Feb. 14: Herzog reportedly inquiring if Netanyahu prodded Trump to lash out at him over pardon

Netanyahu’s office denies he pushed Trump to criticize Herzog over failure to issue pardon

US President Donald Trump’s statement on Thursday calling President Isaac Herzog “disgraceful” for not granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “entirely his own initiative,” says a source in the premier’s office.

Herzog is reportedly seeking clarification from Netanyahu over whether or not he encouraged Trump to rebuke him over his hesitation to pardon the premier. The comments came a day after Trump met Netanyahu in the White House, leading to speculation that Netanyahu raised the issue during their sit-down.

“The prime minister learned about it from the media and had no prior knowledge of it, just as he had no prior knowledge of the president’s remarks on this issue in his speech in the Knesset,” says the PMO official.

Man shot to death on highway in Negev, hours after separate killing in north

A young man has been shot to death on a highway in the Negev desert, hours after a homicide in the north.

Another man was injured in the shooting.

The victim, around 20 years old, was found in critical condition by paramedics on Route 40, just south of Beersheba.

He was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after they reached him.

Another man, also around 20 years old, was injured moderately in the shooting and is being taken to a hospital, Magen David Adom says.

Police are at the scene and have launched an investigation into the killing. No suspects have yet been arrested.

Several IDF troops suspended from combat after filmed beating Palestinian suspect in West Bank

Several IDF soldiers have been suspended from combat duty after they were filmed beating a detained Palestinian suspect in the West Bank this week, the military says.

Footage posted by Palestinian media showed a group of soldiers hitting a Palestinian man who appears to be handcuffed, in the West Bank town of Turmus Ayya on Thursday.

In response to a query by The Times of Israel, the IDF says that the troops had detained the man after he approached them “in a suspicious manner.”

“During his arrest, several soldiers struck the suspect in a manner that is not consistent with IDF values and what is expected of its soldiers,” the military says.

The IDF says that the incident is under investigation, “and the soldiers were immediately suspended from operational activity until the conclusion of the investigation.”

لحظة اعتداء قوات الاحتلال على شابين والتنكيل بهما في بلدة ترمسعيا، شمال شرق رام الله. pic.twitter.com/7cZV05NbfI

— القسطل الإخباري (@AlQastalps) February 13, 2026

Palestinian Prisoners’ Club accuses Ben Gvir of ‘revenge’ for alleged abuse of inmates in video

A Palestinian NGO denounces what it calls an Israeli act of revenge after a video showed far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir overseeing alleged abuse of detainees in a military prison.

Just days before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Ben Gvir held a tour of Ofer Prison in the West Bank.

In footage filmed yesterday and posted by the minister, around 20 police officers are seen stationed in a hallway leading to prison cells, brandishing their weapons and firing stun grenades.

They then pull five detainees from their cells, their hands tied behind their backs, forcing them face down onto the floor.

“This is all part of ongoing displays meant to take revenge on Palestinian detainees,” Abdallah al‑Zaghari, head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, tells AFP.

“Everything Ben Gvir and the far‑right government are doing affects not only the Palestinian people and prisoners in detention camps — it also impacts the global legal and human rights system,” he adds.

“It is simply a source of pride — arriving at a prison like this, a prison for terrorists, the vilest of the vile, seeing them like this,” Ben Gvir says in the video.

“I want one more thing: to execute them — the death penalty for terrorists,” he adds.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

IDF says terrorists killed after emerging from tunnel and approaching troops in north Gaza

A group of armed Palestinian terror operatives emerged from a tunnel and approached troops in the northern Gaza Strip, on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line, earlier this evening, the military says.

The IDF says soldiers monitoring surveillance cameras identified the gunmen coming out of an underground site and entering a damaged building on the Israeli side of the Yellow Line, near troops of the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade who are stationed in the area.

An Israeli Air Force drone then struck the building, killing at least two of the gunmen, the military says, adding that additional operatives were likely also killed in the strike.

The IDF publishes footage showing the gunmen and the strike.

הפרה בוטה נוספת של הסכם הפסקת האש: זוהו מחבלים חמושים סמוך לכוחות צה"ל הפועלים בצפון רצועת עזה

כוחות צוות הקרב של החטיבה הצפונית בפיקוד אוגדה 98 ממשיכים לפעול להשמדת תשתיות תת-קרקעיות בצפון רצועת עזה בהתאם להסכם.

במהלך פעילות מוקדם יותר היום, תצפיות צה״ל זיהו מספר מחבלים חמושים… pic.twitter.com/m62L2pSi7z

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 14, 2026

Troops are continuing to scan the area “to locate and eliminate the terrorists who may remain,” the IDF says.

The IDF says the incident is a “blatant violation” of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, hinting that it will respond.

“The IDF views any attempt by terror organizations in the Gaza Strip to carry out terror attacks against IDF troops and civilians of the State of Israel gravely,” the army adds.

Government trying to ‘erase the truth’ of Oct. 7 massacre, bereaved sister says at Tel Aviv rally

Thousands of anti-government protesters are reported to gather at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, calling for a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre.

Hila Abir, whose sister Lotan was murdered at the Nova music festival, accuses the government of trying to “erase the truth” of the onslaught, after the government this week dropped the word “massacre” from the title of a bill establishing an annual commemoration for the brutal assault.

“When the government tries to erase this truth, it reveals how scared it is of us. Because when the government is afraid of the people, it lies and plays with our conscience,” she says.

Herzog reportedly inquiring if Netanyahu prodded Trump to lash out at him over pardon

President Isaac Herzog is reportedly seeking clarification from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over whether or not he encouraged US President Donald Trump to rebuke him over his hesitation to pardon the premier.

Trump on Thursday called Herzog “disgraceful” and said he should be “ashamed of himself” for not granting a pardon to Netanyahu, who is standing trial for alleged fraud, bribery, and breach of trust.

The comments came a day after Trump met Netanyahu in the White House, leading to speculation that Netanyahu raised the issue during their sit-down.

“If Netanyahu had a hand in this, it is a red line that has been crossed. We expect clarification on the part of the prime minister,” a source close to Herzog tells Channel 12 News.

The source further notes that Herzog was “surprised” by Trump’s statement and calls it a blow not just to the president but “the sovereign status of the State of Israel.”

Three protesters arrested at anti-government rally in Jerusalem

Three protesters are arrested at an anti-government protest in Jerusalem, police say.

Police say officers declared the rally illegal and dispersed a “handful” of demonstrators who did not follow their order

A watchdog that monitors arrests at protests says a defense lawyer is on his way to the police station.

3 מעוכבים בהפגנה בבלפור ירושלים.
עו״ד יוני נוסבאום בדרכו לתחנת מוריה
נעדכן

לתרומות ולמידע נוסף:https://t.co/0Xhn1Wp4hK pic.twitter.com/ekgel1oTnY

— מערך עוטף עצורים (@AtzurimHafganot) February 14, 2026

Concerned over Israel’s international standing, Netanyahu said working to amend death penalty bill

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly working to alter the wording of a controversial bill to impose the death penalty on terrorists, over fears about Israel’s international standing.

Citing unnamed sources in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ynet reports that Netanyahu contacted National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, whose far-right Otzma Yehudit party is spearheading the legislation, and expressed his opposition to the bill’s current wording.

He reportedly communicated to Ben Gvir that he would not allow the coalition to pass a more severe capital punishment law than that of the United States.

The premier is said to have enlisted Likud MK Eli Dallal to submit a reservation to the bill on his behalf, as it is fast-tracked through the Knesset National Security Committee before its second and third plenary votes.

Dallal’s reservation — one of around one thousand reservations submitted against the bill — opposes a clause that mandates the death penalty for Palestinian terrorists convicted of murder. Legal experts have warned that such a provision, which would force courts to sentence certain convicts to death, hamstrings judicial discretion.

The Likud lawmaker is also demanding that the legislation include a clause granting a death row convict the right to appeal for a reduction in his sentence. At the moment, the bill only allows for an appeal of the conviction, not the sentencing itself.

Trump, Netanyahu agreed to crackdown on Iran oil sales to China as part of pressure campaign against Tehran — report

US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to intensify the “maximum pressure policy” to force Iran to give up its nuclear program, including clamping down on the sale of Tehran’s oil to China, according to a Channel 12 news report.

At the two leaders’ meeting at the White House earlier this week, “We agreed to go full force with the maximum pressure policy against Iran, such as everything concerning the sale of Iranian oil to China,” a US official tells Channel 12.

“We are open-eyed and realistic about the Iranians. The ball is in their court. If there is no real deal, we won’t agree,” the official says.

The report also quotes the two leaders discussing a possible nuclear deal with Iran, with the prime minister expressing skepticism that Tehran would honor such an agreement.

“It’s impossible to do a deal with Iran. Even if you sign a deal with Iran, they won’t respect it,” Netanyahu reportedly says.

“I think there is a chance to reach a deal. We’ll look into it and give it a chance,” is said to have replied.

Witkoff and Kushner have reportedly told Trump that the Iranians are “saying all the right things” in the talks, and that they “will continue with the negotiations and take a tough line.”

“If they agree to what we’re asking, we’ll give you the option, and you’ll decide,” they told Trump, Channel 12 reports.

Rubio says Trump would meet with Iran’s supreme leader ‘tomorrow’ to solve disputes

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says President Donald Trump would meet with Iran’s supreme leader to solve disputes between the two countries, in an interview with Bloomberg while in Munich.

“I’m pretty confident in saying that if the ayatollah said tomorrow he wanted to meet with President Trump, the President would meet him, not because he agrees with the ayatollah but because he thinks that’s the way you solve problems in the world, and he doesn’t view meeting someone as a concession,” Rubio says.

The top diplomat has said in the past that Trump is willing to meet with any world leader to resolve disputes.

Rubio is asked if Washington is running out of patience with Tehran in talks over the latter’s nuclear program, after the US announced yesterday it was sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.

“Number one is I think it’s pretty clear that Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon, that that poses a threat not just to the United States, to Europe, to world security, and to the region. There’s no doubt about it,” he replies.

“The second is we obviously want to have forces in the region because Iran has shown the willingness and the capability to lash and strike out at the United States presence in the region. We have bases because of our alliances in the region, and Iran has shown in the past that they are willing to attack us and/or threaten our bases. So we have to have sufficient firepower in the region to ensure that they don’t make a mistake and come after us and trigger something larger,” he says.

Rubio stresses, however, that Trump prefers to resolve the dispute with a deal.

Police nab man suspected of assaulting 88-year-old woman in Ramat Gan

Police arrest a man suspected of attacking an 88-year-old woman at a park in Ramat Gan.

The elderly woman was taken to the hospital with light injuries as a result of the attack this morning. The two had no prior relation to each other, police say.

The detained suspect, a 36-year-old resident of Ramat Gan, was interrogated and jailed over the incident. He is due for a court hearing tomorrow morning, where police will request to keep him in custody.

Saudi Arabia says it needs more clarity on IDF withdrawal, Hamas disarmament before it can commit funds to Gaza

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan says his country cannot commit funds for the reconstruction of Gaza until it has more clarity regarding the yet-to-be-implemented withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip and the disarmament of Hamas.

Asked at the Munich Security Conference whether Riyadh will fund Gaza’s reconstruction and on what terms, Prince Faisal responds that his country is “fully supportive” of the Board of Peace and US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza peace plan.

However, he stresses that, “We need to see a real end to the conflict.”

“That means we need to have clarity on when Israel is going to withdraw, when Hamas is going to disarm, when everyone is going to comply with all 20 points of the 20-point plan,” Prince Faisal says, indicating that each side has failed to implement their part.

“The US is working on that. There’s a meeting on the 19th that will give us a lot more clarity,” he notes, referring to the Board of Peace fundraising meeting set for next Thursday.

The US is hoping to announce $1.25 billion donations from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait, a US official and two Arab diplomats told The Times of Israel earlier this week. The New York Times reported that the US is also planning on making a similar donation.

The Saudi foreign minister says that Riyadh will be in a better position to determine “where we can best contribute toward — not just reconstruction, but also that the people of Gaza and Palestine can have a better future.”

IDF says troops detain two Palestinians who tried to infiltrate West Bank settlement on Feb. 6

Two Palestinians who attempted to infiltrate into the West Bank settlement of Karmei Tzur a week ago have been captured, the military announces.

According to the IDF, two suspects were spotted approaching Karmei Tzur during the evening hours of February 6. Local security forces and IDF troops were dispatched to the area to search for the suspects and rule out an infiltration.

The army says that troops of the Etzion Regional Brigade, Oketz canine unit, and 636th Combat Intelligence Collection Unit captured one of the suspects outside the settlement that evening.

A Palestinian suspect is detained by troops after he allegedly attempted to infiltrate the West Bank settlement of Karmei Tzur on February 6, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

On Thursday, following a nearly week-long manhunt, troops of the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion captured the second suspect in the Palestinian village of Bayt Ula, following intelligence provided by the Shin Bet security agency, the IDF says.

IDF troops foil another attempt to smuggle arms by drone from Egypt

Another attempt to smuggle weapons into Israel from Egypt using a drone was foiled, the military says.

The IDF says that troops of the Paran Regional Brigade, during scans on the border today, located a previously downed drone.

The drone was found to be ferrying 10 handguns and 30 magazines, according to the IDF. The weapons were handed over to the police for further investigation.

Earlier, the IDF announced it downed a drone ferrying three assault rifles over the Egyptian border.

כוחות צה״ל סיכלו ניסיון הברחה של עשרה אקדחים בגבול המערבי

כוחות צה״ל בחטיבת פארן ממשיכים לסכל הברחות של אמצעי לחימה מהגבול המערבי.

במהלך סריקות שביצעו במרחב החטיבה, כוחות אוגדה 80 איתרו רחפן שיורט על ידי כוחות צה״ל ונשא עשרה אקדחים ו-30 מחסניות.

האקדחים שאותרו הועברו להמשך… pic.twitter.com/zDidvMKMXD

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 14, 2026

Sa’ar to represent Israel at inaugural Board of Peace meeting after PM decides not to attend

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to represent Israel at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington, DC this week, a diplomatic source tells The Times of Israel.

Netanyahu was in Washington last week and decided not to return for Thursday’s meeting.

Skeletal remains found in Jerusalem forest, foreign passport nearby, police say

A human’s skeletal remains were discovered in a forest in Jerusalem over the weekend, police say.

Police received a report Friday night after someone found the bones near Pisgat Ze’ev, a neighborhood in the city’s north.

A foreign passport was found nearby and police say they are investigating a possible link between it and the remains.

The findings have been transferred to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute for further tests and identification.

Oman to host US-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva next week, Switzerland says

GENEVA, Switzerland — Switzerland says that Oman would host talks between the United States and Iran in Geneva next week, with Washington pushing Tehran to make a deal to limit its nuclear program.

“Switzerland stands ready at all times to offer its good offices to facilitate dialogue between the United States and Iran, a foreign ministry spokesman tells AFP. “Oman will host talks between the United States and Iran in Geneva next week. Switzerland welcomes and supports these talks.” The spokesman does not give the day of the talks.

Eurovision’s 70th anniversary tour delayed over ‘unforeseen challenges’

GENEVA, Switzerland — The Eurovision Song Contest’s first-ever tour, planned to celebrate its 70th anniversary, has been postponed, organizers say, citing “unforeseen challenges.”

It is another setback for the world’s biggest live televised music event, after five countries pulled out of this year’s contest over Israel’s participation, amid tensions surrounding the Gaza war.

“We regret to announce that we’ve made the difficult decision to postpone the Eurovision Song Contest Live Tour 2026,” Eurovision director Martin Green says in a statement.

“We have encountered unforeseen challenges that despite the best efforts of our team, the producers, and promoters we have been unable to resolve.”

He says the thousands of fans who had already bought tickets would be refunded in full as soon as possible.

“We look forward to relaunching the Live Tour when we can ensure the world-class experience that our fans expect,” Green adds.

At Munich rally, Iran’s ex-crown prince says he is ready to lead democratic ‘transition’

MUNICH, Germany — The son of Iran’s toppled former monarch tells a mass rally in Munich he is ready to lead Iran’s “transition,” as demonstrators demanded the overthrow of Iran’s rulers.

“I am here to guarantee a transition to a secular democratic future,” Reza Pahlavi tells a crowd estimated by police at around 200,000 people. “I am committed to be the leader of transition for you so we can one day have the final opportunity to decide the fate of our country through a democratic, transparent process to the ballot box.”

IDF troops kill Gazan who crossed ceasefire line, approached forces

A Palestinian who crossed the Gaza ceasefire line in the Strip’s north earlier today was killed by troops, the military says.

According to the IDF, the terror operative crossed the Yellow Line and approached soldiers of the Gaza Division’s Northern Brigade “in a manner that posed an immediate threat.”

“Immediately after identification, the forces eliminated the terrorist in order to remove the threat,” the army says.

Since the start of the ceasefire in October, the IDF has said it has killed dozens of terror operatives and other “suspects” who have crossed the Yellow Line — demarcating the military’s withdrawal in the Strip — and approached troops. Such incidents have taken place on a near-daily basis.

Man shot dead in Nazareth as crime wave rages

A man is shot dead in the northern city of Nazareth, police say, amid an ongoing spiraling crime wave in the Arab community.

The man has not yet been identified, police say.

Police are investigating the shooting and searching for suspects.

Anti-Hamas militia says it is destroying terror group’s tunnels in Gaza

The leader of an anti-Hamas militia based in IDF-controlled areas of the southern Gaza Strip says it is working on demolishing the terror group’s tunnels — a confirmation that further shows Israel’s support for the armed gang.

“We have gradually begun dismantling the tunnels as they are the most important weapons. Then the weapons production facilities, then the rockets, and finally the light weapons,” says Ghassan al-Duhaini, the leader of the Popular Forces.

“In the future, not a single illegal weapon will enter Rafah, and smuggling operations will be dealt with in full force,” Duhaini says in a Facebook post on Thursday.

Alongside the post, he publishes an image showing members of the Popular Forces outside an entrance to a tunnel while wearing oxygen masks.

The Popular Forces was founded by an anti-Hamas armed Bedouin leader, Yasser Abu Shabab. Abu Shabab was killed in December in what the group described as a family feud. He was replaced by his deputy, Duhaini, who vowed no let-up in the fight against Hamas.

Israel has previously acknowledged its support for militias fighting Hamas in the enclave. It has provided them with weapons, air support, intelligence, food, and cigarettes, as well as airlifted wounded militia members into Israel for medical care.

Around 200,000 rallying against Islamic Republic in Munich, police say

MUNICH, Germany  — The crowd of demonstrators in Munich denouncing the Iranian government grew to an estimated 200,000 people Saturday, police tell AFP, as world leaders gathered nearby at the Munich Security Conference.

The protesters rally in Munich’s Theresienwiese area, condemning the leadership of Iran’s Islamic Republic following the deadly repression of nationwide protests in January.

Russia poisoned Navalny with lethal frog toxin, say 5 European nations

Five European nations say Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a lethal toxin, and are blaming the Russian state for the attack.

The foreign ministries of the UK, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands say that analysis of samples from Navalny, who died two years ago, “have conclusively confirmed the presence of epibatidine.”

It is a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America.

The countries say that “only the Russian state had the combined means, motive and disregard for international law” to carry out the attack.

They say they are reporting Russia to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

Navalny, who crusaded against official corruption and staged massive anti-Kremlin protests as President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, died in the Arctic penal colony in February 2024. He was serving a 19-year sentence that he believed to be politically motivated.

Navalny’s widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said last year that two independent labs had found that her husband was poisoned shortly before his death. Navalnaya has repeatedly blamed Putin for Navalny’s death, something Russian officials have vehemently denied.

Tens of thousands march for Iran in Munich as world leaders gather for security conference

About 80,000 people joined a demonstration against the Iranian government in the German city of Munich today, police say, as world leaders gathered nearby for a security conference.

The protesters rallied in Munich’s Theresienwiese area, denouncing the leadership of Iran’s Islamic Republic following the deadly repression of nationwide protests in January.

According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, 7,008 people, mostly protesters, were killed in the crackdown, though rights groups warn the toll is likely far higher.

More than 53,000 people have been arrested, it added.

US conducted strikes on over 30 ISIS targets in Syria this month, military says

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) says that it conducted 10 strikes against more than 30 Islamic State targets in Syria between February 3 and February 12.

The US struck ISIS infrastructure and weapons storage targets, it says.

Official Olympics store sells out of T-shirts commemorating Hitler’s 1936 Berlin Games

The Olympics’ official online store sells out of shirts depicting artwork used for the 1936 Berlin Games, sold as part of its “Heritage Collection,” as the International Olympic Committee defends its decision to sell merchandise relating to the Nazi-era event.

German politicians and Jewish groups had urged the IOC to withdraw the shirt because the games were used by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler to promote racist and antisemitic ideology.

Christine Schmidt, co-director of London’s Wiener Holocaust Library, tells CNN that “the Nazis used the 1936 Olympics to showcase their oppressive regime to the world, aiming to smooth over international relations while at the same time preventing almost all German-Jewish athletes from competing, rounding up the 800 Roma who lived in Berlin, and concealing signs of virulent antisemitic violence and propaganda from the world’s visitors.

“The Nazis’ fascist and antisemitic propaganda infiltrated their promotion of the games, and many international Jewish athletes chose not to compete. The IOC would be minded to consider whether any aesthetic appreciation of these games can be comfortably separated from the horror that followed,” Schmidt says.

In a statement to a number of news outlets, the IOC is defending the sale of the shirts, saying that while they “of course acknowledge the historical issues of ‘Nazi propaganda’ related to the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games, we must also remember that the Games in Berlin saw 4,483 athletes from 49 countries compete in 149 medal events. Many of them stunned the world with their athletic achievements, including Jesse Owens.”

“The historical context of these Games is further explained at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. For the 1936 edition, the number of T-shirts produced and sold by the IOC is limited, which is why they are currently sold out.”

This week, the International Olympic Committee came under fire for selling merchandise commemorating the 1936 Berlin Games, the Olympics Adolf Hitler used as a global stage to promote his racist ideology.

March of the Living CEO Scott Saunders in an interview with @CNN :

“As… pic.twitter.com/De0OtV9GDj

— March of the Living ????️ (@MOTLorg) February 13, 2026

Israeli arrested for allegedly running major drug-dealing op from restaurant in Thailand – report

An Israeli man has been arrested on suspicion of running a major drug dealing operation out of his restaurant on the Thai island of Koh Phangan, the Bangkok Post reports.

The report says police arrested Shay Alfasi, 42, and seized drugs worth over 50 million baht (approximately $1.6 million).

Alfasi, who owns the Lola bar and restaurant in the Hat Hin Kong area, allegedly sold drugs via Whatsapp.

The report says Alfasi was arrested in an undercover sting operation by police.

According to the Bangkok Post, the arrest comes amid an ongoing operation against drug dealers on the island, with Alfasi was considered to be the biggest figure detained so far.

Pahlavi calls on Trump to help the Iranian people: ‘It’s time to end the Islamic Republic’

The exiled son of Iran’s last shah calls on US President Donald Trump to help the Iranian people and says it is “time to end the Islamic Republic.”

“To President Trump… The Iranian people heard you say help is on the way, and they have faith in you. Help them,” the US-based Reza Pahlavi tells reporters at the Munich Security Conference.

Trump said yesterday that a change of government in Iran would be the “best thing that could happen,” as he sent a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to ratchet up military pressure on the Islamic Republic.

He had earlier threatened military intervention to support a wave of street protests in Iran that peaked in January and were met by a violent crackdown that rights groups say killed thousands. Trump has since said he could take military action if Tehran does not agree to a nuclear deal.

Pahlavi, who has not returned to Iran since before the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the monarchy, says in Munich: “It is time to end the Islamic Republic.”

“This is the demand echoing from the bloodshed of my compatriots who are not asking us to fix the regime but to help them bury it,” he adds.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

IDF says troops foiled attempt to smuggle 3 assault rifles into Israel using drone

An attempt to smuggle three assault rifles into Israel from Egypt using a drone was foiled yesterday, the military says.

The IDF says the drone was identified crossing the border by soldiers monitoring surveillance cameras and the Israeli Air Force’s air traffic control systems.

Troops of the Paran Regional Brigade then downed the drone, which was found to be ferrying three assault rifles, the military says.

The weapons were handed over to the police for further investigation, the IDF adds.

Over the past two years, there have been frequent attempts to bring weapons and drugs over the Jordanian and Egyptian borders using drones.

כוחות צה״ל סיכלו ניסיון הברחה של שלושה נשקים מסוג 'M-16' בגבול המערבי

תצפיות צה"ל ומערך הבקרה האווירי זיהו אתמול, רחפן שחצה ממערב לשטח מדינת ישראל בניסיון להבריח אמצעי לחימה.

לאחר הזיהוי, כוחות צה"ל מחטיבת פארן יירטו ואיתרו את הרחפן שנשא שלושה נשקים מסוג 'M-16'.

הנשקים שאותרו… pic.twitter.com/1xXyBkfr3N

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) February 14, 2026

Mark Ruffalo, Javier Bardem among over 100 cultural figures backing UN’s anti-Israel rapporteur Albanese

Over a hundred top figures from the world of entertainment sign an open letter in support of UN Palestinian territories rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who faces calls to resign over anti-Israel comments.

France and Germany have called for Albanese, who has been repeatedly accused of antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric, to step down over remarks last weekend in which she referred to a “common enemy of humanity” after criticizing “most of the world” and the media for enabling Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza.

Critics and Israel have accused the UN special rapporteur of referring to Israel as a “common enemy,” while Albanese has denounced this as a “manipulation” and “completely false.” Israel has denied all accusations of genocide.

In a letter organized by the Artists for Palestine group and shared with AFP, over a 100 cultural figures back Albanese, including actors Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem, Nobel-winning author Annie Ernaux, and British musician Annie Lennox.

The signatories “offer our full support to Francesca Albanese, a defender of human rights and therefore also of the Palestinian people’s right to exist,” the letter says.

“There are infinitely more of us, in every corner of the Earth, who want force no longer to be the law. Who know what the word ‘law’ truly means,” it concludes.

Other celebrities to offer support for Albanese include actresses Rosa Salazar and Asia Argento, Oscar-nominated film directors Yorgos Lanthimos and Kaouther Ben Hania and Latin music star Residente.

Albanese has a long history of making statements accused of being antisemitic, anti-Israel and pro-Hamas.

On October 11, 2023, four days after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, Albanese said she doubted reports of rape and sexual violence. Instead, she said the US and Israel were spreading these claims to escalate tensions. She said Israel had no right to self-defense immediately after the Hamas invasion of Israel; said Israelis should be “considered suspect” and investigated when they are abroad; said other countries should halt pharmaceutical exports to Israel; characterized Israel as a “genocidal society”; and positioned the Jewish state as an impediment to global justice.

She told a Harvard University gathering that when Hamas refers to killing Jews (Yahudi), they do not actually mean Jews.

She has called accusations that UNRWA employees participated in the October 7 massacre “fallacious allegations,” though there has been clear evidence supporting it.

Last November, she posted a cartoon denouncing Israel, depicting what appeared to be a global spiderweb, its strands draped with cash and weapons, in an image that experts said echoed age-old antisemitic tropes.

She was sanctioned by the US government last year for her “unabashed antisemitism.”

LA Olympics chief Wasserman selling talent agency after Maxwell revelations – report

The Los Angeles 2028 Olympics chief, Casey Wasserman, is putting his talent and marketing agency up for sale, the Wall Street Journal reports, following criticism for flirtatious email exchanges with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell more than 20 years ago.

Wasserman has been criticized and called on to resign as the LA28 chief after the release of messages. His firm, too, has lost a client, with pop star Chappell Roan saying earlier this week she was no longer represented by his company.

Wasserman has denied having a personal or business relationship with late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He has previously apologized for his association with Maxwell, saying their relationship came before her or Epstein’s crimes were revealed.

Wasserman’s talent agency did not respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.

According to the Journal, Wasserman told his firm’s staff in an internal memo that he felt that he had “become a distraction” to its work and had begun the process of selling the company.

“I’m deeply sorry that my past personal mistakes have caused you so much discomfort,” Wasserman wrote in the memo, reports the newspaper.

“It’s not fair to you, and it’s not fair to the clients and partners we represent so vigorously and care so deeply about,” he wrote.

The LA28 said earlier this week that Wasserman will remain chairman of the 2028 games after organizers conducted a review of his past interactions with Maxwell and Epstein, and found his relationship with them did not go beyond what had already been publicly documented.

Israel blanketed in dust storm, rain expected in some parts of the country

Large swathes of Israel have been blanketed in a thick layer of dust.

The haze is expected to gradually subside throughout the day, with rain expected in some areas.

Rubio says UN plays ‘no role’ in resolving conflicts: ‘It could not solve the war in Gaza’

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the United Nations has played “virtually no role” in resolving conflicts and calls for global institutions to be reformed.

“The United Nations still has tremendous potential to be a tool for good in the world,” he tells the Munich Security Conference.

“But we cannot ignore that, today, on the most pressing matters before us, it has no answers and has played virtually no role. It could not solve the war in Gaza.”

Diplomats have expressed concerns over US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative aimed at resolving conflicts globally, saying it could harm the work of the United Nations.

Rubio says US wants to lead global ‘renewal and restoration’ alongside Europe

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the United States under President Donald Trump wants to lead global “renewal and restoration.”

The United States will be “driven by a vision of a future as proud, as sovereign, and as vital as our civilization’s past,” he tells the Munich Security Conference.

“And while we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone, it is our preference and it is our hope to do this together with you, our friends here in Europe,” he says.

Rubio says Washington and Europe “belong together,” in his keynote speech.

“We want Europe to be strong. We believe that Europe must survive,” Rubio says.

African Union chair says ‘extermination’ of Palestinians must stop, laments conflicts on continent

The “extermination” of the Palestinian people must end, the chairman of the African Union Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf says as he launches the organization’s 39th summit.

“In the Middle East, Palestine and the suffering of its people also challenge our consciences. The extermination of this people must stop,” says Youssouf, who was elected to head the institution a year ago.

Israel strenuously denies all accusations of war crimes, including genocide.

Youssouf also touches on the multiple conflicts raging in Africa.

“From Sudan to the Sahel, to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in Somalia and elsewhere, our people continue to pay the heavy price of instability,” Youssouf says.

The summit brings together heads of state from the 55 member states of the African Union over two days. This year’s theme is water sanitation.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Former Oxfam head accuses charity of racism, sexism and ‘toxic antisemitic culture’ in legal action

The former head of Oxfam in the UK says she is taking legal action against the charity, accusing it of racism, sexism and antisemitism.

Halima Begum is asked by Channel 4 News about her claims to an employment tribunal of a “toxic antisemitic culture” at the charity.

“We have to show consistency with other crises that that are taking place in the world. and it always felt as though we were disproportionately working around the crisis in Gaza,” Begum says.

“But other examples include quite strong push back when we were not ready yet to use the word genocide. Because to use the word genocide, it has to be something that we arrive at with consultation and evidence and good legal advice. And to try and use that term before we’re ready as an organization feels quite risky to me,” she says.

“Essentially, it was very hard to hold on to neutrality and impartiality, and I say that as a Muslim woman,” she says.

In December, Begum was forced to step down. The BBC reported that Oxfam’s trustees said Begum’s position was “untenable” because of an “irretrievable breakdown in its trust and confidence” in her ability to do the job amid accusations of bullying.

In a statement to Channel 4 News, Oxfam GB says it refutes Begum’s allegations.

Oxfam works in over 70 countries, helping people in developing countries out of poverty and providing emergency aid during humanitarian crises.

Mark Goldring resigned as CEO of Oxfam GB in 2018 following revelations that the charity’s aid workers used sex workers while in Haiti following a 2010 earthquake. The British government halted funding for Oxfam in 2021 after it reported it had suspended staff members in the Democratic Republic of Congo over claims of sexual misconduct and bullying.

Agencies contributed to this report.

Budget impasse shuts down US Department of Homeland Security, but ICE remains operational

The Department of Homeland Security enters a partial shutdown as US lawmakers fight over funding the agency overseeing much of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Thousands of government workers, from airport security agents to disaster relief officials, will either be furloughed or forced to work without pay until funding is agreed upon by Congress.

At the center of the budget dispute is the department’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), whose agents killed two US citizens amid sweeping raids and mass protests in Minneapolis.

Democrats oppose any new funding for DHS until major changes are implemented over how ICE conducts its operations.

In particular, they have demanded curtailed patrols, a ban on ICE agents wearing face masks during operations and the requirement that they obtain a judicial warrant to enter private property.

“Donald Trump and Republicans have decided that they have zero interest in getting ICE under control,” says House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

“Dramatic changes are needed,” Jeffries tells a news conference. “Absent that, Republicans have decided to shut down parts of the federal government.”

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

But while DHS faces a shutdown, ICE itself will remain operational, under funds approved in last year’s government spending bill.

Doctors Without Borders suspends activities at Gaza hospital due to presence of gunmen, suspected weapons transfers

Doctors Without Borders says that it has suspended non-critical medical activities at Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis due to the presence of armed men at the medical facility and “a recent situation of suspicion of movement of weapons.”

The aid group says that armed men have additionally been arresting patients.

Israel has offered evidence of medical facilities’ regular use by Palestinian terror groups as bases of operations due to their protected status. Hostages have also said they were held at Nasser Hospital.

“In recent months, in Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, patients and MSF personnel have seen armed men, some masked, in different areas of the large compound of the hospital. This had not been in areas where MSF has activities, but in other parts of the hospital compound,” says Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF.

“With an uptick since the ceasefire, MSF teams have reported a pattern of unacceptable acts, including the presence of armed men, intimidation, arbitrary arrests of patients, and a recent situation of suspicion of movement of weapons,” the humanitarian organization says. “These incidents pose serious security threats to our teams and patients.”

Last year a doctor, who also serves as a spokesperson for Nasser Hospital, hinted that he had been threatened by Palestinian Islamic Jihad due to his refusal to let the terror group’s operatives enter and use the hospital.

Israel announced earlier this month that it was terminating all the activities in Gaza and the West Bank of the organization after it failed to provide a list of its Palestinian staff. MSF slammed the move, which takes effect on March 1, as a “pretext” to obstruct aid. Israel has accused MSF of having at least two employees who held membership in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas terror groups.

MSF has been a key provider of medical and humanitarian aid in Gaza, particularly since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion and massacre in southern Israel triggered a two-year war in the enclave.

Agencies contributed to this report.

Ex-hostage reveals she tried to kill herself in Gaza, says seeing footage of protests saved her

Former hostage Arbel Yehoud reveals that she attempted to end her life several times while held captive by Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, but decided not to after seeing a poster with her picture when shown images of a protest in Israel.

“One of the times, not long before my release, I saw drone footage from Hostages Square [in Tel Aviv]. I saw people holding signs of people I don’t know, and then suddenly I saw signs of people I know. I saw a sign for Ariel [Cunio] and a sign for me, signs of people from the kibbutz,” Yehoud tells Channel 12 news in an interview aired Friday evening.

“From the moment I saw that, I didn’t try to put an end to my own life there,” she continues. “That was the last time I tried. When I saw the drone footage and understood that people who I don’t know are fighting for me as if I am their sister or daughter, I have the duty to return to Ariel and my family, but also to those fighting for me.”

Cunio and Yehoud, self-described “high school sweethearts,” were kidnapped together from their home at Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7, 2023, and then held separately in the Gaza Strip. Yehoud was released from captivity during a truce in January 2025, while Cunio was returned to Gaza as part of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal reached in October.

“I told her, ‘the most important thing is that we stay together. As long as they don’t separate us, we’ll be okay.’ Half-an-hour later, that is what happened,” Cunio says when recalling their abduction. “It happened so fast, there wasn’t even time to say ‘I love you, be strong.'”

“I didn’t manage to tell him bye, I didn’t get to see his eyes,” Yehoud adds.

Cunio says that after pressing his captors for information on Yehoud, they told him to write a letter, which they ended up passing along to her, leading to a period of few months in which they were able to correspond.

“It was a lot of writing about the love between us, what was going on with us each day, our conditions, trying to get some sort of picture of what is going on outside,” he says in the interview. “She wrote to me in the last letter that she heard there was a massacre at Nir Oz and that we need to stay strong about what we will discover when we get out, because you don’t know anything. You don’t know if your family is living, who is dead, who was kidnapped.”

In the interview, Yehoud says she had tried to push away her experiences in captivity, though that changed when former hostage Romi Gonen revealed in a recent interview that she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by terrorists before being transferred underground with other captives.

“I really identified with what she said, in terms of the gap she feels when she met with the other girls in the tunnel,” Yehoud tells Channel 12. “But even after I saw the horrors that Romi needed to endure, the gap remains. Because it was a very long time, and the things I went through, I went through from beginning to end, so they are in a sealed box.”

Witkoff, Kushner to hold separate talks on Iran and Ukraine-Russia in Geneva next week

PALM BEACH, Florida — Two sets of diplomatic negotiations, on Ukraine and Iran, are set to take place in Geneva on Tuesday, a source briefed on the matter tells Reuters.

A US delegation including envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet with the Iranians on Tuesday morning, the source says. Witkoff and Kushner will then participate in trilateral talks with representatives from Russia and Ukraine in the afternoon, the source adds.

US readying for potential weeks-long military campaign against Iran, sources tell Reuters

The US military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two US officials tells Reuters, in what could become a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries.

The disclosure by the officials, who speak on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the planning, raises the stakes for the diplomacy underway between the United States and Iran.

Asked for comment on the preparations for a potentially sustained US military operation, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly says: “President Trump has all options on the table with regard to Iran.”

“He listens to a variety of perspectives on any given issue, but makes the final decision based on what is best for our country and national security,” Kelly says.

The Pentagon declines to comment.

The United States sent two aircraft carriers to the region last year, when it carried out strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.

However, June’s “Midnight Hammer” operation was essentially a one-off US attack, with stealth bombers flying from the United States to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran staged a very limited retaliatory strike on a US base in Qatar.

The planning underway this time is more complex, the officials say.

In a sustained campaign, the US military could hit Iranian state and security facilities, not just nuclear infrastructure, one of the officials says. The official declines to provide specific detail.

Experts say the risks to US forces would be far greater in such an operation against Iran, which boasts a formidable arsenal of missiles. Retaliatory Iranian strikes also increase the risk of a regional conflict.

The same official says the United States fully expects Iran to retaliate, leading to back-and-forth strikes and reprisals over a period of time.

The White House and Pentagon don’t respond to questions about the risks of retaliation or regional conflict.

Jury deadlocks in trial of anti-Israel Stanford students who occupied university president’s office

A jury has deadlocked in the trial of five current and former Stanford University students charged after anti Israel, pro-Palestinian protests in 2024.

The students faced felony charges for vandalism and conspiracy to trespass after they barricaded themselves inside the university president and provost executive offices.

Santa Clara County prosecutors said demonstrators broke furniture and splattered a red liquid described as fake blood on items throughout the offices.

Defense lawyers said the protest was protected speech and there was no intent to damage property.

The trial in California’s Silicon Valley is a rare instance of demonstrators facing felony charges from the wave of campus protests that year.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.