Feb. 18: US will stop Iran’s nuclear arms ambitions ‘one way or the other,’ says energy secretary

US refrains from condemning Israel at UN session on ‘de facto annexation’ steps

The US refrains from condemning the recent slate of Israeli measures aimed at expanding settler control of the West Bank during a UN Security Council session that was convened largely to discuss the issue.

While every other ambassador at the meeting used their statements to condemn the moves they say is a violation of international law, US Ambassador Mike Waltz focuses his remarks on the US efforts in Gaza.

The US has been largely quiet about the moves that will make it easier for settlers to take over West Bank land, along with moving additional authorities pertaining to the West Bank from Israeli security agencies to civilian ones, in what is seen as de facto annexation.

The White House did issue a statement earlier this month reiterating that US President Donald Trump opposes West Bank annexation, but the statement did not directly address the specific moves passed by Israel’s security cabinet.

Iran issues notice over planned rocket launches in Thursday drills

Iran issues a notice to airmen (NOTAM) that it plans rocket launches in areas across its south on Thursday, the US Federal Aviation Administration website shows.

Iran conducted navy drills this week in the Hormuz Strait and plans to conduct a joint naval exercise with Russia on Thursday.

The notice was issued amid heightened tensions with the US, which has deployed warships near Iran, as US Vice President JD Vance said Washington was weighing whether to continue diplomatic engagement with Tehran or pursue other options.

The NOTAM system provides pilots, flight crews and other users of airspace with critical safety notices.

Israel conducting ‘gradual de facto annexation’ of West Bank — UN official

Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary A. DiCarlo speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on Ukraine, at UN headquarters in New York City on August 24, 2023. (Yuki IWAMURA / AFP)

A top UN official says that steps by Israel to tighten control of areas of the West Bank administered by the Palestinian Authority amount to “gradual de facto annexation.”

Since last week, Israel has approved a series of initiatives backed by far-right ministers to consolidate control over the West Bank where the Palestinians exercise limited autonomy under past deals.

“We are witnessing the gradual de facto annexation of the West Bank, as unilateral Israeli steps steadily transform the landscape,” UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo tells a meeting of the Security Council on the Palestinian question.

“If implemented, these measures will constitute a dangerous expansion of Israeli civil authority in the occupied West Bank, including in sensitive areas like Hebron.

“The moves could lead to settlement expansion by removing bureaucratic barriers and easing land purchases and building permits.”

The recently approved steps are set to increase Israel’s control in parts of the West Bank where the Palestinian Authority currently exercises power.

Palestinian families displaced again by settler violence, activists say

Dozens of Bedouin Palestinians reportedly attacked by settlers yesterday, have dismantled the compound they moved to, itself a refuge after settler violence pushed them out of their original community in October 2023, activists say.

Footage published by activists shows men from the displaced shepherding community of Wadi al-Seeq loading water tanks and other equipment onto trucks and taking apart the encampment they were living in near the village of Rammun, east of Ramallah in the central West Bank.

קהילת ואדי א-סיק.
גירוש שני תוך שנתיים.
אז איך זה באמת עובד…
המתנחלים מגיעים לקהילה, מסתובבים מציקים פורעים פולשים מציתים בתים ומגבירים לחץ פיזי לא מתון .
הצבא מצידו מגבה מהצד או משתתף והמשטרה מפהקת במקרה הטוב. במקרה ההגיוני פשוט מתעלמת או עוצרת את המותקפים…. וככה עוברים… pic.twitter.com/NH3eEuiuls

— מסתכלים לכיבוש בעיניים (@Mistaclim) February 18, 2026

The village is close to where the community lived before it uprooted itself the first time, days into the war sparked by the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, 2023, after a group of Israeli soldiers and settlers allegedly beat, burned and sexually assaulted three Wadi al-Seeq residents.

Avishay Mohar, an activist journalist, says on social media that the encampment near Rammun was taken apart this morning, and that the 12 families who lived there left to seek safety “closer to the built-up area” of the village.

Left-wing Israeli group Looking the Occupation in the Eyes, which accompanies Palestinian communities in the area, says the new encampment was located on private Palestinian land that is recognized as such by Israeli authorities. The site is located within Area C, which is under full Israeli security control.

According to the left-wing group, settlers who stormed the compound wielded rifles to beat four men, two of whom were hospitalized. The settlers also stole some 45 head of livestock as well as money and electrical equipment, the activists say.

Citing eyewitnesses, Haaretz reported yesterday that the settlers stormed the compound after one of them tried to bring his sheep to graze there and was blocked by residents.

IDF forces arrived at the scene and stood by for an extended period before employing riot dispersal measures against Palestinians, Haaretz said. No arrests were reported, and the IDF did not respond to requests for comment.

IDF operating in Hebron after gunfire reports

Israeli troops are conducting a raid in the West Bank city of Hebron after gunfire was heard in the area earlier today, the military says.

The IDF says that it received reports of gunfire sounds emanating from a Palestinian neighborhood on the outskirts of the city.

Upon receiving the report, the army says troops, Border Police officers and Shin Bet agents entered the neighborhood “for a wide operational activity with the aim of arresting gunmen and confiscating weapons.”

The IDF says dozens of suspects have so far been detained for questioning, and several roads in the area have been blocked.

Over two dozen countries sending delegations to Board of Peace summit — US official

WASHINGTON — Thursday’s inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington will see over two dozen countries represented, a senior US official tells The Times of Israel.

During the meeting, US President Donald Trump’s administration will provide updates regarding humanitarian assistance for Gaza, the Palestinian technocratic committee slated to replace Hamas in governing the Strip and the International Stabilization Force slated to help secure the Strip.

In addition to the US president, attendees will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, top Trump aides Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz, former British prime minister Tony Blair and the Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov, the US official says.

Observer status delegations will also be sent from countries that have not joined the Board of Peace, the US official says.

The official also pushes back on the notion that progress on the Board’s efforts in Gaza have stalled.

“We are under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarization, but we have been encouraged by what the mediators have reported back,” the US official says.

White House: There are many arguments for a strike on Iran, they’d be wise to make a deal

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 18, 2026. (SAUL LOEB / AFP)

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says “a little bit of progress” was made during yesterday’s Iran nuclear talks, but that the sides are “still very far apart on some issues.”

“The Iranians are expected to come back to us with some more detail in the next couple of weeks, so the president will continue to watch how this plays out,” Leavitt adds.

The press secretary makes the comments during a press briefing at the White House, where she is also asked why the US believes a strike is necessary if President Donald Trump claims that Washington already “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program in June strikes on three of Tehran’s sites.

“There are many reasons and arguments one could make for a strike against Iran,” Leavitt responds without elaborating.

“The president, as commander in chief, had a very successful operation. Midnight Hammer totally obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities,” she continues, referring to the June strikes.

“The president has been very clear with respect to Iran and any country around the world that diplomacy is always his first option and Iran would be very wise to make a deal,” she adds, declining to offer a deadline.

The message is a repeat of what the US has given in different variations for weeks as the world awaits a decision from Trump on whether he will authorize another strike on Iran.

Two Arab men killed in Haifa in evening’s third fatal shooting

Paramedics arrive at the scene of a double homicide in Haifa on February 18, 2026. (Magen David Adom)

Two young Arab men have been shot and killed outside a corner store in Haifa, in this evening’s third fatal shooting.

The pair was found unconscious and in critical condition by paramedics, Magen David Adom says. The victims, both in their 20s, were soon pronounced dead on the spot.

Police say forces are at the scene of the shooting and setting up roadblocks in an effort to locate the perpetrators. No arrests have been reported.

The double homicide comes amid a particularly violent night in Arab society. Earlier this evening, a Bedouin man was killed by gunfire in the Negev and an 18-year-old motorcyclist was shot dead in northern Israel by a Border Police officer.

Iran-US talks were ‘a nothing burger,’ says US official

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on after he delivered a speech during a session of the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, on the sideline of a second round of US-Iranian talks with Washington in Geneva, on February 17, 2026. (Valentin Flauraud / AFP)

The US-Iran nuclear talks in Geneva yesterday were a “nothing burger,” a senior US official tells Channel 12. Another official says Iran has until the end of the month to agree to a package of significant concessions on its nuclear program.

US President Donald Trump is “very close” to giving orders for a major strike on Iran, US officials tell the outlet.

Meanwhile, Israel has carried out meetings at all echelons to prepare for the possibility that Trump gives a green light for a strike, Channel 12 reports. Israel also agrees with the negative assessment of the Geneva talks expressed by the US official.

“Timetables are growing shorter,” says a senior Israeli official, “and that is the case in terms of military preparedness. In the end, there is one man who will decide.”

Israel believes there is a high chance that Iran will strike Israel in the event of a US or joint US-Israeli attack on the country. The IDF Home Front Command and other emergency agencies were instructed to make all necessary preparations for such an outcome, reports Channel 12.

Man shot and killed in southern Bedouin town of Lakiya

A man has been shot and killed in Lakiya, a Bedouin town in southern Israel.

The deceased is identified in Arabic-language outlets as Osama Abu Obaid, a resident of the Negev village.

His killing marks the 52nd homicide death to rock Arab society since the beginning of the year, as violent crime rages unabated in the community.

Police say the victim was rushed to a hospital in critical condition by paramedics, but succumbed to his wounds.

Officers are currently present at the scene of the shooting and have launched an investigation. No arrests have been reported in connection to the crime.

Olympic Committee of Israel demands apology for Swiss TV ‘genocide’ comments

Israel's AJ Edelman salutes the public at the end of a two-man bobsleigh run at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The Olympic Committee of Israel sends a formal letter of complaint demanding an apology from a Swiss broadcaster after its commentator spoke disparagingly about Israeli athlete AJ Edelman during his appearance at the two-man bobsleigh event on Monday.

“The remarks made during the broadcast were one-sided, political and inflammatory, and had no place on an Olympic platform,” writes OCI CEO Gili Lustig in the letter, dated today, addressed to the European Broadcasting Union and to Radio Télévision Suisse, the broadcaster in question.

“Such statements harm not only the athlete concerned and the Israeli delegation but also undermine the fundamental values of the Olympic Movement, foremost among them respect, equality, and unity among nations and athletes,” the letter adds.

During the live broadcast, commentator Stefan Renna spoke over the team’s entire two-minute run, questioning whether Edelman should be allowed to compete due to his “support of the genocide in Gaza.” RTS later said it was pulling the clip in question from its digital platforms, but said the content was “factual” and did not apologize.

Lustig writes that the commentary could put Edelman “at personal risk,” and notes that he and every member of Israel’s delegation “is participating in the Games in full accordance with the criteria and procedures established by the International Olympic Committee.”

The Olympic Committee of Israel says that it expects “the publication of a clear and public apology by RTS” as well as “an immediate review of the commentator’s continued involvement in Olympic-related broadcasts, including consideration of suspending the commentator from Olympic coverage.”

The IOC has so far declined to comment on the issue, saying concerns should be directed to the broadcaster in question.

Edelman is slated to appear again on Saturday and Sunday in the four-man bobsleigh event.

President Herzog set to visit Ethiopia next week

President Isaac Herzog will make a one-day visit to Ethiopia next week, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel.

Herzog will meet Ethiopia’s leadership, as part of Israel’s efforts to expand ties in Africa, says the official.

Report: Iran pressing Hezbollah to join any potential war with Israel

Iran has been pressing the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah to join any potential war against Israel if one breaks out, the Ynet news site reports.

The report, which does not cite any sources, says that Israel is “closely monitoring the situation and has conveyed very clear warnings to Hezbollah that if it decides to intervene, this time the blow will be very painful.”

According to Ynet, the IDF has prepared a plan to “significantly strike” Hezbollah, following efforts by the Iran-backed terror proxy to restore its capabilities in Lebanon.

In recent months, there has been an uptick in Israeli strikes against Hezbollah operatives and assets in Lebanon, though the report claims that the terror group’s recovery outpaces the military’s efforts to weaken it.

The report adds that Israel is also prepared for the possibility that other Iranian proxies will join a war if one breaks out.

Arab teen shot by police in north dies of injuries

An Arab Israeli teen who was shot by a Border Police officer in northern Israel earlier has succumbed to his wounds.

The deceased, 18-year-old Ahmad Ashkar, was shot earlier this evening while fleeing law enforcement on his motorcycle in Kabul, a village in the Galilee.

In a statement, police say an officer shot at “a suspicious motorcyclist who did not heed officers’ calls to stop.”

Footage of the incident shows him crashing into a car parked on the road and being flung from his motorcycle, apparently after being shot.

One of the Border Police officers at the scene was then filmed throwing a stun grenade at a crowd that had gathered near the teenager as he bled out on the ground, before an ambulance arrived to collect him. Clashes then reportedly broke out.

After Border Police fatally shoot 18 y/o Arab motorcyclist during chase, an officer tosses a stun grenade at the crowd gathered near victim's body pic.twitter.com/ROCYtV6OZ5

— charlie summers (@cbsu03) February 18, 2026

National Security Itamar Ben Gvir praises the officer who shot Ashkar. “Those who endanger the lives of our police officers must be neutralized,” the far-right politician writes on X. “I bless the fighter who took action; he has full backing from me.”

Jewish worshipers get extended visiting hours on Temple Mount during Ramadan

A woman recites prayers from a flyer distributed by the Temple Mount Yeshiva after police allowed Jewish worshipers to bring the liturgical material up to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City on January 21, 2026. (Courtesy/Beyadenu)

Police have extended visiting hours for Jewish worshipers on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by an hour more than is customary during Ramadan, on the first day of the Islamic holy month.

This morning, Jewish worshipers were able to ascend the flashpoint holy site from 6:30 to 11:30 a.m., following pressure from activists.

In previous years, visiting hours during Ramadan were from 7 to 11 a.m, with the the Al-Aqsa compound completely closed to Jewish visitors throughout the afternoon. According to Haaretz, the extra hour was allotted as “compensation” for the site’s afternoon closure.

The Palestinian Authority denounces the departure from the status quo as a “dangerous escalation” and warns that the extra hour may morph into a permanent policy extending beyond Ramadan, in a statement quoted by Arab outlets.

A spokesman for Beyadenu, an organization dedicated to cementing a Jewish presence at the site, says that the extra hour is a “slight concession” following meetings between Temple Mount activists and senior police officers in the Jerusalem District. He notes that today is the first day of the Hebrew month of Adar, and says some over 1,000 Jewish worshipers ascended the Temple Mount this morning and last night to mark the occasion.

Police have not yet responded to a request for comment.

Last month, Deputy Commissioner Avshalom Peled, a confidant of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, was appointed to the sensitive position of Jerusalem District commander.

Peled, who formerly served as deputy police chief, replaced Deputy Commissioner Amir Arzani, who went on leave under reported pressure from Ben Gvir, after he pushed back against the far-right minister’s attempts to further relax Jewish prayer restrictions on the Mount.

Visiting Gaza oversight HQ in Kiryat Gat, Herzog offers Ramadan wishes to Iranians, Gazans

President Isaac Herzog (R) visits the Gaza Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, Feberuary 18, 2026 (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

President Isaac Herzog sends a Ramadan greeting to the people of Iran, expressing his hope “that this reign of terror will end and that we will see a different era in the Middle East, where all these proxies have gone away and [there is] a different future for the children of the Middle East.”

Visiting the Civil-Military Coordination Center in Kiryat Gat, which oversees the Gaza ceasefire, Herzog also sends Ramadan greetings to Israeli Muslims and those in the region, including in Gaza: “We wish them a month of peace, a month of recovery, and a month of hope for the people of this region and the people of Gaza.”

Herzog is briefed by IDF CMCC head Maj. Gen. Yaki Dolf and CMCC Director US Maj. Gen. John Bowlin.

“We are looking forward to a future of hope in Gaza following the decision of the Board of Peace and the implementation of the 20-Point Peace Plan of President Trump and the UN Security Council Resolution,” says Herzog. “You see something being created. You see something new. You see hope in the air, and you see very serious plans that can offer a different avenue for the people of Gaza.”

In what could well have been a deliberate move, the Government Press Office’s footage of the event does not blur out a report on Hamas civil and military governance of the Strip slipping. The report notes that Hamas’s ability to respond to fires in Khan Younis and the Mawasi area is limited, that Gazan students are demanding that they be allowed to leave to study abroad, and that the Bank of Palestine in Gaza City is refusing to recognize Hamas-issued IDs.

The report also asserts that Gazan bureaucrats and elites view NCAG — the new Gazan technocratic governance panel — positively, calling for it to enter Gaza from Egypt urgently and oversee the resumption of services. “This indicates a pragmatic, service-oriented acceptance,” says the CMCC report shown to Herzog.

Iran fears disagreements with US cannot be overcome in talks — report

An unnamed Iranian official tells The Wall Street Journal that despite talks with the US continuing, Tehran is worried the disagreements with Washington cannot be bridged, making a military confrontation increasingly likely.

“Iran is facing its worst military threat since 1988,” and the war with Iraq, Iran analyst Farzan Sabet of the Geneva Graduate Institute tells the newspaper. “Iran is preparing for strikes by putting its security and political leadership on high alert to prevent decapitation and to protect its nuclear facilities.”

Greece to claim Nazi atrocity photos found on eBay, minister says

Greece will claim a World War II photo trove posted for sale online, believed to show for the first time one of Nazi Germany’s worst atrocities in the country, the culture ministry says.

Culture Minister Lina Mendoni says an “entire collection” of photographs apparently taken by a German army lieutenant serving in wartime Greece was declared a national monument “due to its particular historical value.”

“They allow us to frame the drama of occupied Greece also through the eyes of the occupier,” she says in a statement.

“With today’s declaration of the collection as a monument, the Ministry of Culture acquires the legal basis to claim it and acquire it on behalf of the Greek state,” Mendoni says.

???? Shocking photographic documents, reportedly capturing the final moments of some of the 200 Greek communists executed by the Nazis on May Day 1944 in the Kaisariani district of Athens, have recently come to light.

The photographs were put up for auction on eBay by a seller… pic.twitter.com/h1akvTPnMC

— In Defense of Communism © (@id_communism) February 15, 2026

Greek Communist Party lawmaker Giorgos Lambroulis says the party has so far identified four men in the photographs.

Twelve of the photographs originally appeared on the eBay site Crain’s Militaria on Saturday before being taken down on Monday. The ministry says the photographs appeared to show “the last moments” of 200 Greek Communists.

They were executed on May 1, 1944, in retaliation for the killing of a German general and his staff by Communist guerrillas a few days earlier.

The execution at the Kaisariani shooting range in Athens was a seminal event of the 1941-1944 Nazi occupation of Greece, which was marked by several atrocities, mostly against Greek villagers.

‘Like a Virgin’ songwriter Billy Steinberg dies at 75

Award-winning US songwriter Billy Steinberg, who wrote several top hit songs, including Madonna’s “Like a Virgin,” has died at age 75, according to media reports.

The Jewish Steinberg wrote some of the biggest pop hits of the 1980s and 1990s and was behind songs performed by singers from Whitney Houston and Celine Dion to Madonna and Cyndi Lauper.

He died following a battle with cancer, his attorney tells the Los Angeles Times and BBC News.

“Billy Steinberg’s life was a testament to the enduring power of a well-written song — and to the idea that honesty, when set to music, can outlive us all,” his family says in a statement to the outlets.

Steinberg was born in 1950 and grew up in Palm Springs, California, where his family had a table grape business. He attended Bard College in New York and soon began his career in songwriting. He helped write five number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Among those was “Like a Virgin,” co-written with Tom Kelly, which spent six consecutive weeks at the top of the charts.

Steinberg won a Grammy Award in 1997 for his work on Celine Dion’s “Falling Into You.”

He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011.

First woman envoy for Palestinians dies in France, family says

Leila Shahid, the first woman diplomat representing Palestinians abroad, died in southern France aged 76, her family says.

“She died today,” her sister Zeina told AFP. She did not provide further details.

According to initial findings, Shahid, who had reportedly been ill for several years, apparently died by suicide, a source close to the investigation told AFP.

“Leila Shahid, the iconic ambassador of Palestine, has left us. This is a huge loss for Palestine and for the world that believes in justice,” Hala Abou-Hassira, the Palestinian representative in France, says on X.

Leila shahid, l’ambassadrice iconique de la Palestine nous a quitté. Une immense perte pour la Palestine , et pour le monde qui croit en la justice . Paix à son âme. pic.twitter.com/0QFnejS390

— Hala Abou-Hassira (@HalaAbouHassira) February 18, 2026

Born in Lebanon in 1949, Shahid was the first woman to represent the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) abroad, beginning her career in Ireland before also becoming a representative in the Netherlands. She served as a representative in France and later at the European Union.

European ex-diplomats defend UN anti-Israel rapporteur Albanese

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

More than 150 European ex-diplomats and lawmakers urge France’s foreign minister to retract “inaccurate” comments about UN Palestinian territories rapporteur Francesca Albanese, whom he wants to resign.

France and Germany have called for Albanese to step down over remarks 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.”

In response to a question about the comments, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on February 11 told parliament she should step down.

In an open letter sent to AFP, the former diplomats criticize what they call “the use of inaccurate and manipulated elements to discredit a holder of an independent UN mandate.” They call on Barrot to “retract his inaccurate statements about Ms. Albanese and correct them.”

“This controversy must not divert attention from the massacres of civilians, nor from the humanitarian crisis and the massive human rights violations taking place in Gaza,” say the signatories.

The letter, written in French, was signed by mostly former foreign ministers and diplomats from the Netherlands. More than a dozen current members of parliament and senators from Europe were also among the signatories, along with a former foreign minister of South Africa.

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

Border Police shoot and critically injure man in northern Arab town

Border Police shoot and critically injure a young man in Kabul, an Arab town in northern Israel.

Police say an officer shot at “a suspicious motorcyclist who did not heed officers’ calls to stop,” in a statement addressing the incident.

The injured man is in critical condition and has been taken to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya. Medics are currently trying to resuscitate him while en route to the hospital.

According to Ynet, clashes broke out between residents and police in the shooting’s wake. The injured motorcyclist is 18 years old, says the outlet.

Conservative Israel critic Tucker Carlson visits Israel to interview US envoy Huckabee

Popular conservative commentator Tucker Carlson arrives in Israel today to interview US Ambassador Mike Huckabee.

He posted a picture from Ben Gurion Airport with the caption, “Greetings from Israel.”

Huckabee, who has known Carlson for over 30 years, invited him to spend a few days in Israel, but Carlson declined, The Times of Israel has learned.

Some reports indicate he has already departed.

Greetings from Israel. pic.twitter.com/1uBWvqBNST

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 18, 2026

In an episode aired last week of his podcast, “The Tucker Carlson Show” — in which Carlson regularly blasts Israel in terms that many describe as evoking classic antisemitic tropes — the host accused Huckabee of not doing enough to ensure proper treatment of Christians in Israel, prompting Huckabee to respond on X, “Instead of talking about me, why don’t you come talk to me?”

Carlson later welcomed the invitation, and both figures posted that they were working to set up an interview.

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

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

In first, IDF says female officer to command Navy missile boat

Lt. Cdr. 'Resh' in an undated photo published by the military on February 18, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

A female naval officer will command one of the Israeli Navy’s missile boats for the first time, the military says.

Lieutenant Commander “Resh” — identified only by her rank and first initial in Hebrew — will assume command over one of the Missile Ship Fleet’s Sa’ar 4.5-class missile boats in a handover ceremony tomorrow.

The military says the move “constitutes a significant milestone in the operational and command activity” of the Navy, and “reflects the commitment to excellence, professionalism, and equal opportunity” in the IDF.

The missile boat that Resh will command participated in several “complex” operations in recent years, the IDF says, including a large-scale operation to destroy the former Syrian regime’s naval fleet in December 2024, the elimination of top Hamas official Ismail Barhoum in March 2025, and the killing of a top commander in Hezbollah’s aerial forces in November 2024, as well as the interception of aerial threats.

Resh joined the military in 2016 as a naval cadet and has served in several roles in the Navy, including deputy commander of a missile boat and commander of a Dvora-class patrol boat in the 916th Patrol Squadron.

The IDF’s announcement comes amid recent calls by religious activists against the military’s plans to integrate women into more combat roles. The IDF had said it urgently needs more recruits due to the strain on standing and reserve forces caused by the war against Hamas in Gaza and other military challenges.

3 Palestinians reported shot as West Bank settlers open fire, steal livestock

Three people were hospitalized, one of them in serious condition, after being hit by settler gunfire in the Palestinian town of Mukhmas in the central West Bank this afternoon, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society says.

The Palestinian Authority’s Jerusalem Governorate, which includes Mukhmas, says the settlers attacked homes on the outskirts of the town while accompanied by IDF soldiers, and stole dozens of animals from farms and barns in the area.

4 إصابات إحداها حرجة في هجوم للمستوطنين على مخماس

هاجم مستوطنون مساكن وحظائر للأهالي على أطراف بلدة مخماس شمال شرق القدس المحتلة، وسرقوا عشرات رؤوس الأغنام، واعتدوا على المواطنين خلال الهجوم.

للتفاصيل: https://t.co/5g1UDe4Bdf pic.twitter.com/H3jo5XB91O

— موقع عرب 48 (@arab48website) February 18, 2026

The military does not immediately comment, and there are no reports of arrests of either Israelis or Palestinians.

The PA governorate says a total of four people were wounded in the settler attack. WAFA, the PA’s official news agency, says these consisted of the three hit by gunfire and a fourth person who was beat by Israeli troops.

#عاجل| نقل 5 جرحى فلسطينيين برصاص المستوطنين بعد هجومهم على أطراف بلدة مخماس، شمال شرق القدس المحتلة pic.twitter.com/F1PQ3AXFY9

— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) February 18, 2026

Knesset speaker accuses Lapid of harming Israel-India ties in fight over Supreme Court chief

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit presides over a hearing on petitions against the appointment of David Zini as head of the Shin Bet, November 18, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana accuses Opposition Leader Yair Lapid of harming Israeli-Indian relations after he threatened to boycott an upcoming Knesset speech by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unless Supreme Court President Isaac Amit is invited to the special session.

“If the leader of the opposition, MK Yair Lapid, wants to harm the foreign relations of the State of Israel with an important friend of ours who is also one of the most important powers in the world — that is his choice. An unfortunate, wrong choice and I hope he will reverse it,” tweets Ohana, calling such threats “illegitimate weapons in an internal political struggle.”

Ohana calls on Lapid to explain to the Indian government why he did not choose to boycott appearances by Argentinian President Javier Milei and US President Donald Trump “even though Justice Amit was not invited” to their speeches.

Lapid told lawmakers in the Knesset this morning: “If the coalition boycotts the president of the High Court during the special session with the prime minister of India, we will not be able to attend the debate.” He argued that another public boycott of Amit by the coalition would cause “enormous embarrassment” to the legislature.

“We do not want India to be embarrassed by us, with the prime minister of a nation of a billion people standing here in front of a half-empty Knesset. The Indian Embassy is in a panic over this,” Lapid claimed.

Following Amit’s election as court president in January 2025, Justice Minister Yariv Levin refused to recognize his authority and pledged to boycott him. As a result, Amit has been excluded from Knesset events to which he would have traditionally been invited.

Iran ‘drafting framework to advance’ future US talks, Araghchi tells IAEA chief

Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi says Tehran is “drafting” a framework for future talks with Washington, during a phone call with the UN nuclear watchdog.

In the call with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi, Araghchi “stressed the Islamic Republic of Iran’s focus on drafting an initial and coherent framework to advance future talks,” according to a statement from the Iranian foreign ministry.

The phone call comes a day after a second round of Oman-mediated negotiations between Iran and the United States in Geneva.

Araghchi said yesterday that Tehran had agreed with Washington on “guiding principles” for a deal to avoid conflict, but US Vice President JD Vance said Tehran had not yet acknowledged all of Washington’s “red lines.”

Satellite images show Iran repairing and fortifying military and nuclear sites amid US tensions

A combination picture of satellite images show the Parchin military complex under reconstruction in 2024-2026. (Planet Labs PBC and Vantor/Handout via Reuters)

Satellite images show that Iran has recently built a concrete shield over a new facility at a sensitive military site and covered it in soil, experts say, advancing work amid tensions with the US at a location reportedly bombed by Israel in 2024.

Images also show that Iran has buried tunnel entrances at a nuclear site bombed by the US during Israel’s 12-day war with Iran last year, fortified tunnel entrances near another, and repaired missile bases struck in the conflict.

They offer a glimpse of Iranian activities at some of the sites at the center of tensions with Israel and the US, as Washington seeks to negotiate a deal with Tehran on its nuclear program while threatening military action if talks fail.

Some 30 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of Tehran, the Parchin complex is one of Iran’s most sensitive military sites. Western intelligence has suggested Tehran carried out tests relevant to nuclear bomb detonations there more than two decades ago. Iran has denied seeking atomic weapons. Israel reportedly struck Parchin in October 2024. Satellite imagery taken before and after that attack shows extensive damage to a rectangular building at Parchin, and now apparent reconstruction.

The Isfahan complex is one of three Iranian uranium-enrichment plants bombed by the United States in June. In addition to facilities that are part of the nuclear fuel cycle, Isfahan includes an underground area where diplomats say much of Iran’s enriched uranium has been stored. Satellite images taken in late January showed new efforts to bury two tunnel entrances at the complex, the Institute for Science and International Security reported. In a February 9 update, it said a third entrance had also been backfilled with soil, meaning all entrances to the tunnel complex were now “completely buried.”

Labor union declares dispute over plan to allow Wizz Air to establish operating base in Israel

FILE: A Wizz Air flight takes off from Ben Gurion International Airport, July 22, 2019. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)

The Histadrut federation declares a labor dispute in the aviation sector in protest of a plan to allow Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air to establish a local operating base in Israel.

The labor union says the move is advancing without consultation, coordination, or cooperation with workers or their representatives, and poses a risk to job security and the stability of the aviation sector.

The declaration of a labor dispute means that organizational action could be taken within two weeks unless an agreement is reached. The dispute applies to more than 11,000 workers in the aviation industry, including employees at Israeli airlines El Al, Arkia, Israir, and Air Haifa, as well as those of the Israel Airports Authority, which operates Ben Gurion, Ramon and Haifa airports.

Late last year, Wizz Air said it was committed to setting up an operational aviation base in Israel as early as March or April, pending regulatory and government approvals. The move is slated to boost competition and bring down sky-high fares for travelers.

US will stop Iran’s nuclear arms ambitions ‘one way or the other,’ says energy secretary

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright listens as US President Donald Trump meets with Argentina's President Javier Milei in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, October 14, 2025. (AP Photo/ Alex Brandon)

The United States will deter Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons “one way or the other,” US Energy Secretary Chris Wright warns.

US President Donald Trump “believes firmly we cannot have a nuclear-armed Iran,” Wright tells reporters in Paris on the sidelines of meetings of the International Energy Agency.

“They’ve been very clear about what they would do with nuclear weapons. It’s entirely unacceptable,” Wright says.

“So one way or the other, we are going to end, deter Iran’s march towards a nuclear weapon,” he adds.

US and Iranian officials held talks in Geneva on yesterday aimed at averting the possibility of US military intervention to curb Tehran’s nuclear program.

Iran said following the talks that they had agreed on “guiding principles” for a deal to avoid conflict. US Vice President JD Vance, however, said Tehran had not yet acknowledged all of Washington’s red lines.

Palestine Action activists to face retrial over raid on UK Elbit factory, alleged sledgehammer attack on cop

Palestine Action activists Jordan Devlin, Leona Kamio, Charlotte Head, Fatema Rajwani, Zoe Rogers and Samuel Corner. (Used under clause 27a of the Israeli copyright law. Taken from social media)

Six British anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian activists will face a retrial on a number of charges relating to a 2024 raid on Israeli defense firm Elbit’s UK factory, in which a police officer’s spine was allegedly fractured in a filmed sledgehammer attack.

Samuel Corner, 23, Charlotte Head, 29, Leona Kamio, 30, Fatema Rajwani, 21, Zoe Rogers, 22, and Jordan Devlin, 31, are all accused in connection with the raid on the site near Bristol.

Last month, a jury failed to reach verdicts on criminal damage charges against all six defendants. In addition, Rajwani, Rogers and Devlin were found not guilty of violent disorder, with verdicts not reached for the three others.

The jury additionally did not reach a verdict against Corner for the charge of causing grievous bodily harm, despite him being filmed striking a policewoman with a sledgehammer and fracturing her lumbar spine.

Prosecutors say there will be a retrial for all charges which had not ended in verdicts. The trial is expected to take place next February.

The attack on the female officer left her initially unable to drive, dress or shower without assistance, she has said, adding that she took painkillers to handle the “intense pain.” She could not work for three months, the BBC reported, and was later put on restricted duties.

Prosecutors said the raid caused about 1 million pounds ($1.4 million) of damage.

Police and Jewish groups had criticized the outcome of the trial.

Last week, Britain’s High Court ruled that the government’s decision to outlaw Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful, but kept the ban in place pending another hearing while the government prepares an appeal.

Officials say Palestine Action’s activities have caused millions of pounds in damage that affects national security.

IDF demolishes home of Hamas terrorist behind 2 deadly West Bank attacks in 2024

IDF troops are seen demolishing the home of a Hamas terrorist in the West Bank town of Silat al-Harithiya, February 17, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF troops demolished the home of a Hamas terrorist behind two deadly attacks in the West Bank in 2024, the military says.

Raafat Dawasi, who was killed in a drone strike on August 17, 2024, was a top member of a Hamas terror network in the Jenin area.

The IDF says Dawasi was involved in a roadside bomb attack in Jenin on June 27, 2024, during which Cpt. Alon Sacgiu, 22, was killed and 16 other troops were wounded, as well as a shooting on August 11, 2024 in the Jordan Valley, which killed Yonatan Deutsch, 23, and wounded another man.

The army says troops operated in the town of Silat al-Harithiya last night and demolished Dawasi’s home.

As a matter of policy, Israel demolishes the homes of Palestinians accused of carrying out deadly terror attacks. An appeal can be submitted, but such attempts rarely succeed.

Israeli officials have said the policy is intended to dissuade Palestinians from planning terror attacks, as doing so will harm their extended families’ livelihood. Critics call it collective punishment.

Lapid threatens to boycott Modi’s Knesset visit if Supreme Court president snubbed again

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid speaks at a faction meeting of his Yesh Atid party at the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 16, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid threatens to boycott next week’s visit to the Knesset by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unless Supreme Court President Isaac Amit is invited to the special session, following several recent high-profile snubs of the country’s top judge by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition.

“If the coalition boycotts the president of the High Court during the special session with the prime minister of India, we will not be able to attend the debate,” Lapid tells lawmakers in the Knesset, arguing that another public boycott of Amit by the coalition cause “enormous embarrassment” to the legislature.

“We do not want India to be embarrassed by us, with the prime minister of a nation of a billion people standing here in front of a half-empty Knesset. The Indian Embassy is in a panic over this,” Lapid claims.

Following Amit’s election as court president in January 2025, Justice Minister Yariv Levin refused to recognize his authority and pledged to boycott him. As a result, Amit has been excluded from multiple Knesset events to which he would have traditionally been invited, including speeches by US President Donald Trump and several other world leaders.

Last October, during the opening of the Knesset’s 2025 winter legislative session, Speaker Amir Ohana acknowledged Amit merely as a justice, rather than as the chief justice, prompting President Isaac Herzog to protest the slight.

The opposition boycotted a Knesset session two weeks ago meant to celebrate the parliament building’s 60th birthday due to Amit’s exclusion. Lapid was the only member of the opposition to address the plenum, using his speech to attack Netanyahu over his treatment of the court president.

EU exploring support for new Gaza administration committee, document says

A photograph shows tents and makeshift shelters at a camp for displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, during hazy and dusty weather on February 14, 2026. (Bashar Taleb / AFP)

The European Union is exploring possible support for a new committee established to take over the civil administration of Gaza, according to a document produced by the bloc’s diplomatic arm and seen by Reuters.

“The EU is engaging with the newly established transitional governance structures for Gaza,” the European External Action Service writes in a document circulated to member states.

“The EU is also exploring possible support to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza,” it adds.

The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a committee of Palestinian technocrats unaffiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, is supposed to oversee the reconstruction of the devastated Strip, with backing from the US-led Board of Peace.

European foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Gaza during a meeting in Brussels on February 23.

Italy’s foreign minister to attend inaugural Board of Peace meeting as ‘observer’

Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani talks to the press as he arrives for an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers ahead of potential peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey, in Antalya, on May 15, 2025. (OZAN KOSE / AFP)

Italy will be present at the first meeting of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” as an “observer,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani says.

“I will go to Washington to represent Italy as an observer to this first meeting of the Board of Peace, to be present when talks occur and decisions are made for the reconstruction of Gaza and the future of Palestine,” Tajani says according to ANSA news agency.

The board, of which Trump is the chairman, was initially designed to oversee the Gaza truce and the territory’s reconstruction after the war between Hamas and Israel.

But its purpose has since morphed into resolving all sorts of international conflicts, triggering fears the US president wants to create a rival to the United Nations.

The first meeting is scheduled to take place tomorrow in Washington.

Italy cannot be present as anything more than an observer as the country’s constitutional rules do not allow it to join an organization led by a single foreign leader.

But Tajani says it is key for Rome to be “at the forefront, listening to what is being done.”

Since Trump launched his “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.

Countries have been asked to pay $1 billion for permanent membership, and the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose country invaded Ukraine in 2022, has drawn criticism.

Senior aides to Netanyahu request cancellation of their witness intimidation indictments

Lawyers for Jonatan Urich and Ofer Golan, both advisers to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, file a request to the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court for indictments against the two to be annulled due to what they allege are severe flaws in the investigative processes.

The two were indicted, together with a third Netanyahu aide Yisrael Einhorn, in February 2025 on charges of witness intimidation for having in 2019 sent a car with a megaphone to the home of Shlomo Filber, a key witness in Netanyahu’s corruption trial, in order to harass him as part of an apparent effort to get him to retract his testimony against the prime minister.

Urich and Golan’s lawyers, Amit Hadad and Noah Milstein, describe the incident as “trivial” and assert in their request that Filber was not at home at the time and never filed a police complaint over harassment or intimidation.

The lawyers allege that the police unlawfully broke into the telephones of several subjects of their investigation into the incident without court orders and, at times, “in contravention of the terms established in the orders that were issued.”

“The conduct of the criminal proceedings against the applicants is in fundamental contradiction to the principles of justice, equality and legal fairness, and raises a real concern that the proceedings are being conducted on the basis of the results of an investigation that was born in sin, while seriously violating fundamental rights,” the lawyers allege.

Urich and Einhorn are both also suspects in the Bild – leaked documents case and the Qatargate case, with Urich likely to be charged over his role in the Bild affair.

13-year-old boy sets woman’s hair alight on Netanya bus

Police arrest a 13-year-old boy who was filmed setting a woman’s hair on fire on a public bus in Netanya.

Officers nabbed the teen shortly after he was caught in the act on video, police say.

Standing in the bus aisle, the suspect is seen attempting to discreetly take a lighter to the hair of a woman seated near him.

After flicking the lighter in his hand, the boy appears to feign surprise and call attention to the blaze that he started, as a passenger who witnessed the scene comes to the woman’s aid.

Police brought the teen to court for a remand hearing today, where a judge ordered him held in custody for three more days.

Police arrest a 13 y/o boy after he was filmed setting a woman's hair on fire on a public bus pic.twitter.com/flj3IBWeOM

— charlie summers (@cbsu03) February 18, 2026

Major, weeks-long US-Israel operation against Iran could be imminent — report

Vehicles drive along a highway under a banner with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's threat against US warships, in Tehran on February 18, 2026. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

A potential US war with Iran would be a long, multi-week campaign, sources tell the Axios news site, with a White House official putting the chances of a strike in the coming weeks at 90 percent.

It would likely be a joint US-Israeli operation, says the source, even larger than the 12-day Israeli-led bombing campaign last June.

A number of sources tell Axios the war could come earlier than most people expect, and could be far larger than many anticipate.

US President Donald Trump “is getting fed up,” says a Trump adviser. “Some people around him warn him against going to war with Iran, but I think there is 90% chance we see kinetic action in the next few weeks.”

Two Israeli officials tell the outlet that Israel is preparing for a war to break out “within days,” adding that Israel is advocating for an operation aimed at toppling the regime.

Women of the Wall members detained by police after protesters disrupt their Western Wall prayers

Women of the Wall members hold a prayer service by the entrance of the Western Wall Plaza on February 18, 2026. (Women of the Wall)

Several members of the group Women of the Wall are detained by police at the Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem after their prayer service celebrating the beginning of the Hebrew month of Adar was disrupted by demonstrators.

According to a statement by the organization, the police claim they were obstructing an emergency passage, even though the passage remained clear.

There is no immediate comment from police.

Women of the Wall gather at the Western Wall on Rosh Hodesh (the first day of a Hebrew month) to celebrate the occasion with a prayer service that includes a Torah reading. However, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which manages the site, does not allow the group to use any of the Western Wall’s Torah scrolls and has forbidden entering the area with a private Torah scroll. The group often encounters backlash from demonstrators or from ushers at the Foundation who try to prevent them from bringing Torah scrolls concealed in their bags.

According to the statement, the ushers searched the activists’ bags, which the group claims was illegal. Footage distributed by Women of the Wall shows some women reading from a small Torah scroll amid noise and whistles.

“We are fed up with the harassment and with attempts to undermine our prayer,” Women of the Wall says in a statement. “We are fed up with the fact that, despite there being no legal or halachic prohibition, the rabbi of the Western Wall prevents us by every means from reading from a Torah scroll. We will read from the Torah on Rosh Chodesh and fulfill what the court decided long ago: Women of the Wall’s prayer, with a Torah scroll, is a local custom, and we are permitted to read from a Torah scroll at the Western Wall.”

Yesterday, the High Court of Justice held a hearing on the status of egalitarian prayer and religious rights at the Western Wall for the first time in three years.

Israel’s Noa Szollos skis out of slalom, ending her Olympic run

Israel's Noa Szollos competes in the first run of the women's slalom event during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d'Ampezzo on February 18, 2026 (Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP)

Israeli skier Noa Szollos fails to complete the women’s slalom at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games, ending her Olympic run.

Szollos misses a gate in the first run of the event at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo, and will not advance to the second run later today. With dozens of skiers still to compete, almost 20 have been disqualified so far for similar errors.

Szollos, a Hungarian native at her second Olympic Games for Israel, finished 35th in the women’s giant slalom on Sunday out of 76 skiers.

Israel has now wrapped up all its skiing events at the 2026 Olympics, with only figure skating and four-man bobsleigh still ahead.

Turkey’s foreign minister to attend inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington tomorrow

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attends a session on the opening day of the Doha Forum, an annual diplomatic conference, in Doha, December 6, 2025. (Mahmud Hams/AFP)

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Washington in lieu of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” tomorrow, the foreign ministry says.

A Turkish diplomatic source tells Reuters that Fidan, during the talks, will call for determined steps to resolve the Palestinian issue and emphasize that Israel must end actions to hinder the flow of aid into Gaza and stop its ceasefire violations. Both Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.

Fidan will also reiterate Turkey’s readiness to contribute to Gaza’s reconstruction and its desire to help protect Palestinians and ensure their security, the source says. He will also call for urgent action against Israel’s “illegal settlement activities and settler violence in the West Bank,” the source adds.

According to a readout from Erdogan’s office, the president separately told reporters that he hoped the Board of Peace would help achieve “the lasting stability, ceasefire, and eventually peace that Gaza has longed for,” and would focus on bringing about a two-state solution.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

2nd day of US-mediated Ukraine-Russia talks end in Geneva after 2 hours

A Swiss police officer stands as diplomatic delegation cars arrive outside the hotel for a second day of US-mediated talks with Russia and Ukraine seeking to find an end to the four-year war, in Geneva on February 18, 2026 (Harold CUNNINGHAM / AFP)

A second day of Russia-Ukraine-US talks in Geneva on ending the war in Ukraine concluded after around two hours, Kyiv and Moscow say.

Both sides report negotiations have ended, with Russian state media reporting — citing Moscow’s chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky — that more talks are due in the “near future.”

Israel to permit 10,000 West Bank Palestinians to attend Friday prayers at Al‑Aqsa Mosque

Palestinian Muslim worshipers perform Taraweeh prayers on the first night of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan near the Dome of the Rock Shrine at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound atop the Temple Mount, in the Old City of Jerusalem on February 17, 2026. (AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP)

Israel will grant permits to 10,000 West Bank Palestinians to enter Jerusalem for Friday prayers at the Al‑Aqsa Mosque compound during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, the Defense Ministry’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories announces.

Mirroring last year’s criteria, only males aged 55 and up, women 50 and up, and children 12 and below when accompanied by a first-degree relative will be permitted to attend prayers at Al‑Aqsa — Islam’s third-holiest site, located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

COGAT says that following a security assessment, the political leadership “accepted the recommendation of the defense establishment regarding the framework for the entry of Palestinian worshipers to the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the month of Ramadan.”

“This is intended to allow and facilitate freedom of worship and religion for the public, subject to maintaining security stability,” the Defense Ministry body says.

COGAT says that “all permits are conditional upon prior security approval by the relevant security authorities,” and in addition, “residents traveling to prayers at the Temple Mount will be required to undergo digital documentation at the crossings upon their return to the areas of Judea and Samaria [West Bank] at the conclusion of the prayer day.”

Coalition again pulls bills from Knesset due to lack of majority amid rift with Haredi parties

A Knesset plenum session, December 24, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

All coalition bills slated for preliminary readings are removed from today’s Knesset agenda, leaving only opposition legislation on the agenda.

This occurs as the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties are pushing the coalition to pass a bill exempting yeshiva students from military service ahead of the passage of the state budget.

The coalition, which lacks a majority, has long struggled to advance private member bills for preliminary readings due to the ongoing rift with the Haredi parties, which have maintained a partial legislative boycott over the issue.

IDF soldier killed in so-called friendly fire incident in south Gaza

Staff Sgt. Ofri Yafe, 21, killed by 'friendly fire' in south Gaza on February 18, 2026 (Israel Defense Forces)

An IDF soldier was killed in an incident of “friendly fire” in the southern Gaza Strip overnight, the military announces.

The soldier is named as Staff Sgt. Ofri Yafe, 21, of the Paratroopers Brigade’s Reconnaissance Unit, from HaYogev.

The military says the circumstances under which the soldier was hit by gunfire from other Israeli forces is under further investigation.

Ex-IDF Military Intelligence chief suggests US action against Iran could come within days

Former head of IDF Military Intelligence Amos Yadlin speaks in Tel Aviv on December 3, 2024. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Former IDF Military Intelligence chief Amos Yadlin suggests that a military confrontation between the US and Iran could begin in the coming days.

“Last week I allowed myself to fly to the Munich Security Conference. I would think twice about flying [abroad from Israel] this weekend,” Yadlin tells Channel 12.

“We are much closer than we were before, but I remind you — a superpower does not go to war in a matter of days. There is a diplomatic path that must be exhausted,” says Yadlin, who now heads a national security consultancy.

“Many oppose the attack. The Pentagon is not clear what they want it to achieve. The president is very determined. The statement that all options are on the table is based on a credible military threat, which comes alongside the preparations off the coast of Iran and in the skies,” says Yadlin.

Yesterday, as US and Iranian negotiators held talks for the second time, open-source flight tracking data showed that the US military had moved dozens of fighter jets toward the Middle East in a day.

The aircraft included F-22, F-35, and F-16 jets. Several refuelers were also spotted on the move, according to social media accounts dedicated to tracking military flights.

Iran and Russia to conduct navy drill in Gulf of Oman and northern Indian Ocean

This handout photo released by Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)'s official website Sepanews on February 16, 2026, shows navy ships during a military exercise by members of the IRGC and navy in the Gulf (SEPAH NEWS / AFP)

Iran and Russia will conduct navy drills in the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean tomorrow, the Iranian semi-official Fars news agency reports, a few days after Revolutionary Guards conducted military drills in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Creating convergence and coordination in joint measures to counter activities threatening maritime security and safety… as well as combating maritime terrorism, are among the main goals of this joint exercise,” an Iranian navy commander, Hassan Maghsoodloo said, according to Fars news.

Public tracking data published by the United States Naval Institute appears to show that the USS Lincoln could be in the vicinity of the drill.

Starmer and Trump held call on Iran, Gaza and Ukraine, says Downing Street

US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer hold a joint press conference at Chequers near Aylesbury, England, September 18, 2025. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to US President Donald Trump last night about US-mediated Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Geneva, as well as talks between the US and Iran on their nuclear dispute, a Downing Street spokesperson says.

Starmer also discussed Gaza with Trump and stressed the importance of securing further access for humanitarian aid, the spokesperson says.

Leading religious Zionist rabbis tell PM to stop integration of women into Armored Corps

Female soldiers operate a tank in the Negev Desert, in an undated photograph. (Israel Defense Forces)

Several leading rabbis of the religious Zionist community have penned a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing their opposition to a planned pilot program in the military that would see female soldiers serve in the Armored Corps, claiming such a move would “effectively exclude” Orthodox troops from contributing to Israel’s security.

The letter joins other recent calls by religious activists against the IDF’s plans to integrate women into more combat roles in the army, despite the military saying it urgently needs more recruits due to the strain on standing and reserve forces caused by the war against Hamas in Gaza and other military challenges.

“Turning the Armored Corps [into a] mixed-gender [unit] will place our students before an impossible contradiction between their faith and their operational service,” the rabbis write in the letter.

“When the army advances toward gender mixing prohibited by Judaism, contrary to logic and security needs, we can no longer remain silent,” they write.

The letter is signed by former chief rabbi of Ramat Gan Yaakov Ariel; chief rabbi of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu; head of Mercaz Harav yeshiva Rabbi Yaakov Shapira; former chief rabbi of Jerusalem Aryeh Stern; former chief rabbi of Kiryat Arba Dov Lior; and others.

The rabbis claim that allowing women to serve in tanks in the Armored Corps, similar to how the army opened up the Artillery Corps to women decades ago, will have damaging consequences.

“This move will effectively exclude Torah- and tradition-observant troops from contributing to Israel’s security solely because of their way of life, which will lead to weakening the entire fighting array and to the destruction of the people’s army. Capitulating to foreign social agendas that are not the concern of the IDF and are not part of the values of victory harms the security of the state, especially at this time,” they write.

The rabbis in their letter seek to meet with Netanyahu to prevent the move, though it is unclear if the prime minister has the authority to prevent the military from pushing forward with the pilot program.

The army has insisted in the past that it is allowing more women to serve in combat positions out of practical considerations, not due to a progressive social agenda.

Currently, female soldiers can serve in tanks in the IDF’s Border Defense Corps, as part of an all-female tank company in the Caracal mixed-gender light infantry battalion, which operates along the Egyptian border — not in wars or in fighting deep behind enemy lines.

Women soldiers were directly involved in battles to defend against Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, including an all-female tank company that fought for hours, killing dozens of terrorists along the border and in communities attacked by the terror group.

The program in the Armored Corps, which the IDF had previously seen as impractical, was originally meant to start in 2024. Its opening has been delayed twice and is now expected to begin in November 2026 at the earliest.

Despite the claims made by the rabbis and other religious activists, the military has been planning only gender-segregated tank crews, in large part due to issues of modesty, as in some cases, crew members must use the bathroom and perform other bodily functions within the confined space of the tank.

Women already serve in a variety of combat roles in the IDF, in many cases alongside male counterparts.

According to IDF data from 2025, some 8,500 female soldiers served in combat roles, an increase of nearly 240% compared to 2015. In 2025, women made up 21.2% of combat troops.

Billionaire Wexner to be deposed in congressional probe of Epstein files

This September 19, 2014 file photo shows chairman and CEO of Victoria’s Secret parent L Brands Les Wexner touring an exhibit at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

Les Wexner’s long-time friendship with Jeffrey Epstein will be the subject of a closed-door congressional deposition in Ohio, where the billionaire retail magnate is expected to face questions about new revelations contained in the latest release of Justice Department documents related to the late sexual predator.

Wexner, 88, the retired founder of L Brands, has said he plans to cooperate with a subpoena from Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

As one of Epstein’s most prominent former friends, Wexner has already spent years answering for their decades-long association. In court documents, prominent Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre claimed that Wexner was one of the men Epstein trafficked her to.

Wexner has consistently denied any knowledge of or involvement in the millionaire financier’s crimes and says he never met Giuffre. He told L Brands investors in 2019 that he was embarrassed that he ever got close to someone “so sick, so cunning, so depraved.”

He has never been accused of wrongdoing.

Wexner’s name appears more than 1,000 times in the Epstein files, which his spokesperson said is not unexpected given their longstanding relationship. The documents shed new light on his relationship to Epstein — which ended bitterly after Wexner and his wife Abigail learned he’d been stealing from them — while raising many new questions.

Australian right-wing lawmaker denounced for comments suggesting there are no ‘good’ Muslims

One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson smiles in the Fred Brophy boxing tent at the Birdsville Races in the Queensland town of Birdsville on August 31, 2018 (Saeed KHAN / AFP)

Australia’s race discrimination watchdog demands an apology over remarks by a hard-right lawmaker targeting Muslims.

Anti-immigration One Nation party leader Pauline Hanson said Monday that Australia should show a “tough stance” against Islam and radicalization.

“Their religion concerns me, because what it says in the Koran: they hate Westerners, and that’s what it’s all about,” the senator told Sky News Australia.

“You say: ‘Oh, well, there’s good Muslims out there’. Well, I’m sorry, how can you — you know — tell me there are good Muslims?”

Comments that “stigmatize and devalue” people serve to increase fear and deepen division, says Race Discrimination Commissioner Giridharan Sivaraman.

“To those who speak about the importance of social cohesion: you cannot build it by isolating, belittling, or casting suspicion on an entire group of Australians.”

Unity starts with respect, he says in a statement.

“I call on Senator Hanson to withdraw her remarks and offer an apology to Muslim Australians.”

Hanson backpedalled earlier in the day, telling public broadcaster ABC that she did not in fact believe there were no good Muslims.

She added, however, that she was sorry if she offended anyone “that doesn’t believe in sharia law, or multiple marriages, or wants to bring ISIS brides in, or people from Gaza that believe in a caliphate.”

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said yesterday that her comments were “wrong and cruel,” and unworthy of someone in public office.

Recent opinion polls show Hanson’s One Nation party eclipsing the main right-leaning opposition coalition of Liberal and National parties.

It is unclear how polling for One Nation might translate into general election success, however.

One Nation has one member in the 150-seat federal lower house of parliament and four senators in the 76-seat federal upper house.

Australia’s next general election must be held by May 2028.

Israeli Olympic figure skater qualifies for free skate after successful short program

Israel's Mariia Seniuk competes in the figure skating women's single skating short program during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena in Milan on February 17, 2026. (JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP)

Israeli figure skater Mariia Seniuk scores 58.61 points in the women’s short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics, landing her in 22nd place and clinching her a spot in the free skate to be held Thursday evening.

Only the top 24 of the 29 skaters advance from the short program to the free skate, where the medal winners will be determined.

Seniuk, making her Olympic debut, performed to “Run” by Ludovico Einaudi, turning in a clean performance with only minor errors and hitting every one of her planned elements, including a triple lutz and a triple flip + triple toeloop.

She tells Reuters that while she had been prepared for boos or protests, the crowd welcomed her with cheers.

“I’m skating for Israel and some of the people don’t support [it] but I really enjoyed the atmosphere today… it’s very, very special… you can just feel it,” Seniuk tells the wire agency. “I felt the support… I’m very, very grateful to everyone, and especially to the people who were holding the flag.”

85 countries back statement condemning Israel for deepening its control of West Bank

Eighty-five countries have signed on to a Palestinian-led joint statement condemning the recent security cabinet decisions aimed at tightening Israel’s control of the West Bank.

“We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful presence in the West Bank,” says the statement organized by the Palestinian Mission to the UN.

“Such decisions are contrary to Israel’s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed. We underline in this regard our strong opposition to any form of annexation,” the countries add.

The measures passed by the security cabinet include steps making it easier for settlers to purchase West Bank land, while expropriating it from Palestinians who claim ownership.

The statement is backed by countries worldwide, spanning Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas.

A statement on behalf of 85 States and a number of international organizations condemning Israel’s unilateral measures and policies in the occupied West Bank and rejecting annexation???????? pic.twitter.com/BhEo22f6bZ

— State of Palestine (@Palestine_UN) February 17, 2026

Settlers reportedly raid Bedouin hamlets in West Bank; no arrests made

Israeli settlers attacked a Bedouin hamlet outside Ramallah as soldiers stood by, Palestinian media and Haaretz report.

The incident began when a settler from a nearby outpost began grazing his sheep in between the homes of residents of the Bedouin hamlet adjacent to the village of Rammun, reports say. The settler then tried to bring his sheep into the Bedouin hamlet’s sheep pen, but was blocked by locals who feared he was trying to steal their livestock.

Several more settlers then reportedly arrived at the scene and a clash broke out. IDF forces arrived at the scene and stood by for an extended period before employing riot dispersal measures. However, those measures were targeted at the Palestinians and not the settlers, Haaretz says, citing witness testimony.

מתנחל רועה צאן בין בתי בדואים בפאתי הכפר רמון

צילום: @justherds pic.twitter.com/FYFbn7VY9U

— הארץ חדשות (@haaretznewsvid) February 17, 2026

Three Palestinians were lightly wounded as a result of the clash, the Palestinian Authority’s official Wafa news site says, adding that the Bedouin residents also accused the settlers of stealing some of their belongings.

No arrests were made. The IDF does not respond to requests for comment.

Such incidents of settler harassment have been taking place on a near-daily basis across the West Bank. The targets are frequently Bedouin hamlets in Area C of the territory, which is under full Israeli control.

Hundreds of Bedouin Palestinians, including some from the hamlet outside Rammun, have decided to flee to other parts of the West Bank.

Earlier Tuesday, settlers from the Giborei David outpost reportedly raided another Bedouin hamlet outside the village of Duma in the central West Bank.

היום בדומא:
מתנחלים מהמאחז הבלתי חוקי ״גיבורי דוד״ תקפו פעילי שלום ופלסטינים מהקהילה הבדואית.
המתנחלים ריססו את אחד הפעילים בגז פלפל, שברו חלק מהקיר ומהגג של הבית, ותקפו פיזית את הפעילים.

התקשרנו למשטרה ולצבא, שבמשך שעות לא הגיעו למקום. pic.twitter.com/I8VGN4KNhG

— עמית אורפלי Amit Orfali ???????? (@AmitOrfali) February 17, 2026

Footage from Israeli activists trying to protect the hamlet shows the settlers breaking down the wall of one of the makeshift homes.

The activists say that the settlers pepper-sprayed and assaulted them and the local Palestinians.

Giborei David’s residents have allegedly taken part in repeated attacks on nearby Palestinians in recent weeks.

Asked for comment on the latter incident, the IDF says it received a report of a clash between a Palestinian and an Israeli during which the Israeli used pepper spray. Troops arrived at the scene and separated the sides, the army said. There were no arrests made at the incident.

Smotrich says next government should ‘encourage migration’ of Palestinians from West Bank

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich speaks ahead of a Religious Zionist party meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 16, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says that he will work in his next term to “encourage migration” of Palestinians from the West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip.

The idea, which critics say amounts to ethnic cleansing, has been pushed repeatedly by far-right leaders, including Smotrich, in the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, but has largely focused on Gaza.

Smotrich’s declaration represents a relatively rare instance of a senior Israeli politician expressing a desire to expand the controversial goal to the West Bank.

The minister makes the declaration at an event for his far-right Religious Zionism party, during which he lays out what he says should be the goals of the next government, including doing away with the 1990s-era Oslo Accords and applying Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank, a move akin to annexation.

“Destroy the idea of an Arab terror state; finally, formally and practically cancel the cursed Oslo Accords and get on the path of sovereignty, while encouraging the migration both from Gaza and from Judea and Samaria,” the biblical term for the West Bank, Smotrich says. “There is no other long-term solution.”

Smotrich draws applause from those in the room.

Elections are slated to be held by October. Smotrich’s party has consistently polled either near or below the electoral threshold.