain close coordination and ongoing communication,” says the PMO.

The statement does not indicate that any conclusions were reached on Iran, in line with Trump’s post shortly after the meeting ended.

Trump says he ‘insisted’ to Netanyahu that Iran talks should continue

US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before departing from the White House in Washington, DC, on February 6, 2026. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

US President Donald Trump says that while he just wrapped up a “very good” meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, “nothing definitive was reached, other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a deal can be consummated.

“If it can, I let the prime minister know that will be a preference. If it cannot, we will just have to see what the outcome will be,” Trump writes on Truth Social, without specifying whether Netanyahu agrees with that approach.

“Last time Iran decided that they were better off not making a deal, they were hit with Midnight Hammer — that did not work well for them,” he says, referring to the June 2025 US strikes on Iran’s three main nuclear sites.

“Hopefully this time they will be more reasonable and responsible,” he says.

Trump says the pair also discussed “the tremendous progress being made in Gaza, and the region in general.”

Netanyahu-Trump meeting ends after nearly 3 hours

The nearly three-hour meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump has ended, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Only one photo has been released to this point, and no readout from either side has been published.

Netanyahu-Trump meeting focused on joint plan of action as both sides doubt Iran deal – report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ongoing meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House aims to establish a joint course of action should Washington fail to reach an agreement with Iran, amid skepticism from both sides over the likelihood of a deal emerging, reports Channel 12, citing US and Israeli officials.

Washington is skeptical that a deal with Iran can be reached — even one focused solely on Iran’s nuclear program, as opposed to one addressing ballistic missiles as well, a senior US official tells the network. Accordingly, a central goal of today’s meeting is to agree on a plan of action if the deal fails, the official continues, adding that if Israel and the US agree on a joint strike in the absence of a deal, it will be much more effective if done together.

The political and security establishments in Israel do not expect a deal to emerge, the report adds, saying that Netanyahu seeks to preserve Israel’s freedom of action surrounding Tehran, whether a deal is reached or not.

Israeli settlers demolish 15 Palestinian homes in West Bank, residents say

Israeli settlers demolished around 15 Palestinian homes and an animal pen in a village near Jericho in the West Bank, residents and activists say.

The structures, several of them tin shacks, were torn down in Al‑Duyuk Al‑Tahta yesterday, amid rising settler violence that has repeatedly forced families to flee.

The latest violence came days after Israel’s security cabinet approved measures to tighten control over the West Bank, paving the way for further settlement expansion.

“About 50 settlers arrived, forced everyone out of the houses and began demolishing them. Then they took everything — even the chickens,” village resident Mustafa Kaabneh, who has lived in the area for nearly two decades, tells AFP.

عصابات المستوطنين بحماية جيش الاحتلال يهدمون بالجرافات 15 منزلًا للفلسطينيين في منطقة اسطيح الديوك التحتا غرب مدينة أريحا، ويسرقون مركباتهم ومصاغ ذهبيا وأموالًا من داخل المنازل بعد إجبار العائلات على الخروج منها pic.twitter.com/3TfcjOAulQ

— أحداث الضفة (@News_Westbank) February 11, 2026

He says most of the settlers were armed and masked and were accompanied by an Israeli army vehicle before returning with a bulldozer.

The Israeli military does not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

France calls on anti-Israel UN rights rapporteur Francesca Albanese to resign

UN Special Rapporteur in the Palestinian Territories Francesca Albanese speaks at a press conference in Geneva on September 15, 2025. (Fabrice Cofrini/ AFP)

France is calling for the resignation of the UN special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories over comments she made allegedly targeting Israel at a conference, the foreign minister says.

“France unreservedly condemns the outrageous and reprehensible remarks made by Ms. Francesca Albanese, which are directed not at the Israeli government, whose policies may be criticized, but at Israel as a people and as a nation, which is absolutely unacceptable,” Jean-Noel Barrot tells French lawmakers.

Speaking via videoconference at a forum Saturday in Doha, organized by the Al Jazeera network, the vehemently anti-Israel Albanese referred to a “common enemy” that enabled the “genocide” in Gaza.

“The fact that instead of stopping Israel, most of the world has armed, given Israel political excuses, political sheltering, economic and financial support,” she said. “We who do not control large amounts of financial capitals, algorithms and weapons, we now see that we as a humanity have a common enemy.”

Today, Albanese defended herself in an interview with TV channel France 24 recorded before Barrot’s statement, denouncing what she called “completely false accusations” and “manipulation” of her words.

“I have never, ever, ever said ‘Israel is the common enemy of humanity,'” she said.

But Barrot says Albanese’s comments add “to a long list of scandalous positions,” accusing the Italian rights expert of “justifying” the October 7, 2023, attacks against Israel and “comparing Israel to the Third Reich.”

“She is a political activist who stirs up hate speech that does a disservice to the cause of the Palestinian people,” he says, responding to a question from Carole Yadan, a lawmaker from the presidential camp. Yadan was among 20 other deputies to warn Barrot in a letter yesterday that Albanese should be “stripped of any UN mandate with immediate effect” following her remarks.

France is a one of the UN Security Council’s five permanent members.

Rubio, Hegseth, Kushner and Witkoff take part in Trump-Netanyahu meeting

A White House official says US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior adviser to the president Jared Kushner are present at the meeting between US President Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trump’s Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is also in attendance.

US embassy denies reported plan to open consular services in West Bank settlement

The United States embassy in Jerusalem denies media reports that it plans to open a consular service branch in Efrat, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank with a large base of US citizens.

Efrat Mayor Dovi Sheffler announced last week that “after extensive efforts” by the Efrat municipality, an agreement was reached with the US embassy to open a “service station” by the end of the month to provide civil services to US citizens living in Efrat. Subsequent reports citing municipality officials described the initiative as a consular service branch that was part of an “embassy outreach program.”

A Jerusalem US embassy spokesman says in a statement: “Media reports of the opening of a consular service center in Efrat are incorrect. As it does on a regular basis in both Israel and the West Bank, the US Embassy Consular Section will conduct outreach and provide services to US citizens.”

Asked for further clarification following the embassy’s denial, a PR representative of the Efrat local council tells The Times of Israel that Sheffler “was referring to a satellite office that will open for one day in the council buildings to provide embassy civil services to Efrat residents who are US citizens,” adding that an official announcement informing residents about the opening day would be published later on.

The embassy spokesperson denies this as well, stating: “Media reports that the embassy is opening an office in Efrat, either permanently or temporarily, are incorrect.”

IDF arrests Palestinians in West Bank affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad

Troops of the Commando Brigade's Egoz Unit operate in the northern West Bank, in a handout photo published on February 11, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israeli troops detained several Palestinians affiliated with the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups during an extensive raid in the West Bank earlier today, the army says.

The IDF says troops of the Egoz commando unit and other forces operated overnight and this morning in 12 Palestinian villages in the Jenin area and captured “a number of terrorists affiliated with the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization.”

The troops also seized tens of thousands of shekels worth of cash that was allegedly used for terror, and questioned dozens of suspects, including those suspected of assisting Palestinians to illegally enter Israel, the IDF says.

The army says that overnight, elsewhere in the West Bank, troops detained another 23 wanted Palestinians and seized several weapons.

Germany’s Merz urges ‘bold decisions’ to reverse EU ‘decline’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz attends a press conference at the end of an intergovernmental summit at Villa Doria Pamphilj in Rome, January 23, 2026. (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz calls for “bold” EU steps, including sweeping deregulation, to reverse a quarter century of “decline” faced with economic rivals China and the United States.

“Only an economically powerful Europe will be a sovereign Europe,” Merz tells industry chiefs gathered in the Belgian port city of Antwerp on the eve of EU talks on the economy.

“It is high time for Europe to act — to act swiftly and to act decisively,” he says, calling for the EU to “deregulate every sector.”

IDF sends troops, aircraft to Egyptian border after pickup trucks approach

The IDF dispatched troops and aircraft to the border with Egypt — near the Israeli border community of Shlomit — after several white pickup trucks approached the area from the Egyptian side.

Military sources say the IDF contacted the Egyptian military to come and disperse the gathering, which had spooked Israeli civilians living in the area, as white pickup trucks have come to be associated with Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, when the terror group employed the vehicles as it broke through the border.

It is not the first time that pickup trucks have been spotted on the Egyptian side of the border in recent days, though the military says that there is no threat to Israeli residents.

Military officials tell the local Eshkol Regional Council that “these are not unusual events and there is no security threat to residents.” However, the council tells residents that it has “requested the involvement of the military and government authorities to act to move the gatherings away from the border and to increase vigilance in the area.”

The IDF stresses that those gathered on the Egyptian border are “unarmed civilians in sovereign Egyptian territory.”

“The IDF is monitoring developments in the border area and is preparing accordingly based on operational needs and security assessments,” the army adds.

שוב, גם היום ובמרחק של 100 מטרים מהיישוב שלומית – טנדרים לבנים בצד המצרי. צהל הקפיץ למקום, כוחות, טנק וגם מסוק קרב.
בצהל מדגישים שמדובר באזרחים לא חמושים ומסבירים שהדבר נעשה בתיאום עם המצרים.
זה לא ממש מרגיע את התושבים pic.twitter.com/pShSR49Wsc

— almog boker (@bokeralmog) February 11, 2026

PM’s office says text of Oct. 7 commemoration bill uses word ‘massacre,’ though term deleted from title

Following widespread outrage over the Prime Minister’s Office request to remove the word “massacre” from the title of a bill to commemorate the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, the PMO stresses that the term “massacre” appears in the bill’s body, while acknowledging that it opposed including the word in the title of the proposed legislation.

“Contrary to reports that have circulated, the proposed legislation explicitly includes the word ‘massacre,'” the PMO says in a statement, “as agreed in discussions between the Knesset and the government three weeks ago.” It attaches an image of the draft bill showing that the word appears in the body of the text.

The statement does not address the public backlash over the PMO’s request to change the bill’s title.

Asked for clarification, a PMO spokesperson tells The Times of Israel that the request to change the title came not as an attempt to exclude the word, but rather to maintain the original name of the government’s proposal, which never included the term.

The Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee today approved merging two bills commemorating the October 7 Hamas attack. The first, a private bill sponsored by 80 MKs titled “Bill to Commemorate the Massacre and Heroism on the 22nd of Tishrei,” passed its first reading last month and has been under discussion in the committee since. The second, a government bill titled “Memory and Commemoration of the Events of Simchat Torah,” was approved by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation several weeks ago, the Knesset Spokesperson’s Office said.

During the discussion today, a representative of the PMO requested the removal of the word “massacre” from the title of the newly merged bill. The Knesset committee approved the name change, though the matter isn’t final.

“The bill is intended to commemorate the events of October 7 in their full severity and scope… This is a broad, state-level initiative to establish a national memorial authority for the events of October 7, which will anchor the memory of those events within a regulated, responsible and respectful national framework, and ensure proper and comprehensive commemoration for generations to come,” the PMO statement continues, asserting that it “is committed to a full and truthful commemoration of all components of the events, without blurring or omission.”

Man to face charges for allegedly trying to set boy on fire on bus

Prosecutors are preparing to indict a man who allegedly tried to set a 12-year-old boy on fire while on a bus traveling through the West Bank, police say.

While headed to the Haredi settlement of Beitar Illit earlier this month, the suspect approached the boy and pulled out a large plastic bottle filled with gasoline. He doused the boy in the flammable liquid then attempted to set him on fire with a pocket lighter, but was unsuccessful, police say. The boy sustained minor injuries to his arms as he tried to fend off his attacker.

After realizing what was going on, the driver stopped the bus to allow passengers to escape in case of a fire. The suspect tried to flee the scene along with the passengers, but was caught by IDF forces and brought to the Etzion police station for interrogation.

Security camera footage of the bus’s rear door captured parts of the attack. In a video shared by police, an individual outside the frame drenches the boy and the surrounding area in liquid. Soon after, the boy is seen struggling against his concealed attacker in the right-hand margins of the clip.

Prosecutors to file charges against a man suspected of trying to set a 12-year-old boy on fire on a public bus, after an argument with his father pic.twitter.com/t3PEehU4S5

— charlie summers (@cbsu03) February 11, 2026

Police say the alleged arsonist, a resident of Jerusalem in his 30s, sought to harm the boy in order to get to his father after relations between the two men soured. The suspect originally plotted to kidnap the boy but gave up on the plan, deeming it too complex, they add.

The State Attorney’s Office will indict the suspect by the end of the week. A prosecutor’s declaration was filed against the man today and he will remain in detention until at least Friday.

Palo Alto completes $25b deal for CyberArk, plans Tel Aviv listing

Palo Alto Networks, a Santa Clara, California-based cybersecurity giant founded by American-Israeli entrepreneur Nir Zuk, says it completed the acquisition of Israel’s CyberArk, and plans a secondary listing on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

The $25 billion deal, which was announced in July, marks the biggest-ever acquisition of an Israeli company after Google’s $32 billion purchase of Israeli-founded cybersecurity unicorn Wiz last year.

Palo Alto says the addition of CyberArk’s identity security platform enables the cybersecurity firm “to secure every identity across the enterprise – human, machine, and agentic.”

Alongside the deal completion, Nasdaq-listed Palo Alto announces its intent to advance a secondary listing on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the “CYBR” ticker.

“This commitment further solidifies the company’s Israeli R&D center, already its largest outside of Silicon Valley, as a primary global innovation hub dedicated to securing the future of the AI era,” Palo Alto says.

With a current market cap of $114 billion, it would position Palo Alto as the most valuable company listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, surpassing Teva with a market value of about $40 billion and Bank Leumi with $38 billion.

“The choice by a company of this magnitude built on the foundation of groundbreaking Israeli innovation to deepen its local footprint, especially in the current climate, is a powerful testament to the robustness, maturity, and resilience of the Israeli financial ecosystem,” the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange says in a statement. “This dual listing will unlock streamlined, efficient access for the Israeli public, allowing local investors to participate directly in Palo Alto Networks’ continued global success.”

Netanyahu arrives at White House, begins meeting with Trump

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) meets US President Donald Trump at the White House, February 11, 2026. (Avi Ohayon/ GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the White House for his meeting with US President Donald Trump.

He does not enter the West Wing entrance where reporters are waiting, but rather through the south entrance.

The talks are expected to focus mainly on the US negotiations on Iran, with Netanyahu having said he will present Israel’s “principles” on those talks. Israel is wary of a narrow deal on Iran’s nuclear program that does not put an end to the regime’s uranium enrichment, require the moving overseas of its existing near-weapons-grade uranium, halt its ballistic missile development and end its support for proxy terror groups.

Trump said yesterday that Iran “wants to make a deal very badly,” but that if it doesn’t do so, “we will have to do something very tough.”

Today’s meeting is also expected to deal with the situation in Gaza.

Rejecting criticism of PM Albanese, Michal Herzog says he’s ‘been changed’ by Sydney massacre

Israel's President Isaac Herzog, right, and his wife Michal Herzog, second right, visit Bondi Beach, where two Islamic terrorists killed 15 people at a Hanukkah event on December 14, 2025, in Sydney on February 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)

Michal Herzog, in Australia with her husband President Isaac Herzog, says she believes Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “has been changed” by the Islamic terrorist massacre of 15 people at a Hanukkah event in December, and rejects criticisms — including by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — that he has not spoken out effectively against antisemitism.

Speaking to Army Radio, she argues this is not the case, and notes that Albanese showed concern and empathy in meetings this week with the families of the Bondi Beach victims. She notes that the massacre was the worst terrorist attack in Australian history, and says she believes the country as a whole has been changed by it.

And she says that the fact that Albanese did not make a speech at a Chabad memorial event for the victims yesterday, instead reading out the names of those who were killed, was “the decision of the community.”

She also says that the protests against President Herzog’s visit are being mounted by anti-Israel extremists and do not reflect the wider mood in Australia.

Michal Herzog also says the Jewish community remains in deep shock over the massacre. She says some members of the community asked the Herzogs at an event today whether they should move to Israel or stay in Australia. The Herzogs replied that Israel would always want to see Jews moving there, she says, but that Jews must also be assured of the ability to live safe and public lives as Jews everywhere in the Diaspora.

In first, Chief Rabbinate opens registration for rabbinical tests to women, but says system will undergo reforms

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef in Safed on September 17, 2024. (David Cohen/Flash90 )

The Chief Rabbinate opens registration for its next round of rabbinical tests, and for the first time, women will be allowed to register and take the tests, a spokesperson for the Rabbinate confirms to The Times of Israel. At the same time, the system is set to undergo a comprehensive reform, according to the Rabbinate’s statement.

“With God’s help, we will stand firmly on guard to ensure that only those who are halachically qualified to bear a certificate signed by the Chief Rabbinate will merit to receive one, and that those who are not qualified will not,” chief rabbis Kalman Ber and David Yosef say.

They do not clarify the meaning of this somewhat cryptic statement, and do not explicitly say women will be eligible to pass the test or receive a certificate.

The rabbinate administers tests in the major areas of halacha (Jewish law). Candidates wishing to be recognized as rabbis must pass a minimum of six tests.

In July, the High Court of Justice found that women suffered discrimination by being denied the right to sit the exams. In addition to serving as a path to being certified as a rabbi in Israel, the certificates also offer social and financial benefits (neither the petitioners nor the court asked for women to be recognized as rabbis).

The tests are normally given three times a year, but following the court’s decision, the rabbinate didn’t open registration for the fall dates.

The statement announcing the start of the registration period did not explicitly mention that women are allowed to register, but the spokesperson confirms to The Times of Israel that they are.

At the same time, according to the statement, the Chief Rabbinate Council has also established a professional committee “to review the criteria for the exams and to lead a comprehensive reform of the examination system, which is expected to be published later this year.”

The tests are set to take place in the Hebrew month of Iyar — April-May.

Prosecutors charge man suspected in attack on Palestinian village

A Palestinian man inspects a vehicle that was damaged following an attack by Israeli settlers in Jabaa village near Bethlehem, in the West Bank on November 18, 2025 (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)

State prosecutors have filed charges against a man suspected in a large-scale extremist attack on a West Bank Palestinian village last fall, police announce.

The defendant, a resident of Hadera in his 20s, is accused of throwing stones at houses and vehicles and standing by as his accomplices torched Palestinian property in Jaba, a town near Bethlehem that has been targeted several times by Jewish extremists in recent months.

The November attack, which police note caused extensive damage but resulted in no injuries, was carried out in revenge for the Israeli government’s dismantling and evacuation of Tzur Misgavi, an illegal settler outpost, the IDF said at the time.

The defendant allegedly prepared for the attack, donning a face covering and traveling to the village in a motorcade alongside dozens of other masked men.

He faces charges on a string of violent offenses including racially motivated rioting causing damage, attempted malicious damage and aggravated assault.

Police yesterday announced the arrest of three additional suspects in the attack, teenagers aged 17-19 from the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba and Ma’alot, in northern Israel.

Charges have not yet been filed against the trio, but they will remain in police custody until Sunday at least.

Meeting Rubio, Netanyahu officially signs on to Board of Peace

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington and joins the Board of Peace on February 11, 2025. (Avi Ohayon)

Meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially joins the Board of Peace with a signature.

The meeting takes place at Blair House ahead of Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump.

The Board of Peace is scheduled to meet next week, and Netanyahu is slated to return to Washington for the meeting, though that may change.

Police say they’ve solved January murder of teen in Nazareth

The scene of a deadly shooting in which 15-year-old Azmi Gharib was killed outside his home in Nazareth on January 10, 2026. (Israel Police)

Police say they have solved the murder of Azmi Gharib, a 15-year-old boy who was shot to death at the entrance to his house in Nazareth last month.

Officers in the Lahav 433 major crimes unit have arrested three men in connection to the homicide and are working with state prosecutors to file charges, police announce.

A prosecutor’s declaration was filed today against the suspects, who reside in the coastal city of Jisr a-Zarqa and in Reineh, a town just north of Nazareth.

Officers also seized cloned license plates, five vehicles, two handguns and an AK-47 rifle in the men’s possession. An indictment is expected in the coming days.

The murdered teen was caught in the crossfire between the Hariri and Bakri crime families, whose rivalry has been wreaking havoc in the major Arab city.

Days before Gharib was shot dead, Adham Nasser and his 15-year-old son Nadim were killed in the city while installing security cameras outside a house. The assailants likely misidentified them.

Police suspect that the Bakri family managed to infiltrate Nazareth’s city hall. Officers have for months been probing the suspicion that the gang exploited connections with local politicians in order to take financial control of the municipality.

Press gathering at snow-covered White House ahead of Netanyahu-Trump meeting

The White House in Washington DC, November 2, 2026 (Lazar Berman/The Times of Israel)

It is a sunny, brisk day in Washington DC an hour before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets US President Donald Trump to discuss Iran nuclear talks and the ceasefire in Gaza.

An Israeli flag flies at Blair House, where Netanyahu and his advisers are staying.

The White House grounds are quiet and covered in a layer of ice.

Press outlets from the US and around the world are broadcasting from the West Wing colonnade where Trump usually receives the prime minister.

Epstein sought meeting with Putin through Barak — report

Former prime minister Ehud Barak speaks at a protest in Tel Aviv against the government's planned judicial overhaul, February 25, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/ Flash90)

Jeffery Epstein sought to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin through former prime minister Ehud Barak, The New York Times reports.

The attempt to meet Putin was part of a broader attempt by Epstein to connect with Russian leaders around 2014, the report says, basing the information on last month’s release of files from the Epstein case. Epstein and Barak met repeatedly. There is no evidence of wrongdoing by Barak.

Along with Barak, Epstein sought meetings with Putin via two Norwegian diplomats and the foreign minister of Slovakia. Epstein also attempted to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, report says.

Epstein did not appear to have secured a meeting with either Putin or Lavrov, although he met with Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations.

Epstein had widespread contacts in Russia, seeing the country as an outlet for political and business benefits, and a source of women for his trafficking operations, the report says.

Palestinian water provider says maintenance workers assaulted by settlers

The Jerusalem Water Undertaking, a major Palestinian water provider in the central West Bank, says its workers were assaulted and pepper-sprayed by settlers today while carrying out maintenance work on a well in Ein Samia, a spring that is used to supply water to several Palestinian villages near Ramallah and Jerusalem.

Footage shared by the water firm, shot from afar, shows three individuals moving away from three white vehicles, two of which back up along the road. The person filming the video can be heard saying it captures the immediate aftermath of a settler attack on workers’ vehicles at a well in Ein Samia.

مستوطنون يهاجمون موظفي مصلحة المياه في عين سامية pic.twitter.com/9mQtTZbPVx

— قناة عودة الفضائية (@AwdehTV) February 11, 2026

The “repeated” attacks “negatively affect water deliveries to the villages and communities who benefit from these wells, which form a primary source of water for them,” says the firm, calling on “all concerned parties to fulfill their legal and humanitarian responsibilities” and put an end to the attacks.

A few days ago, the firm said settlers assaulted staff and vandalized offices at Ein Samia’s main pumping station, resulting in the wells going out of service for a day. Footage published by the firm on Saturday showed two large screens were shattered.

The Undertaking said the pause in service “directly affected more than 19 communities” and “deprived over 100,000 citizens of their basic right to water.”

???? آثار هجوم المستوطنين على محطة مياه عين سامية قرب بلدة كفر مالك شمال شرقي رام الله بالضفة الغربية#فلسطين#غزة #غزة_الآن #غزة_تُباد #المسجد_الأقصى #القدس pic.twitter.com/gbeV2IueWq

— أحمد عبداللّه اليافعي (@ALHIJASHI) February 8, 2026

Vance: If the Iranian people want to overthrow the regime, that’s up to them

US Vice President JD Vance speaks with Breitbart News Washington bureau chief Matthew Boyle at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, November 20, 2025, in Washington, DC. (AP/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

US Vice President JD Vance indicates that the US is not planning to overthrow the Iranian regime, but rather to ensure that it doesn’t obtain a nuclear weapon.

Asked by reporters if he wants to see regime change in Iran, Vance replies, “If the Iranian people want to overthrow the regime, that’s up to the Iranian people. What we’re focused on right now is the fact that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.”

The US had recently appeared to be open to the idea of regime change in Iran, with President Donald Trump calling on protesters to “take over” government institutions amid the mass protests there, and reportedly asking aides for a strike plan that could help spur the toppling of the government.

But then Washington entered negotiations with Iran, which are set for a second round in the coming days. Trump has repeatedly threatened Tehran with an attack if it doesn’t agree to a deal that sees the Islamic Republic give up its nuclear capabilities as well as roll back its ballistic missile program.

“The president has told his entire senior team that we should be trying to cut a deal that ensures the Iranians don’t have a nuclear weapon,” Vance says. “But if we can’t cut that deal, then there’s another option on the table. The president is going to continue to preserve his options.”

World Central Kitchen says it’s providing one million hot meals daily in Gaza

World Central Kitchen, which has been providing food to Gazans since November 2023, announces it is now providing one million hot meals in the enclave daily.

It is doing so through six field kitchens, three mobile bakeries, more than 60 community kitchens, and four local restaurant partners.

In addition to over 270 million hot meals prepared so far, the organization has distributed more than six million gallons of clean water, 73 million loaves of bread, and over 730,000 supply kits to hospitals, a statement says.

Today, WCK reached a milestone: serving 1 million meals daily in Gaza—made possible by our vast network of Field Kitchens, community kitchens, bakeries, and local partners. Since 2023, WCK has served more than 272 million meals, providing consistent food support to families… pic.twitter.com/Nqe5XDmZPn

— World Central Kitchen (@WCKitchen) February 11, 2026

“Today, we reached one million hot meals a day in Gaza,” says World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés. “It’s not a statistic. It’s Palestinians feeding Palestinians, cooking with dignity under impossible conditions. It’s communities refusing to give up on one another.”

He continues, “Reaching this milestone is only possible because local cooks, bakers, drivers, and volunteers show up every single day, even when everything around them is uncertain. From neighborhood kitchens to large field operations, this network exists because people inside Gaza are determined to care for their own. It’s at times like these, in the worst conditions, that we see the very best of humanity.”

He adds, “Today, we honor this achievement—and tomorrow, we keep cooking. Because feeding people is the most basic act of humanity, and Gaza still needs the world to show up.”

PA: Israel’s deportation of 2 terror convicts a ‘crime against humanity’

The Palestinian Authority’s Commission of Detainee Affairs says Israel’s decision to deport and revoke the citizenship of two Palestinians jailed for terrorism is a crime against humanity that “threatens thousands of prisoners and ex-convicts” who hold Israeli citizenship or have permanent resident status as residents of East Jerusalem.

The decision, which was announced yesterday, “is part of the actions of forced displacement that have risen to the level of a war crime and crime against humanity,” the PA agency says.

The families of the two convicts set to be deported have said they received no official notice of Israel’s decision and instead learned about it from the media, according to the PA.

Israel’s decision yesterday marked the first implementation of a February 2023 law allowing the deportation and revocation of citizenship from people convicted of terrorism.

In its statement, the PA says the decision sets a “dangerous precedent” and calls the legislation “racist” and “one of the most prominent pieces of legislation aiming to undermine the Palestinian presence in the lands occupied in 1948,” the year Israel was established.

The PA statement does not identify the people being deported, but says one of them is a released prisoner. Hebrew media has identified them as Mahmoud Ahmad, who served 23 years in Israeli prison until 2024 for shooting attacks against soldiers and civilians, and Mohammed Ahmad Hussein al-Halsi, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2016 for stabbing two elderly women in Armon HaNatziv.

According to the reports, Ahmad will be deported to the Gaza Strip immediately, while al-Hals will be deported there upon his release. However, the Prime Minister’s Office has not confirmed the destination, and the PA indicates they could be deported to either the Gaza Strip or the West Bank.

Policewoman whose promotion is blocked by Ben Gvir plans court appeal

Ch. Supt. Ruti Hauslich, a high-ranking police investigator whose promotion is being blocked by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, has announced her intention to appeal the move in court, Hebrew outlets report.

Two days ago, the far-right minister officially announced his refusal to allow Hauslich to advance in rank, defying senior police brass including Chief Commissioner Danny Levy who seek to promote her from chief superintendent to commander.

He accused the officer of presenting positions in Knesset committee meetings that “contradict those of the Israel Police and National Security Ministry.” Such behavior, he claimed, amounts to impersonating authority, presenting false information to non-police bodies, and violating the law and the police code of conduct.

Hauslich is the second female officer in the police’s investigations and intelligence division to draw Ben Gvir’s ire over what he claims are “serious lapses” in their conduct.

Earlier this week, the Jerusalem District Court ordered Ben Gvir to stand down and sign off on the promotion of Supt. Rinat Saban, who testified in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial.

Ben Gvir has been blocking Saban’s promotion since last summer, motivated by what the court said were likely “external considerations” that pose a threat to police’s independence.

Despite the ruling, Ben Gvir is refusing to budge and announced plans to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court.

Ben Gvir previously cited Saban’s purported lack of professionalism as the reason for his veto, but more recently stated that her role in the “illegal” probe into Netanyahu should serve as grounds for her dismissal from the force.

‘Over my dead body’: Bereaved families rage against PMO’s removal of ‘massacre’ from Oct. 7 commemoration bill

Bereaved families express outrage after the Prime Minister’s Office requested to remove the word “massacre” from the title of a bill to commemorate the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, and instead call it the”Memory and Commemoration of the events of Simhat Torah” bill. A Knesset committee has approved the change, though the matter isn’t final.

“This law will pass over my dead body,” says Hila Abir, sister of Lotan Abir, who was murdered at the Nova music festival, during a discussion on the bill at the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee. “Where is the death of our brothers and children? It was all erased!”

She rails further against the fact that the committee is busying itself with “changing the narrative” before a commission of inquiry has been set up to establish what exactly happened and how to prevent future disasters.

“It makes no sense for the Prime Minister’s Office to manage this event when it is the one preventing the investigation,” Abir says. “You’re putting the cat in charge of the cream?”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long opposed the formation of a state commission of inquiry, claiming that because a state commission is appointed by the judiciary – whose powers his government has sought to curb – it would be biased against him.

Instead, the coalition is advancing a bill to set up a politically appointed probe instead of an independent state commission of inquiry, in a move opposed by most hostages’ families and the relatives of those murdered on October 7.

“We waited two and a half years, and we’ll wait a little longer until there is a worthy law that suits everyone, until there is a worthy investigation,” Abir says.

The October Council, representing bereaved families of those murdered during the October 7 attacks, says in a statement that this is “the Prime Minister’s Office’s latest attempt to cover up the October 7 massacre.”

“We are here to state clearly: there was a massacre. We paid the highest possible price for it. We will ensure that everyone responsible is investigated by a state commission of inquiry and also pays the price,” the statement continues.

“No politician’s blood is redder than the blood of our children, our brothers, and our parents. Shame on you,” it says.

PA leader Abbas urges ‘firm’ US and global response to Israel’s plan for West Bank

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the Senate Palace of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, January 22, 2026. (Ramil Sitdikov/Pool Photo via AP)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas calls for a “firm response” from the United States and the international community to Israel’s plan to tighten its control of the West Bank.

During a visit to Oslo, Abbas says he has discussed the issue with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, as well as those of Israeli settler violence and Israel’s alleged freezing of “$4 billion” intended for the Palestinian people.

“These serious violations require a firm response from the US administration and the international community because they hinder [US] President [Donald] Trump’s efforts and constitute a violation of international law,” Abbas tells reporters.

At demand of PM’s office, panel drops the word ‘massacre’ from title of Oct. 7 commemoration bill

Illustrative: Houses destroyed when Hamas terrorists infiltrated Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7, seen on October 25, 2023. (Edi Israel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office seeks to drop the word “massacre” from the title of a bill advancing through the Knesset to commemorate the events of October 7, 2023. A Knesset panel approves the motion, though the issue will be reevaluated.

Action was taken on the matter even before today’s discussion at the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee. A draft of the bill distributed to committee members and guests at the start of the session already bore the title “Memory and Commemoration of the events of Simhat Torah,” with the word “massacre” slashed out.

During the discussion on the bill, Yoel Elbaz, a representative of the Prime Minister’s Office, says that in describing the Hamas onslaught in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 kidnapped, the office prefers to use a Hebrew word that literally means “events,” but has also been used in the past to mean “riots. ” The reason, he says, is that on October 7 “it was not only a massacre — there was also heroism.”

“Just as the 1929 riots were called that and not the ‘1929 massacre,'” he notes, referring to the 1929 Hebron massacre in which about 69 Jews were murdered by Arab rioters.

Elbaz adds: “I don’t know to what degree people will remember the name of the law — they will rather remember the activities carried out by the authorities, which will also preserve the memory of the massacre.”

Initially, acting committee chair Shas MK Yosef Taieb appears to reject the idea, saying that “there will be no whitewashing of the issue.”

“We all know today that there was a massacre. My concern is whether our children and grandchildren will know that,” he says.

Still, the committee ends up deciding to remove the word “massacre,” though Taieb says the issue will be revisited before a final vote.

UN claims Israel’s West Bank plans would accelerate ‘dispossession of Palestinians’

Israel’s plans to tighten control over the West Bank, paving the way for further settlement expansion, are a step toward consolidating illegal annexation, the UN rights chief says.

“If these decisions are implemented, they will undoubtedly accelerate the dispossession of Palestinians and their forcible transfer, and lead to the creation of more illegal Israeli settlements,” Volker Turk says in a statement.

Israeli skier Barnabas Szollos finishes 33rd at super-G in Winter Olympics

Israel's Barnabas Szollos speeds down the course during the men's super-G at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Bormio, Italy, February 11, 2026. (AP/John Locher)

Israeli skier Barnabas Szollos finishes the men’s super-G in 33rd place out of 42 competitors at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics.

Gold goes to Switzerland’s Franjo von Allmen, silver to American Ryan Cochran-Siegle and bronze to Swiss Marco Odermatt. Five of the competitors did not finish the challenging course.

“Shalom my fans from Israel, today was not the day that I expected,” Szollos says following his disappointing run. “The slope and the snow changed a lot since the inspection — I was not prepared for this. But there are two more races, and I’m ready.”

Szollos, a native of Hungary, began competing for the Jewish state in 2018, and also represented Israel at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. There, he finished in a surprise 6th place in the men’s alpine combined — the best Olympic finish ever for an Israeli skier, and tied for the best Winter Olympic finish for the country as a whole. This year’s Games do not include an alpine combined event for men.

In his first event on Saturday, Szollos completed the men’s downhill in 30th place. He will ski in the giant slalom on Saturday and the slalom on Monday. His sister, Noa Szollos, also competing at her second Winter Olympics, will ski in the giant slalom on Sunday and the slalom next Wednesday.

Israel says it killed Hamas terrorist behind 2004 bus bombings that killed 16 civilians

A Hamas terrorist behind a deadly 2004 double suicide bombing was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip last week, the IDF and Shin Bet security agency announce.

Basel Himouni was targeted on February 4 as part of a series of strikes against terror operatives in response to an attack by gunmen on troops in the Strip’s north, during which one reservist officer was seriously wounded.

Himouni, a prominent Hamas member from Hebron, dispatched two suicide bombers to carry out a simultaneous attack on two buses in Beersheba in August 2004. The attacks killed 16 Israeli civilians and wounded over 100.

Himouni was captured in October 2004 and sentenced to jail, but was released and exiled to Gaza in a 2011 deal in which Israel exchanged 1,027 terror convicts for captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

The military and Shin Bet say that since his release from Israeli custody, Himouni “returned to recruiting attackers and directing terrorist activity.”

“As part of his role in Hamas, during the war he was involved in manufacturing and planting explosive devices to harm our forces,” the joint statement adds.

Hamas terrorist Basel Himouni is targeted in an Israeli airstrike on February 4, 2026, in footage published by the IDF. (Israel Defense Forces)

Poland says it won’t join Board of Peace under current circumstances

Poland will not join the US-led Board of Peace under the current circumstances, but will continue to analyze the possibility, Prime Minister Donald Tusk says.

“Taking into account certain national doubts regarding the shape of the board, under these circumstances, Poland will not join the work of the Board of Peace, but we will analyze it,” Tusk tells a government meeting.

Maryland synagogue defaced with graffiti

US Jewish community officials are outraged after antisemitic graffiti was discovered yesterday at Congregation Shaare Tefila in Olney, Maryland.

The synagogue’s entrance sign was spraypainted with the letters “AZAB” — a slur understood to stand for “All Zionists are bastards” — and a swastika. The same acronym was also spraypainted on a banner declaring support for Israel, and on another one that read, “Hate has no home here.”

The vandalism is believed to have taken place early yesterday morning.

“All Zionists Are Bastards.”

Antisemitic graffiti bearing a swastika and the acronym “AZAB” was spray-painted on Shaare Tefila Congregation in Olney, Maryland ????????.

When people insist, “It’s not antisemitism, it’s just about Israel,” remember this: if it were only about Israel,… pic.twitter.com/HRAE1MZhST

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) February 10, 2026

Following the incident, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington says it is “appalled.”

“One of the signs defaced included a ‘Hate Has No Home Here’ poster, an act meant to sow divisiveness and threaten the local Jewish community,” the organization says in a statement. “We call on our community and allies to continue making it clear that antisemitism and hate have no place in Greater Washington.”

The group says it is in close contact with local law enforcement, and encourages community members to continue reporting any incidents or concerns.

Antisemitic attacks have continued to mar American Jewish life since the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war in Gaza. Almost one-third of American Jews reported being the target of an antisemitic incident last year, according to a recent survey by the American Jewish Committee.

IDF chief says war underlined need to vastly expand number of combat troops

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks at a ceremony marking the formation of the 38th Division, at the Julis Base in southern Israel, February 11, 2026. (Screenshot: Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the war has made it “unequivocally clear” that the military cannot scale down its ground forces.

“There is no substitute for a maneuvering division operating in enemy territory and bringing about decisive victory,” Zamir says during a ceremony marking the formation of the new 38th Division.

A “maneuvering division” refers to ground units that are trained to enter deep into enemy territory, as opposed to the military’s regional divisions tasked with defending Israel’s borders.

The 38th Division is composed of the Ground Forces’ training units, which would be activated in times of war as one combat formation.

“To operate in a multifront campaign, we will be required to significantly expand the ranks of the IDF’s male and female combat soldiers in order to create a strong army, sized appropriately to the threats and capable of achieving decisive outcomes,” Zamir says.

He says that “the past two years have proven that the reserve force was the backbone. It is our duty to expand the scope of the standing forces, to allow reservists breathing room and a return to routine life.”

Iran says its missile capabilities ‘nonnegotiable,’ as Israel presses for US talks to include issue

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani in an interview, October 2025 (YouTube screenshot)

Iran’s missile capabilities are its red line and are not a subject to be negotiated, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader says as Tehran and Washington eye a new round of talks to avert conflict.

US and Iranian diplomats held indirect talks last week in Oman, amid a regional naval buildup by the US threatening Iran.

“The Islamic Republic’s missile capabilities are nonnegotiable,” Ali Shamkhani says, according to state media, while appearing in a march commemorating the 47th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

Washington has long sought to extend talks on Iran’s nuclear capabilities to cover its missile program as well. Iran has said it is prepared to discuss curbs on its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions, but has repeatedly ruled out linking the issue to other questions, including missiles.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to use a meeting with Trump in Washington today to push for any US-Iran deal to include limitations on Tehran’s missiles.

On Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran’s missile program had never been part of the talks’ agenda.

Knesset panel legal aide slams government’s politically appointed Oct. 7 inquiry bid as undermining an independent probe

Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee Legal Adviser Gur Bligh, center, and committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman attend a committee meeting in Jerusalem, February 11, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee legal adviser Gur Bligh says that the coalition’s proposed legislation establishing a politically appointed commission into the events of October 7, 2023, would undermine its own stated purpose of a full and independent investigation, particularly due to the government’s role in defining the mandate of the body and the Knesset’s control of appointments.

In a letter sent last night to the committee, which is currently debating the bill, and published today by the Knesset Spokesperson’s Office, Bligh strongly criticizes the bill’s proposal to give the government the power to set the commission’s mandate.

“The party that determines the scope of the inquiry — what will be investigated and what will not be — can influence the course of the inquiry even before it begins. Granting this authority to the government may undermine the purpose that the bill sets for itself: to bring about a full and independent investigation, based on parity between the coalition and opposition, and thus broad public trust,” he says.

Bligh also questions whether the Knesset is the “appropriate body” to establish the committee and appoint its members, since the involvement of “political actors” could undermine public trust in the inquiry.

The bill proposes that the Knesset appoint the members of the committee leading the investigation by a vote of 80 members. If such a majority cannot be reached, half of the members will be appointed by the coalition and half by the opposition and, barring that, members will be appointed by the Knesset speaker.

With opposition parties having pledged to boycott the commission, the bill would effectively give the government exclusive power to appoint its members, with no input from the opposition.

Because the proposed process for selecting the members ultimately gives power to the Knesset speaker — a member of the coalition — this “contradicts the objective of parity” and is “inconsistent with the declared purpose of the bill,” Bligh says.

The coalition voted in December in favor of a preliminary reading of Likud MK Ariel Kallner’s bill to set up a politically appointed probe instead of an independent state commission of inquiry, in a move largely opposed by hostages’ families and the relatives of those murdered on October 7.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long opposed the formation of a state commission of inquiry, claiming that because a state commission is appointed by the judiciary – whose powers his government has sought to curb – it would be biased against him.

2 refinery employees exposed to hazardous materials have died, medics say

Security and rescue forces at the scene where two women were killed at the oil refinery in Ashdod, February 11, 2026. (Liron Moldovan/Flash90)

Two women who were exposed to hazardous material at a refinery in Ashdod have died, Magen David Adom says after trying and failing to resuscitate them.

The pair, both employees at the factory in their 50s, were found unconscious in critical condition.

According to Hebrew media, the workers had been wearing defective hazmat suits that allowed the substance to permeate.

2 women in critical condition after exposure to hazardous material at Ashdod refinery

Paramedics are attempting to resuscitate two women after they were exposed to hazardous material at an Ashdod refinery, emergency services say.

The women, both factory employees around 50 years old, were found unconscious and in critical condition.

Police say there is no concern at this stage that the hazardous material has leaked outside the factory. Firefighters are continuing to scan the area to rule out any further danger.

Russia threatens to take measures, ‘including military ones,’ if Greenland militarized

Russia threatens to take military “countermeasures” if the West boosts its own military footprint in Greenland.

“Of course, in the event of the militarization of Greenland and the creation of military capabilities aimed at Russia, we will take adequate countermeasures, including military-technical ones,” Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says in a speech to Russian lawmakers.

After a year, IDF declares Haredi brigade’s first battalion operational

Troops of the Hasmonean Brigade's Yonatan Battalion conduct a drill in the Golan Heights, in a handout photo published by the military on February 11, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

Just over a year after its establishment, the IDF’s Hasmonean Brigade for ultra-Orthodox troops has declared its first battalion operational following a recent drill in the Golan Heights.

The Hasmonean Brigade’s Yonatan Battalion completed its first-ever battalion-level exercise yesterday, “concluding the battalion’s operational certification and its preparations for operational activity,” the military says.

The IDF says the drill included “combat in open terrain, raids and urban warfare.”

The establishment of the brigade is part of the military’s efforts to expand the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men, as it faces personnel shortages caused by the war. It also aims to demonstrate, despite opposition to enlistment from leading Haredi rabbis, that military service can go hand in hand with ultra-Orthodox observance.

Iran says it’s ready for inspections to prove nuclear program peaceful, won’t ‘yield to excessive demands’

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian addresses cabinet members as they visit of the tomb of the late Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran on January 31, 2026, ahead of the 47th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. (Photo by Handout / Iranian Presidency / AFP)

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says his country is ready for “any verification” of its nuclear program and insists Tehran is not seeking an atomic weapon.

“We are not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. We have stated this repeatedly and are ready for any verification,” he says on the 47th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, which is being marked against the backdrop of military threats from the United States.

Pezeshkian says Iran will “not yield to excessive demands” on the matter, after Tehran resumed talks with the US.

“Our country, Iran, will not yield to their excessive demands,” he says in his speech at Azadi Square in the capital. “Our Iran will not yield in the face of aggression, but we are continuing dialogue with all our strength with neighboring countries in order to establish peace and tranquility in the region.”

Security bodies say they foiled hundreds of Iranian cyberattacks against senior Israelis in past months

Hundreds of Iranian cyberattacks targeting Israelis — including senior government and defense officials, academics and journalists — were detected and foiled in recent months, the Shin Bet security agency and National Cyber Directorate say.

According to a joint statement, there has been a noted rise in attempts by Iranian intelligence agents to hack the private Google accounts of Israelis since June 2025’s 12-day war with Iran.

“The purpose of these attempts is to collect personal and professional information that could be used to advance terrorist activity, espionage, and influence operations in the form of ‘targeted phishing,'” the Shin Bet and Cyber Directorate say.

They say the method includes “personalized approaches tailored to the target’s fields of interest, impersonating a familiar figure and inviting them to a meeting or to download files via a link, as well as ‘phishing impersonation’ messages aimed at obtaining the target’s login details, with emphasis on the password and even the additional verification code for the Google, Telegram or WhatsApp account, thus granting the attacker full access to these accounts.”

The Shin Bet and Cyber Directorate say that in recent months, they have managed to foil hundreds of such attacks.

IDF says Hamas sniper behind deadly attacks on troops was killed in airstrike this week

A Hamas sniper behind several deadly attacks on troops in the Gaza Strip during the war was killed in an airstrike in Gaza City on Monday, the military announces.

The Monday strike came in response to an attack by gunmen on troops in southern Gaza’s Rafah the previous day.

According to the IDF, the strike in Gaza City killed Ahmad Hassan, the head of the sniper unit in Hamas’s Beit Hanoun Battalion.

בתגובה להפרה הבוטה של ההסכם במזרח רפיח: צה"ל חיסל מחבל שלקח חלק במתווי טרור נגד כוחות צה"ל במהלך המלחמה

לכל הפרטים:https://t.co/FM1dm9ciWu pic.twitter.com/cmFNEsUwd6

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 11, 2026

Hassan was behind numerous attacks on troops in northern Gaza, and was recently identified as working to advance new attacks, the military says.

The IDF says Hassan was involved in a roadside bomb attack in Beit Hanoun on July 7, 2025, in which five troops were killed — Sgt. First Class (res.) Benyamin Asulin, Staff Sgt. Noam Aharon Musgadian, Staff Sgt. Meir Shimon Amar, Sgt. Moshe Nissim Frech, and Staff Sgt. Moshe Shmuel Noll — and 14 were wounded.

Hassan was also involved in an ambush on April 19, 2025, in which Warrant Officer G’haleb Sliman Alnasasra was killed and five troops were wounded, as well as a sniper attack on April 24, 2025, in which Master Sgt. (res.) Asaf Cafri was killed and three troops were wounded, according to the IDF.

The military issues footage of the strike.

Another strike was carried out yesterday in central Gaza, with the IDF saying it also came in response to a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire deal on Sunday, in which four gunmen emerged from a tunnel in eastern Rafah and opened fire on troops before being killed.

Lufthansa group resuming night flights to Israel, after suspending them amid Iran tensions

A Lufthansa airlines Airbus-A320-271N comes in to land at Heathrow Airport in west London on April 29, 2024. (Adrian DENNIS / AFP)

The Lufthansa group of carriers says it is resuming night flight operations to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, but with a short stopover in Athens on some routes.

Since January 155, the Lufthansa group – whose carriers also include SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings – had been operating all flights to and from Tel Aviv as daytime flights since January 15 in anticipation of potential hostilities with Iran.

The group says night flights by German carrier Lufthansa from Tel Aviv now have a short stopover in Athens through February 28, so crews will not have an overnight stay in Israel. Night flights on SWISS routes from Tel Aviv, which resume on February 16, will also include a short stopover in Athens for crew changes.

“The group continues to closely monitor developments and adjust its operations accordingly,” Lufthansa says in a statement. “The safety of passengers and crew is always our top priority.”

Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings will operate direct nonstop flights to and from Tel Aviv. The Lufthansa group will operate a total of 65 weekly flights to and from Ben Gurion Airport.

Albanese says he prodded Herzog on criminal charges over Australian aid worker’s death in 2024 IDF strike in Gaza

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (R) receives President Isaac Herzog at the Parliament House in Canberra on February 11, 2026. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)

MELBOURNE, Australia — Australia is demanding that Israel press criminal charges over a 2024 IDF airstrike on an aid convoy in Gaza that killed seven people, including an Australian aid worker, the country’s prime minister says, referring to a case that drew sweeping condemnation and strained relations between the two countries.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he conveyed the request to visiting President Isaac Herzog during a meeting today.

Australian Zomi Frankcom was one of four World Central Kitchen aid workers killed by an Israeli drone on April 1, 2024. The other aid workers were an American-Canadian dual citizen, a Palestinian and a Polish national. Three British security staff were also killed in the same airstrike.

There is no immediate response regarding Albanese’s request from Herzog, who is visiting the national capital, Canberra, after spending two days in Sydney, where he comforted Jews reeling from an antisemitic attack at Bondi Beach in December that left 15 dead.

Qatar says its emir and Trump discussed regional de-escalation

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and US President Donald Trump have discussed in a phone call efforts for regional de-escalation and stability, the Emiri Diwan says.

The call comes ahead of a meeting between Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu, where the prime minister is expected to press him to widen US talks with Iran to include curbs on Tehran’s missile arsenal and other security threats beyond its nuclear program.

Trump ally, Israeli advisers helped train Congo forces to secure strategic town — sources

Blackwater founder Erik Prince deployed a private security force trained by Israelis to operate drones and help the Democratic Republic of Congo’s army secure the strategic city of Uvira against Rwanda-backed rebels, four people briefed on the mission say.

The AFC/M23 rebels briefly seized the city on the border with Burundi in December in a major blow to ongoing US- and Qatar-backed peace negotiations. They withdrew after Washington threatened to retaliate.

Prince, a supporter of US President Donald Trump who founded the now-defunct private security firm Blackwater, had been hired by the government in Kinshasa to help secure and improve tax revenue collection from Congo’s vast mineral reserves.

However, the operation to help elite forces recapture Uvira from AFC/M23 rebels is the first known involvement of Prince’s private security forces on the frontline in Congo, widening his role in the decades-long conflict.

A spokesperson for Prince declines to comment. The Congolese presidency and a local army spokesperson do not respond to queries.

Prince’s contractors operated in coordination with Israeli advisers who were involved in training two Congolese special forces battalions on day and night operations, according to a fifth source briefed on the operation.

“Their [the Israelis’] mandate is training only,” one of them says, without elaborating further on why the Israelis joined the operation.

The Israeli embassy in the Angolan capital of Luanda, which covers Congo, and the Israeli Foreign Ministry do not respond to requests for comment.

Eyeing future threats, Israel completes ‘complex’ tests with medium-range air defense system

This image issued by the Defense Ministry on February 11, 2026, shows the David's Sling air defense system during a recent test. (Defense Ministry)

As part of “upgrading readiness for future threats,” the Defense Ministry says it successfully completed a series of “complex” tests with the David’s Sling medium-range air defense system.

David’s Sling, produced by defense firm Rafael, is designed to intercept rockets, missiles, cruise missiles, aircraft and UAVs.

The ministry says the series of tests was based on “operational lessons” learned from the war, and included a “range of challenging scenarios in line with existing and evolving threats.”

“The success of the tests constitutes an additional technological and operational breakthrough in upgrading the system, which demonstrated high performance capabilities during the war with successful interceptions that saved lives and prevented significant damage,” it says.

David’s Sling, operational in Israel since 2017, forms the middle tier of Israel’s multi-layer air defense capabilities, which also include the short-range Iron Beam and Iron Dome, and a top tier of Arrow systems to engage long-range ballistic missiles.

David's Sling Weapon System Successfully Completes Complex Test Series as Part of Future Threat Readiness Upgrade

Read More: https://t.co/LHD2vuOAlt pic.twitter.com/azwbKAMbZT

— Ministry of Defense (@Israel_MOD) February 11, 2026

Reports: PM sought gestures to Gazans to keep calm weeks before Oct. 7; Shin Bet head claims he ordered PM woken up hours before

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, on April 4, 2023. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

New reports purport to reveal details about the security and intelligence assessments during the time immediately preceding the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.

Channels 13 and 12 air what they say are minutes from high-level discussions held weeks before the onslaught, in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed the importance of keeping the quiet throughout the Jewish holiday period — at the end of which the mass invasion happened — and suggested a package of goodwill gestures to appease the Palestinian terror group.

In a September 27 discussion with the country’s top security officials, Netanyahu summarized that “we are working to limit and reduce the escalation, while employing limited and controlled force,” according to Channel 13.

Addressing occasional Hamas-led riots near the border, the premier reportedly said Israel should “start and increase the use of steps in the humanitarian relief realm, particularly on [the number of Gazan] laborers [entering Israel], as an additional tool beyond the offensive tools.”

The quotes appear to contradict Netanyahu’s depiction of events in a document he published containing his response to the state comptroller, in which he published minutes from classified discussions held over the years. The premier’s selected quotes presented himself as having sought tough action on Hamas, with security chiefs thwarting this.

Meanwhile, Channel 13 publishes what it says is part of former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar’s answers to the state comptroller’s probe, which was ordered halted last year by the High Court of Justice.

Bar, who was fired over his failure to prevent the attack, reportedly told the ombudsman that in the early-morning hours of October 7 — ahead of the start of the attack at 6:29 a.m. — the Shin Bet issued an alert regarding Hamas movements in the Strip.

Bar is said to have claimed he rushed from his home to the agency’s headquarters, and at 5:15 a.m. gave an explicit order to wake up Netanyahu and update him. He again ordered this at 6 a.m.

Netanyahu has said nobody woke him up before the attack, and yesterday accused Bar of having appointed himself “de facto prime minister,” led a “rebellion” against him, and led a “cover-up campaign” by falsifying the intelligence agency’s probe into October 7.

According to Channel 13, a senior defense official is claiming that Netanyahu is “declaring open season on Bar to get revenge for the Qatargate investigation.”

In Australia, Herzog says he hopes Netanyahu-Trump talks can undermine Iran’s ’empire of evil’

President Isaac Herzog (L) speaks as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese looks on at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on February 11, 2026. (David Gray/AFP)

CANBERRA, Australia — President Isaac Herzog says he hopes talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump in Washington later in the day will help fight Iran’s “empire of evil.”

Speaking beside Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra, Herzog wishes them “success in bringing peace” as well as discussing “the next phase in Gaza which is important to all of us, which I hope will bring a better future for all of us.”

Canada ‘strongly condemns’ Israel over decision to expand control in West Bank

The Canadian foreign ministry says that the country “strongly condemns” the Israeli decision to expand control over the West Bank.

“These measures contravene international law, undermine the prospects for peace, and erode the viability of a Palestinian State,” Global Affairs Canada says in a statement. “We call on Israel to reverse this decision and immediately halt settlement expansion.

Netanyahu to meet with Rubio on Wednesday morning before heading to White House

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) clasps hands with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L), during the premier's trip to Washington, DC on July 8, 2025. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Netanyahu will meet Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the State Department says.

The Blair House meeting will come two hours before Netanyahu heads to the white House to meet with Trump.

The White House says the Netanyahu-Trump meeting will be closed to press, though, it regularly decides to allow reporters in to ask questions at the last minute at such engagements.

Trump stresses opposition to Israeli annexation in West Bank: ‘We have enough things to think about’

US President Donald Trump stresses to the Axios news site that he opposes any Israeli move toward annexing the West Bank, declaring, “I am against annexation.”

“We have enough things to think about now. We don’t need to be dealing with the West Bank,” he adds.

PM’s office says Netanyahu was briefed by Witkoff, Kushner on first round of Iran talks

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (3rd-L) meets with US President Donald Trump's senior aides Steve Witkoff (2nd-R) and Jared Kushner (3rd-R) at Blair House in Washington,February 10, 2026. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets top White House advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at Blair House in Washington.

According to Netanyahu’s office, Witkoff and Kushner give “an update on the first round of talks they held with Iran last Friday.”

Netanyahu lands in US ahead of White House meeting with Trump on Wednesday

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu descends from Wing of Zion at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on February 10, 2026. (Screenshot)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lands at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 6 p.m. local time Tuesday ahead his meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House on Wednesday.

Trump: Iran would be ‘foolish’ not to make a deal on its nuclear and missile programs

US President Donald Trump says he thinks that Iran wants to make a deal with the United States on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and it would be “foolish” if it did not.

Trump makes the comments in an interview on Fox Business Network’s “Kudlow” program.

US weighs seizing tankers carrying Iranian oil to pressure Tehran, reports WSJ

An Iranian flag flutters on board the Adrian Darya oil tanker, formerly known as Grace 1, off the coast of Gibraltar on August 18, 2019. (Johnny BUGEJA/AFP)

Officials in the United States have discussed seizing tankers carrying Iranian oil to pressure Tehran, but fear retaliation and impact on global oil markets, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials.

The newspaper reports that it is one of several options the White House has been debating as it conducts negotiations with Tehran over its nuclear program.

A White House official tells the news outlet in response that US President Trump “prefers diplomacy” but has “multiple options at his disposal” if the ongoing talks don’t lead to a resolution.

US draft plan on Gaza would reportedly allow Hamas to keep some small arms

Armed Hamas police officers patrol in Gaza City, October 11, 2025. (Ali Hassan/Flash90)

The Hamas terror group will reportedly be allowed to keep some small arms while surrendering most of its long-range weapons, according to a draft plan drawn up by officials involved in the US-led Board of Peace.

According to the report in The New York Times, a team including US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Nickolay Mladenov, the Board of Peace Gaza envoy, plans on sharing the document in question with Hamas in the coming weeks.

The report says that the draft of the plan would see a “phased disarmament” of Hamas, which is likely to take at least months if not longer. According to the newspaper, “it was not immediately clear” where any weapons Hamas handed over would go and how such a plan would be carried out.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said that no reconstruction can move forward in Gaza before Hamas is disarmed, is slated to meet with US President Donald Trump in the White House tomorrow. An Israeli source said earlier today that Netanyahu will stress to Trump that phase two of the Gaza ceasefire “is not moving.”

Israel has been telling the US that another IDF operation in Gaza is necessary in order to move to Trump’s vision for Gaza and the region, according to the source.