Feb. 13: Hamas delegation in Cairo for disarmament talks, as sides wait for US to formalize proposal

Trump: Regime change in Iran ‘would be the best thing that could happen’

US President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Pope Army Airfield, in Fort Bragg, N.C., Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, en route to Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Asked about potential regime change in Iran, US President Donald Trump tells reporters, “It seems like that would be the best thing that could happen.”

Pressed on who he’d like to take over Iran, Trump declines to answer.

Trump’s comments would appear to contradict those made by US Vice President JD Vance, who indicated earlier this week that the US was not pursuing regime change in Iran.

“If the Iranian people want to overthrow the regime, that’s up to the Iranian people,” he said, appearing to suggest that this was not the administration’s goal. 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 capabilities to produce a nuclear weapon, roll back its ballistic missile program, and cease its support for armed proxies in the region.

Israel bars entry to Italian journalist, citing his ‘one-sided’ reporting

Israeli authorities have blocked an Italian journalist from entering the country on the grounds that his reporting during previous visits had been “one-sided.”

Alessandro Stefanelli had entered Israel over a dozen times as a freelance journalist, but was notified by authorities in July that his visa had been canceled and that he should apply for a new one through the Israeli Embassy in Rome.

After contacting the embassy and not receiving an explanation for the visa cancellation, Stefanelli decided to try and enter the West Bank through the Israeli-controlled Allenby Crossing.

But he was not allowed in and instead taken for interrogation before being sent back to Jordan.

He was given a document that stated Israeli authorities had determined that his coverage against Israel had been one-sided.

The document also cited a claim by Stefanelli that characterized the situation in the West Bank as apartheid, given the unequal treatment of Jews and Arabs by Israel in the territory.

Stefanelli submitted a petition against the decision by Israel’s Population and Immigration Authority and is waiting for a court to rule on the matter.

PIBA told Haaretz, which broke the story, that its response would be presented in court.

Stefanelli is the latest foreign national to be denied entry into Israel, joining a handful of volunteer doctors who were barred from returning to Gaza, aid workers, along with left-wing lawmakers and activists critical of Israel’s policies in the territories.

Indian writer Roy pulls out of Berlin Film Festival over Gaza row

Award-winning Indian writer Arundhati Roy says she is withdrawing from the Berlin Film Festival over jury president Wim Wenders’s comments that cinema should “stay out of politics” when he was asked about Gaza.

Roy says in a statement sent to AFP that she is “shocked and disgusted” by Wenders’s response to a question about the Palestinian territory at a press conference on Thursday.

Roy, whose novel “The God of Small Things” won the 1997 Booker Prize, had been announced as a festival guest to present a restored version of the 1989 film “In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones,” in which she starred and wrote the screenplay.

However, she says that the “unconscionable” statements by Wenders and other jury members had led her to reconsider, “with deep regret.”

When asked about Germany’s support for Israel at a press conference on Thursday, Wenders said: “We cannot really enter the field of politics,” describing filmmakers as “the counterweight to politics.”

Fellow jury member Ewa Puszczynska said it was a “little bit unfair” to expect the jury to take a direct stance on the issue.

Roy said in her statement that “to hear them say that art should not be political is jaw-dropping.”

She describes Israel’s actions in Gaza as “a genocide of the Palestinian people by the State of Israel.”

“If the greatest filmmakers and artists of our time cannot stand up and say so, they should know that history will judge them,” she says.

Roy is one of India’s most famous living authors and is a trenchant critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, as well as a firm supporter of the Palestinian cause.

Trump: I’d love to make a deal, but Iran has been ‘difficult’

US President Donald Trump says Iran has been “difficult” to deal with in negotiations toward a nuclear deal.

“We have a situation right now where we have sent a very big carrier group to Iran,” Trump says in remarks to soldiers at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

“I would love to see if we could make a deal. They’ve been difficult to make a deal with,” he says.

“I thought we would have had a deal last time. They wish they did and that’s what we did, Midnight Hammer,” Trump says, referring to the June operation in which the US struck several of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

“Sometimes you have to have fear. That’s the only thing that really will get the situation taken care of,” he adds.

#WATCH | US President Donald Trump says, "We have a situation right now where we have sent a very big carrier group to Iran. I would love to see if we could make a deal. They've been difficult to make a deal with. I thought we would have had a deal last time. They wish they did… pic.twitter.com/q0iBb9u14P

— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2026

Israel withholding $4.4 billion in PA funds, minister says

Palestinian Authority Finance Minister Estephan Salameh says in a press conference that the amount of money Israel is withholding from the PA has climbed to $4.4 billion.

This comes after 10 consecutive months in which Israel has refused to carry out monthly transfers of clearance revenues that it collects on Ramallah’s behalf.

Israel has justified withholding some of the PA’s funds to compensate for stipends Ramallah pays to the families of security prisoners and slain attackers — a policy the authority says it has ceased. But the decision to withhold the entirety of the funds by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has been opposed by Israel’s security establishment, which fears it could lead to the collapse of the PA.

Salameh says in a press conference that the tax funds make up 70 percent of the PA’s revenue.

Due to Israel’s withholding of funds, which violates the Oslo Accords, Salameh says that the PA can only pay 60% of the salaries of public servants.

Hamas delegation in Cairo for disarmament talks, as sides wait for US to formalize proposal

A Hamas delegation headed by the terror group’s top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya has arrived in Cairo for talks slated to focus on disarmament, an Arab diplomat tells The Times of Israel.

Such talks have been taking place for months, but have been largely theoretical since the US has yet to put together a proposal on the decommissioning of weapons that can be formally presented to Hamas.

In the meantime, Mideast mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey have been holding talks with Hamas officials to get an understanding of what the group would be willing to accept.

A US official told The Times of Israel earlier this week that the US is expected to present its disarmament plan in the coming weeks, though no exact date has been set.

In the meantime, Hamas has managed to bolster its control in the Strip since the October 2025 ceasefire, as no alternative governing body has been installed.

The US took until January to unveil the members of the technocratic committee, after Israel dragged its feet on approving the names of potential participants, the Arab diplomat said.

While the White House declined a request for comment on the record, two sources familiar with discussions about the decommissioning plan said its fundamental principle will be stripping Hamas of weapons that can be used to threaten Israel.

The plan envisions Hamas handing over heavy weaponry and destroying manufacturing sites in addition to incentivizing the handover of lighter weapons by offering funds, jobs and amnesty to those who cooperate, the sources said.

The proposal will focus on one section of Gaza at a time, rather than the entire Strip at once. Accordingly, it will take months to finish, the sources added.

While this may not lead to the recovery of every single weapon belonging to terror groups in the Strip, the US believes that enough pressure from the Mideast mediating can prevent Hamas from playing spoiler.

Police said planning to summon PM’s military secretary for questioning in case against Braverman

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi awards the rank of major general to Roman Gofman, the incoming military secretary to the prime minister. (Israel Defense Forces)

Channel 12 reports that police are slated to summon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary, Ronen Gofman, to answer questions in the ongoing case into the alleged misconduct of the premier’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman.

Braverman is accused of having told a fellow Netanyahu aide that he could obstruct an IDF probe into the leak of classified documents by the Prime Minister’s Office.

Police initially believed that Braverman was tipped off on the investigation by someone close to the IDF chief of staff. But after investigating further, police came to the conclusion that Braverman learned about the probe through his standard work in the premier’s office, Channel 12 says.

Accordingly, police want to question Gofman regarding how he is handling classified information in the prime minister’s office, the network.

For now, Gofman is only being summoned to provide testimony, and is not a suspect in the case.

Gofman has been tapped by Netanyahu to be the next head of the Mossad, though he still has to be approved by the civil service commission, which is looking into allegations of past misconduct.

Police close case into settler attack, citing lack of evidence, even though they never interviewed victim

Oded Yedaya is treated after being attacked by settlers while assisting Palestinians during the olive harvest in Beita on November 7, 2025. (Courtesy)

Israel Police have closed a case into the assault of an Israeli activist assaulted by settlers in the West Bank due to what it claims is a lack of evidence, even though officers never interviewed the victim.

Oded Yedaya, a 77-year-old photographer, was attacked by settlers while assisting Palestinians during last year’s olive harvest in the northern West Bank village of Beita.

Yedaya was struck by at least two stones hurled by settlers, with the second one knocking him unconscious. His cheekbone and jaw were also fractured in the November 7 attack in which several others were also injured.

His daughter filed a police complaint after the attack, but officers never summoned him to provide evidence.

Instead, she was recently informed that police had closed the case entirely due to purported lack of evidence, Ynet says.

Israeli authorities rarely carry out arrests of settlers, even though such attacks unfold on a near-daily basis. In the rare cases where arrests are made, indictments and convictions are even harder to come by.

The former head of the police’s West Bank division is currently under investigation for ignoring settler violence to curry favor with far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

Responding to Ynet’s report revealing that the case into the attack on Yedaya had been closed, the Israel Police says, “Following the violent incident and the filing of the complaint, a police investigation was opened. As of now, no suspects have been located, despite the performance of a variety of investigative actions, including intelligence operations. Consequently, the investigation has been closed on the orders of the investigating officer in charge. Should there be any intelligence or evidentiary developments, the case will be reopened accordingly.”

Unvaccinated 9-year-old dies of measles, as outbreak mounts in Haredi communities

A 9-year-old boy, who was unvaccinated and had no underlying conditions, died of measles today, the Health Ministry announces, marking the 15th fatality in a months-long outbreak that has swept through ultra-Orthodox communities and areas with low immunization rates.

Most of the victims have been healthy children with no underlying conditions who were not vaccinated against measles.

The boy came from a moshav in central Israel and arrived in critical condition at an unnamed hospital, according to Ynet.

Trump says he’s sending second aircraft carrier to Mideast in case deal not made with Iran

US President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he walks to board Marine One prior to departure from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 13, 2026. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP)

US President Donald Trump says he’s sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East “in case we don’t make a deal” with Iran.

He clarifies to reporters outside the White House that the carriers will quickly depart if a deal is reached.

US Congress impasse over immigration set to trigger partial shutdown

A prolonged impasse between US lawmakers over immigration enforcement threatens to ensnare the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in a partial government shutdown beginning Saturday, following two fatal shootings in Minneapolis.

“For weeks, we’ve been pushing commonsense reforms,” Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Republican-controlled Senate, said ahead of a partial shutdown that would go into effect after midnight on Friday night.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt put the blame on the opposition, telling Fox News that “Democrats are barreling our government towards another shutdown for political and partisan reasons.”

The Democrats oppose any new funding for DHS until major changes are implemented in the way Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — the powerful agency working to carry out President Donald Trump’s migrant crackdown — conducts its operations.

In particular, they demand curtailed patrols, a ban on ICE agents wearing facemasks during operations, and the use of a judicial warrant to enter private property.

If no deal is reached, thousands of civil servants could be furloughed, while thousands more will be required to work without pay — until a budget deal is finalized.

But ICE would be able to maintain operations because of funds already approved by Congress last year.

The primary impact would land on other agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which oversees emergency response to natural disasters.

The Transportation Security Administration, which runs airport safety, warns on X that a prolonged shutdown could result in longer wait times and cancelled flights.

The shutdown would be the third of Trump’s second term, including a record 43-day government closure last October and November.

Trump administration ends temporary protected status for Yemen

US President Donald Trump’s administration has ended temporary protected status for Yemen, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem says, the latest move targeting immigrants.

The decision to end humanitarian protections that grant deportation relief and work permits to more than a thousand Yemeni nationals was taken after determining that it was against the US “national interest,” Noem says.

TPS provides relief to people already in the US if their home countries experience a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event. The Trump administration has sought to end most enrollment in the program, saying it runs counter to U.S. interests.

“After reviewing conditions in the country and consulting with appropriate U.S. government agencies, I determined that Yemen no longer meets the law’s requirements to be designated for Temporary Protected Status,” she says.

Around 1,380 Yemeni nationals were covered by the temporary protected status as of March 31, 2025, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The status was last extended in 2024 and was set to expire on March 3 this year.

Zelensky meets Iranian opposition figure Pahlavi

President Volodymyr Zelensky says he held a meeting with Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s last shah and a prominent voice in the opposition, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

“We discussed the importance of strengthening sanctions against the Iranian regime and any other dictatorial regimes,” he says on X, adding that they both condemned cooperation between Russia and Iran.

UN nuclear watchdog chief says Iran inspections agreement ‘terribly difficult’

Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), delivers opening remarks during the inauguration of the watchdog's visitor center, in Seibersdorf, outside Vienna, Austria, September 17, 2025. (Joe Klamar / AFP)

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi says that reaching an accord with Iran on inspections of its processing facilities is possible but “terribly difficult.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency director general tells the Munich Security Conference that inspectors had returned to Iran after attacks by Israeli and US forces last year but had not been able to visit any of the sites that were targeted.

Board of Peace envoy: Technocrats can’t enter Gaza if ceasefire violations persist

Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov speaks at the Munich Security Forum on February 13, 2026. (Screen capture/YouTube)

The Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov says the Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with governing Gaza in place of Hamas cannot enter the Strip if violations of the ceasefire continue.

“We need to make sure that what is happening now with the violations of the ceasefire stops,” Mladenov says without placing blame on either side.

“If you put the committee tomorrow in Gaza and the violations of the ceasefire continue the way they are now. We’re only embarrassing the committee and ultimately making it ineffective,” he adds while speaking on a panel at the Munich Security Conference.

Israel has carried out daily strikes on whom it says are terror operatives in Gaza, but the death toll since the October ceasefire is nearly 600 and includes scores of women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.

Mladenov warns against the “cementing” of the status quo in the Strip under which the war-torn enclave is divided between Israeli and Hamas controlled side.

In rare public comments since taking on the central role in the post-war management of Gaza last month, Mladenov says that the way to prevent this from unfolding is for the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) to enter the Strip and begin operating in place of Hamas.

Two men jailed in UK over ISIS-inspired plot to kill hundreds of Jews

Two men have been jailed for plotting to kill hundreds in an Islamic State-inspired attack on the Jewish community in England, a plan prosecutors say could have been deadlier than December’s mass shooting at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were both convicted after a trial at Preston Crown Court, which began a week after an unrelated deadly attack on a synagogue in the nearby northwest city of Manchester.

Prosecutors say the pair were Islamist extremists who wanted to use automatic firearms to kill as many Jews as they could.

Judge Mark Wall sentences Saadaoui to a minimum term of 37 years and Hussein to a minimum term of 26 years, saying: “You were very close to being ready to carry out this plan.”

IDF chief visits Gaza, tells troops army won’t give up on demilitarizing Strip

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir meets with troops in southern Gaza's Rafah, February 13, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

During a visit to Gaza today, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir says the military will not give up on the war objective of demilitarizing the Strip and disarming Hamas, while also confirming that the army has such plans ready to go if the government orders it.

“During the war, we achieved an unprecedented accomplishment: all of Hamas’s frontline battalions were destroyed. Hamas was militarily defeated, and all the hostages returned home,” Zamir says in the Rafah area, according to remarks published by the IDF.

“The IDF is deployed along a security border — the Yellow Line — controls the gateways to the Strip, and is systematically clearing the area of terror infrastructure,” he continues.

Zamir says the IDF is “prepared to shift from defense to offense,” and “will respond to any violation.”

“We are not giving up on the war’s objective, the full demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and the disarmament of Hamas,” he says.

“We are acting in accordance with the directives of the political echelon, while also holding decisive military plans and are prepared to act offensively as required,” Zamir says.

This week, The Times of Israel reported that the IDF had drawn up plans for a renewed offensive in Gaza aimed at disarming Hamas.

“There is no immunity for terror. What applies to Gaza also applies to the other arenas. We will continue to remain focused and cut down threats, with determination and in an offensive manner,” he adds.

Germany’s Merz urges US to repair ties with Europe

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz gives a speech to open the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC) on February 13, 2026 in Munich, southern Germany. (THOMAS KIENZLE / AFP)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz acknowledges a rift had opened up between Europe and the United States but issued an appeal to Washington: “Let’s repair and revive transatlantic trust together.”

Merz is giving the opening address to the Munich Security Conference against a backdrop of rapidly worsening ties between Europe and the United States. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is among the top politicians looking on.

From US President Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, to his tariff blitz and his administration’s warning that Europe faces “civilizational erasure,” transatlantic ties have been dropped to the lowest level in years.

“Let me begin with the uncomfortable truth: A rift, a deep divide has opened between Europe and the United States,” Merz told the gathering, attended by dozens of leaders, defense chiefs and foreign ministers from around the world.

“Vice President JD Vance said this a year ago here in Munich. He was right in his description,” he says, referring to a 2025 speech in which Vance also accused Europe of stifling free speech and other democratic rights.

Iran’s ex-crown prince calls for fresh anti-government actions

Reza Pahlavi speaks during a news conference at the National Press Club on January 16, 2026 in Washington, DC (Kevin Dietsch / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

The exiled son of Iran’s last shah has called for anti-government actions in his homeland to coincide with protests in Germany and other countries, as the key opposition figure was due to speak at the Munich security conference.

US-based Reza Pahlavi, who has not returned to his country since before the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the monarchy, calls for protests on Saturday in Munich, Toronto and Los Angeles to demand international action on Iran.

In an X post, Pahlavi urges Iranians inside the country to join in by chanting slogans from their homes and rooftops, after street protests that peaked in January were violently suppressed by authorities in a crackdown that rights groups say left thousands dead.

Pahlavi says that Iranians abroad would demonstrate on Saturday “to mobilize broader international support” for what he described as “Iran’s Lion and Sun Revolution,” a reference to the insignia on the imperial flag.

“In this spirit, I invite you, on the evenings of February 14 and 15 at 8 p.m., to raise your voices and chant from your homes and rooftops. Shout your demands. Show your unity. With an unbreakable will, we will prevail over this occupying regime,” he adds.

Pahlavi is due to address the Munich Security Conference at 1745 GMT on Friday, a rare chance for him to speak at an international event.

Lebanon’s Berri says parliamentary election must be held on time

Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri chairs a parliamentary session to elect a president, in Beirut, January 9, 2025. (Anwar Amro / AFP)

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri says he is committed to holding a parliamentary election as scheduled on May 10, despite calls from some politicians to postpone the vote.

Several politicians have called for a delay, citing security concerns in southern Lebanon, where Israel has carried out airstrikes targeting Hezbollah.

Berri, a Shi’ite leader allied with Hezbollah, says in a statement carried by the state-run National News Agency that he had informed President Joseph Aoun and the government of his position.

“It is not permissible that, at the start of a new era, we obstruct its launch by disrupting, postponing, or extending the most important constitutional entitlement, which is the foundation for forming authorities and producing political life,” Berri says.

Berri has opened the candidacy registry for the election and submitted the first nomination request for the Tyre-Zahrani district in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon last held a parliamentary election in May 2022, a vote marked by low turnout and deep public anger over a financial collapse. The election saw some gains by reformist candidates emerging from the 2019 protest movement, while the Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies lost their parliamentary majority.

Israeli Attila Kertesz takes 2nd to last spot in Olympic cross-country ski race

Israel's Attila Mihaly Kertesz competes in the men's 10km cross-country skiing race at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics in Lago, Italy, February 13, 2026. (REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach)

Israel’s Attila Mihaly Kertesz crosses the finish line second to last in the men’s 10km cross-country freestyle ski race at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

With two skiers not finishing the race, Kertesz officially takes 110th place out of the 113 athletes who started the course, with a time of 31:24.4. He finished just ahead of a skier from Ecuador and behind an athlete from Saudi Arabia.

Kertesz, a native of Hungary who lives in Thailand, became an Israeli citizen in 2024 after several years of trying, and made history as Israel’s first-ever Olympic cross-country skier, to “give back to my nation.”

In an interview with The Times of Israel in December, Kertesz noted the likelihood that he would finish in the end of the pack: “Everybody is preparing very hard, because nobody wants to be the last in the Olympic Games — but somebody has to,” he said at the time.

Gold in the race went to Norway’s Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, silver to France’s Mathis Desloges, and the bronze medal went to Norway’s Einar Hedegart.

Later tonight, Israel’s Jared Firestone will compete in the 3rd heat of the skeleton race, hoping to be among the top 20 who race in the 4th and decisive heat.

Tomorrow, Israeli skier Barnabas Szollos will take part in his 3rd event at this year’s games, the giant slalom.

Sudan’s RSF committed war crimes after capture of El Fasher, UN rights office says

This image grab taken from handout video footage released on Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Telegram account on October 26, 2025, shows RSF fighters holding weapons and celebrating in the streets of El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur. (RSF/AFP)

Rapid Support Forces violations in Sudan during the capture of the city of El Fasher amount to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights says.

RSF committed “widespread atrocities that amount to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity,” says a report published by the OHCHR.

Ex-Shin Bet chiefs, department heads decry ‘unprecedented attacks’ on agency by coalition

A letter by former Shin Bet chiefs and department heads slams attacks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s associates on the security organization and calls out the silence of its current head David Zini.

“We have been witness recently to unprecedented attacks on former Shin Bet director [Ronen Bar] and his deputies, operatives and employees that served in the organization on October 7, all from the entourage of the prime minister and coalition members,” the letter reads.

The letter also decries the premier’s 55-page document, made up of selected quotes from internal government deliberations in the years and months before the massacres, that he delivered last week to the state comptroller for the latter’s probe into the onslaught. Netanyahu published the document in an attempt to present himself as having sought tough action against Hamas, with security chiefs opposing this.

The document, as well as the spread of conspiracies over the massacre, “are part of attempts by the prime minister, with assistance from his mouthpieces, to distance himself from all responsibility over October 7 and are designed to condition the audience, mainly his ‘base,’ that there is no need for a state commission of inquiry, which, the guilty parties have already signaled,” the letter reads.

The letter decries “silence” by the current Shin Bet head David Zini, and demands that he respond to the attacks by coalition members.

The letter is signed by 31 former Shin Bet department heads and five former organization heads.

UK police say they will focus on probing Palestine Action’s offenses after court overturns ban

Supporters of Palestine Action stage a protest outside the Royal Court of Justice in London, February 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

LONDON — British police say they would focus on gathering evidence of offenses relating to the anti-Israel, pro-Palestine group Palestine Action rather than making arrests, responding to a court ruling.

London’s High Court ruled today that the government’s ban on Palestine Action was unlawful, but the ban would remain in place until the appeal process is concluded.

“Officers will continue to identify offenses where support for Palestine Action is being expressed, but they will focus on gathering evidence of those offenses and the people involved to provide opportunities for enforcement at a later date, rather than making arrests at the time,” the Metropolitan Police say in a statement.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Shlomo Filber reportedly summoned for hearing for alleged violation of state witness deal

Shlomo Filber, former director general of the Communications Ministry, at a court hearing in the trial against Benjamin Netanyahu, at the Jerusalem District Court, June 1, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prosecutors summon Shlomo Filber, the former Communications Ministry director general, to a hearing for violating his deal to be a state witness in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial, Hebrew media outlets report.

According to Channel 12 news, Filber is being summoned over an alleged conflict of interest due to the fact that Netanyahu’s law firm also represents the state witness.

After his arrest, Filber agreed to become a state witness and testified that the prime minister had instructed him to make decisions that financially benefited the Bezeq telecom giant, incriminating himself in the process of his testimony.

The prosecution alleges Netanyahu ordered Filber to make those decisions as part of an illicit quid pro quo agreement between the prime minister and Bezeq owner Shaul Elovitch.

Under cross-examination in court, however, Filber contradicted his original testimony, saying Netanyahu had not given him any instructions to benefit Bezeq, before reversing himself again and telling the court that his original testimony was accurate.

The State Attorney’s Office has sought to revoke the state witness agreement made with Filber, potentially exposing him to prosecution.

Filber has previously accused police interrogators of trying to manipulate him during their investigation.

The prosecution alleges that Netanyahu had an illegal agreement with Elovitch in which the Elovitch-owned Walla news website would provide favorable media coverage to the prime minister, who, in return, ensured the passage of regulatory decisions that would benefit Elovitch’s business interests.

During testimony in court, Netanyahu has strongly denied the existence of any such agreement between himself and Elovitch, and argued vehemently that Walla did not give him positive media coverage.

Macron decries ‘antisemitic hydra’ in French society at memorial for 2006 Jewish murder victim

France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the murder of Ilan Halimi, a 23-year-old French Jew who was tortured and murdered in 2006, at The Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on February 13, 2026. (Bertrand GUAY / POOL / AFP)

PARIS, France — French President Emmanuel Macron denounces what he described as an “antisemitic hydra” that had crept into “every crack” of society as he commemorated Ilan Halimi, a French Jewish man tortured to death in 2006.

Macron decries what he called “Islamist antisemitism” behind the attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, by the Hamas terror group, “far-left antisemitism… which rivals that of the far right,” and “antisemitism that uses the mask of anti-Zionism to advance quietly.”

He also says he wants “mandatory electoral bans” for officials guilty of “antisemitic, racist, and discriminatory acts and remarks.”

“Government and parliament will work to strengthen the penalties for antisemitic and racist acts,” he says, without elaborating.

Security forces capture accomplice to deadly West Bank terror attack last year

The scene of a deadly terror shooting attack in the West Bank village of al-Funduq on January 6, 2025. (GIL COHEN-MAGEN / AFP)

An accomplice to a deadly terror attack in the West Bank last year was captured by Israeli forces in Jenin yesterday, the IDF and police announce.

Officers of the police’s elite Yamam unit and IDF troops operated in Jenin and arrested Mohammed Zaidan, who is accused of being an accomplice to the attack in the Palestinian village of al-Funduq on January 6, 2025, in which three Israelis were murdered and eight were wounded.

The IDF says Zaidan was a prominent member of a terror network in Jenin and was involved in funding other terrorists and advancing attacks against Israel.

The shooting attack, which targeted a bus and two cars, occurred inside the village of al-Funduq, which straddles a major artery used by thousands of Israelis and Palestinian drivers daily.

At least three gunmen carried out the shooting, killing off-duty police officer Master Sgt. Elad Yaakov Winkelstein and civilians Rachel Cohen and Aliza Raiz.

Two of the gunmen were killed by Israeli soldiers several weeks after the attack, and the third was killed in April 2025.

New ISS crew, commanded by Jewish American Jessica Meir, lifts off into orbit

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four aboard the Dragon space craft lifts off from pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, February 13, 2026. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida. (AP) — A new crew rockets toward the International Space Station to replace the astronauts who returned to Earth early in NASA’s first medical evacuation.

SpaceX launched the replacements as soon as possible at NASA’s request, sending the US, French and Russian astronauts on an expected eight- to nine-month mission stretching until fall. The four should arrive at the orbiting lab tomorrow, filling the vacancies left by their evacuated colleagues last month and bringing the space station back to full staff.

“It turns out Friday the 13th is a very lucky day,” SpaceX Launch Control radios once the astronauts reached orbit. “That was quite a ride,” replies the crew’s commander, Jewish American Jessica Meir.

NASA had to put spacewalks on hold and deferred other duties while awaiting the arrival of Americans Meir and Jack Hathaway, France’s Sophie Adenot, and Russia’s Andrei Fedyaev. They’ll join three other astronauts — one American and two Russians — who kept the space station running the past month.

UK government to appeal High Court overturning of Palestine Action ban

British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she would appeal England’s High Court ruling against the government’s ban on activist group Palestine Action, saying it had interfered with the right to freedom of speech.

“I am disappointed by the court’s decision and disagree with the notion that banning this terrorist organization is disproportionate,” she says.

“Home secretaries must … retain the ability to take action to protect our national security and keep the public safe. I intend to fight this judgement in the Court of Appeal.”

UN rights office ‘worried’ over calls for Albanese to resign after she apparently called Israel a ‘common enemy’

GENEVA, Switzerland — A UN human rights spokesperson says she was very worried about attacks on independent UN experts after European governments called for the resignation of Francesca Albanese, who is mandated to report on human rights violations in the Palestinian territories.

“We are very worried. We are concerned that UN officials, independent experts and judicial officials are increasingly subjected to personal attacks, threats and misinformation that distracts from the serious human rights issues,” the UN human rights office spokesperson Marta Hurtado says at a Geneva press briefing.

This follows criticism from Germany and other states this week over Albanese, who, speaking via videoconference at a forum Saturday in Doha, Qatar, appeared to refer to Israel as a “common enemy” that enabled the “genocide” in Gaza.

She denies having made the remarks.

Humanity has a “common enemy” in Israel, Francesca Albanese tells Qatar's Al Jazeera forum pic.twitter.com/l1wXNiS7yP

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) February 8, 2026

Settlers said to attack Palestinians near Nablus; Red Crescent: 3 wounded, one by gunfire

Settlers this morning attacked farmers and vandalized vehicles in the Palestinian village of Telfit, near Nablus in the northern West Bank, Palestinian media reports.

The IDF subsequently entered the village and clashed with locals who had fended off the settler attack, according to the reports. Footage shows troops firing stun grenades and tear-gas canisters, while locals hurled stones at them.

The military does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society says three people were wounded in the settler attack, including a young man who was hit by a live bullet in the leg. The two others suffered bruises after settlers beat them, according to Palestinian reports. The condition of the wounded people was unspecified.

Footage from the village, published by Palestinian outlets, shows at least five vehicles with their windshields smashed.

🟨فيديو| مستوطنون يعتدون على منازل ومركبات المواطنين في أطراف قرية تلفيت جنوبي نابلس

◀️ وإصابات بالاختناق عقب إطلاق قوات الاحتلال قنابل غاز في القرية pic.twitter.com/IJDsPw4dNT

— شبكة يافا الإخبارية (@yaffa_ps) February 13, 2026

🟨فيديو| جانب من المواجهات بين الشبان وقوات الاحتلال بعد هجوم المستوطنين على قرية تلفيت جنوب نابلس وسط اطلاق للرصاص الحي وقنابل الغاز . pic.twitter.com/UAVaMVEc4L

— شبكة يافا الإخبارية (@yaffa_ps) February 13, 2026

UK High Court rules banning of anti-Israel Palestine Action group unlawful

Anti-Israel protesters hold a banner in support of the Palestine Action group outside The Royal Courts of Justice, Britain's High Court, in London on February 13, 2026. (Ben STANSALL / AFP)

LONDON — The British government’s ban on anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation is unlawful, London’s High Court rules, after a legal challenge by the group’s co-founder.

Palestine Action was proscribed in July, having increasingly targeted Israel-linked defense companies in Britain with “direct action,” often blocking entrances or spraying red paint.

In 2024, activists raided a factory near Bristol, which prosecutors said caused roughly £1 million ($1.4 million) in damage and left a police officer with a fractured spine after she was struck with a sledgehammer. Six activists were acquitted over the incident earlier this month.

The High Court upholds two grounds of challenge, with Judge Victoria Sharp saying: “Proscription did result in a significant interference with the right to freedom of speech and the right to freedom of assembly.”

Zev Stub contributed to this report.

IDF says it struck Hezbollah operative repairing terror infrastructure in south Lebanon

The IDF says its airstrike in southern Lebanon last night killed a Hezbollah operative involved in restoring the terror group’s military infrastructure.

The operative was targeted in the southern town of at-Tiri. Lebanon’s health ministry also reported one dead in the strike.

The military says the operative’s activities were a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.

צה"ל חיסל מחבל מארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שפעל לשיקום תשתיות צבאיות בדרום לבנון

צה"ל תקף אתמול, וחיסל מחבל שעסק בניסיון שיקום תשתיות צבאיות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב א-טירי שבדרום לבנון.

פעולותיו של המחבל היוו הפרה של ההבנות בין ישראל ללבנון.

צה"ל ימשיך לפעול על מנת להסיר כל… pic.twitter.com/vQi1DeaJXn

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 13, 2026

Trump to join Saudi investment confab in Miami in March

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, head of the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's influential sovereign wealth fund, addresses the opening ceremony of the Future Investment Initiative, in Riyadh on October 28, 2025. (Fayez Nureldine / AFP)

DUBAI/RIYADH — US President Donald Trump is expected to attend Saudi Arabia’s Future Investment Initiative conference in Miami, marking his second consecutive appearance at the event since returning to the White House, people familiar with the matter say.

Trump is expected to attend a dinner on the first day hosted by Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund PIF, two people say, asking not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak publicly. The event takes place from March 26-29.

The FII Institute, the Saudi government, and the White House do not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump’s engagement with the FII platform underscores the importance his administration places on Gulf economic partnerships.

Saudi Arabia and the US finalized a series of investment and defense agreements during the crown prince’s meeting with Trump in November, with Riyadh boosting its commitment to invest in the United States to $1 trillion — expanding significantly from the $600 billion in deals outlined during Trump’s visit to the kingdom in May.

IDF says strike targeted two terrorists who crossed Gaza ceasefire line overnight

Two Palestinian terror operatives who entered a building on the Israeli side of the Gaza ceasefire line in the Strip’s north last night were targeted in an airstrike, the military says.

According to the IDF, the two operatives were identified by reservists of the Alexandroni Brigade. The Israeli Air Force then struck the building “to remove the threat,” the IDF says.

Iran announces panel to probe anti-government protest deaths

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, January 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

TEHRAN, Iran — The Iranian government announces the establishment of a commission of inquiry to look into protests against the high cost of living that turned into anti-government rallies that left thousands dead.

“A fact-finding committee has been formed with representatives from relevant institutions and is collecting documents and hearing statements,” Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani tells the local news agency ISNA.

The spokeswoman does not specify whether the commission would only focus on the economic demands that triggered the protests, or whether it would also investigate deaths during the protests.

“The final report will be published for public information and further legal action after the process is completed,” she states.

On Thursday, the government website published comments by President Masoud Pezeskhian saying “We have assigned teams to investigate the causes (of the unrest), without providing further details.

The protests, which began in late December before escalating on January 8, left more than 3,000 dead, according to the official count.

Iranian authorities claim that the vast majority of victims were security forces or bystanders killed by “terrorists” working for Israel and the United States.

Human rights advocacy groups based outside Iran, however, accuse the security forces of targeting protesters.

Elections committee orders Likud to delete fake image of Bennett with Arab party heads

The Central Elections Committee ruled that the Likud party must remove a manipulated image showing former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid celebrating with Arab politicians following the announcement that Arab parties would work toward reuniting in a new joint list ahead of the upcoming Knesset election.

The committee says the Likud must also cover Bennett’s NIS 8,500 fee for bringing a complaint against the image.

The hawkish politician is widely seen as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s primary challenger for the premiership in this year’s Knesset election.

In 2021-22, Bennett teamed up with a bloc of parties opposed to Netanyahu — including the Islamist Ra’am — and unseated the longtime premier after more than 12 years in power.

Days before the 2021 election, Bennett had promised live on air not to join a government with Lapid or with Ra’am, only to break that promise weeks later.

As of this morning, the picture is still on the Likud’s X account.

https://twitter.com/Likud_Party/status/2014439862233932125?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2014439862233932125%7Ctwgr%5E37e21f93569868bef773415afbf9f6f774ea73a7%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.timesofisrael.com%2Fbennett-files-complaint-against-likud-over-fake-image-of-him-with-arab-party-leaders%2F

US smuggled around 6,000 Starlink terminals into Iran after protests — report

Illustrative: A Starlink satellite-based broadband system is seen in Ukraine on September 29, 2022. (Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP)

The United States smuggled around 6,000 Starlink satellite internet kits into Iran to allow activists to remain online after the Islamic Republic’s brutal crackdown on protests, a US official tells the Wall Street Journal.

It marks the first time the US has ever directly sent the terminals to Iran.

According to the official, senior Trump administration figures decided to use money for other internet-freedom initiatives in Iran to purchase nearly 7,000 terminals, which were mostly bought in January.

The official says it was unclear whether US President Donald Trump personally ordered the purchase, but he was aware of it.

During the crackdown last month, Iran cut internet access, only gradually restoring it after the killings of protesters subsided.

Protesters rally outside culture minister’s home over Oct. 7 ‘victim mentality’ remark

Anti-government protesters rally outside Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar’s home to express their anger over his remarks that calling the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, onslaught a “massacre” reflects a “victim mentality.”

Activists from the anti-government October Council group, among them relatives of those killed or taken hostage during the massacre, demonstrate outside the home in Kiryat Gat.

Yoram Yehudai, whose son Ron was killed at the Nova festival, plays a recording of gunshots at the rave where revellers were gunned down by terrorists.

“The kids that recorded and filmed this were massacred, Miki! Massacred!” Yehudai says through a loudspeaker, accusing Zohar and the rest of the leadership of not knowing how to protect citizens on October 7.

Zohar’s remarks came in defense of a bill establishing a commemoration of the Hamas-led onslaught, which struck the word “massacre” from the name of the legislation. The decision has drawn outcry from relatives of those murdered in the onslaught, who have accused the government of seeking to rewrite history.

יורם יהודאי, אביו של רון ז"ל שנרצח במסיבת הנובה השמיע את הקלטות טבח 7.10 מול ביתו של השר מיקי זוהר:

"הילדים שהקליטו וצילמו את זה נטבחו מיקי! נטבחו! כשיש הנהגה שלא יודעת לשמור עליהם ואתם ההנהגה שלא ידעה לשמור עליהם והם נטבחו בטבח 7.10 ולא יעזור לך שום דבר. לא תצליחו לטשטש את זה,… pic.twitter.com/Cb8UaqWr6l

— מועצת אוקטובר (@OctoberCouncil) February 13, 2026

Iran frees two senior reformist figures arrested after protests

TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian authorities have freed two senior reformist figures who were arrested in recent days following anti-government protests in January, local media reports.

“Javad Emam and Ebrahim Asgharzadeh were released a few minutes ago after posting bail,” their lawyer, Hojjat Kermani, said in an interview with the ISNA news agency published yesterday.

Asgharzadeh is a former member of parliament, and Emam is the spokesman of the Reformist Front, the main coalition of the reformist camp.

In first since Oct. 7, UEFA said to decide to hold soccer games in Israel

Maccabi Tel Aviv players react as a penalty is awarded to Aston Villa during the UEFA Europa League league-stage football match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park in Birmingham on November 6, 2025. (Oli SCARFF / AFP)

The Union of European Football Associations has, in principle, decided to allow Israel to host the league’s soccer games for the first time since October 7, 2023, the Ynet news site reports.

According to the report, the Israel Football Association has received an optimistic message from the league and has been told to prepare to host teams this summer.

UEFA matches were halted indefinitely shortly after the Hamas-led massacre that sparked the war in Gaza, and Israeli teams played all their games in host countries in Europe.

Starmer set to call for multinational defense initiative to cut rearmament cost — report

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer visits a community centre in Welwyn Garden City, England, February 10, 2026. (Suzanne Plunkett/Pool Photo via AP)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to make the case for the UK and its Western allies to forge a multinational defense initiative that could oversee joint weapons procurement and drive down the costs of rearmament, the Financial Times reports, citing UK government officials.

US aircraft carrier ordered to depart Caribbean for Mideast, as Trump pressures Iran

The USS Gerald R. Ford, arrives in Halifax on Oct. 28, 2022. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press via AP)

WASHINGTON — The world’s largest aircraft carrier has been ordered to sail from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East, a person familiar with the plans says, as US President Donald Trump considers whether to take possible military action against Iran.

The move by the USS Gerald R. Ford, first reported by The New York Times, will put two carriers and their accompanying warships in the region as Trump increases pressure on Iran to make a deal over its nuclear program. The person speaks on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements.

The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East more than two weeks ago.

Netanyahu lands back in Israel after White House visit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touches down at Ben Gurion Airport after his two-day visit to Washington, DC, to meet US President Donald Trump.

He will not be returning to Washington next week for the Board of Peace meeting or for the AIPAC conference, the latter of which his office says he will instead address virtually.

Top lawyer at Goldman Sachs to resign over her links to Epstein

White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler listens as US President Barack Obama speaks at an installation ceremony for FBI Director James Comey at FBI Headquarters in Washington, October 28, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

Goldman Sachs general counsel Kathy Ruemmler says she will resign this summer after documents released by the US Department of Justice revealed the extent of her ties with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Financial Times reports.

Ruemmler tells the FT that she will exit the Wall Street firm on June 30, saying: “I made the determination that the media attention on me, relating to my prior work as a defense attorney, was becoming a distraction.”

Woman shot dead in northern city of Tamra, the 6th Arab Israeli homicide victim in the past day

Police launch another murder investigation after a woman is shot to death in the northern city of Tamra, the sixth Arab Israeli homicide victim in the past day.

A police statement says the woman, in her 50s, was critically wounded and later pronounced dead after being taken to a local hospital.

Police add that they are looking into a motive for the shooting, which they describe as crime-related.

Ben Gvir calls on only Muslim High Court justice to recuse himself from his case

Supreme Court Justice Khaled Kabub arrives for a court hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, November 27, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has submitted a request to the Supreme Court to bar High Court Justice Khaled Kabub from sitting on the panel of judges who will hear petitions calling for the minister’s dismissal.

Kabub is the first and only Muslim justice to sit on Israel’s High Court.

In his request to the court, Ben Gvir says that in 2021 he filed a complaint with the Israel Bar Association over Kabub’s son, Waleed Kabub, accusing him of “supporting the enemy” over social media posts during that year’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Therefore, he does not believe the justice can be impartial in the case, and says he should recuse himself, the Ynet news site reports.

The High Court last week announced that it was expanding the panel set to hear the Ben Gvir petitions to nine justices due to “the nature and the gravity” of the case. While there are supposed to be 15 Supreme Court justices, there are currently only 11 since Justice Minister Yariv Levin has refused to convene the Judicial Selection Committee to fill the vacancies.

A hearing on the petitions demanding that Ben Gvir be fired over allegations that he abuses his powers is set for March 24.

Lebanon says one killed in IDF strike after Israel says it targeted Hezbollah operative

Lebanon’s health ministry reports one dead in an Israeli airstrike targeting a car in the southern Lebanese town of at-Tiri.

The IDF said it had targeted a Hezbollah operative in the area.