Feb. 25: New billboard in Tehran threatens to make Israel ‘hell,’ calls it ‘Trump’s 51st state’

Far-right activists again rally outside home of Arab news anchor, threaten her

Right-wing activists once again rally outside the Tel Aviv home of Arab news anchor Lucy Aharish, shouting at her, “We’re here to give you a message” and “it won’t stop here.”

“May you get cardiac arrest!” one calls out.

Several begin chanting: “Let the IDF win, screw the Arabs!”

אלו הקריאות הערב מתחת לבית של לוסי אהריש בת״א:

״באנו למסור לך מסר. זו הפעם הרביעית וזה לא מפסיק פה. אינשאללה״

״אינשאללה תקבלי דום לב״

״תנו לצה״ל לנצח לזיין תערבים״ pic.twitter.com/3rxN9LrSLv

— Bar Peleg (@bar_peleg) February 25, 2026

This is the fourth time within a week that far-right activists have demonstrated at Aharish’s home. Police have detained several people at past demonstrations.

Earlier this month, speaking on Channel 13, Aharish pointed to the “righteous anger” of Arab Israelis due to perceived government inaction over the crime wave that has claimed the lives of hundreds in the community in recent years.

Arab citizens, she said, in the next elections will “flock to the voting booths” to bring a change in government, and added the Arabic word “Inshallah,” meaning “God willing.”

Aharish is married to Jewish actor Tsahi Halevi, who has served hundreds of days in reserve duty over the past two years, fought in border communities amid the Hamas-led onslaught of October 7, and is widely credited with saving dozens of lives.

Germany takes delivery of Israeli-made underwater drone

The German navy says it has taken delivery of an Israeli-made Blue Whale underwater drone intended for reconnaissance and detecting “hybrid threats at sea.”

The autonomous underwater vehicle, developed by Israeli company IAI together with German submarine and warship-maker TKMS, was received in the northern port of Eckernfoerde, the navy says in a statement.

The army on its website says the Blue Whale is the navy’s “largest and most advanced unmanned underwater vehicle to date.”

The device was tested in the Baltic Sea, a flashpoint for tensions between Russia and NATO since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the army says.

Military experts and European leaders say Russia has ramped up its “hybrid war” in the strategic region — now bordered entirely by NATO members, with the exception of Russia — through airspace incursions and suspected sabotage of undersea cables.

TKMS says the Blue Whale is capable of “conducting reconnaissance operations, detecting targets above and below the sea surface, collecting acoustic information, and locating sea mines on the seabed.”

Israel and Germany have upped their defense cooperation in recent months and, in January, signed a security pact to expand joint work on counterterrorism and cyber defense.

Dutch airline KLM suspends flights to Tel Aviv as Iran tensions rise

Ilustrative: KLM airplanes sit in Schiphol Airport near Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Jan. 18, 2018. (AP/Peter Dejong)

Dutch airline KLM announces a “temporary” suspension of flights between Amsterdam and Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport starting March 1, and until further notice.

The development comes amid rising tensions with Iran and the possibility of military conflict, though the airline does not explicitly cite this as a reason.

“KLM continuously adapts its global network based on market demand and operational circumstances,” KLM says in a statement. “At this time, it is not commercially or operationally feasible for KLM to operate flights to Tel Aviv.”

“KLM will continue to monitor developments and will reassess the decision depending on circumstances,” the airline adds.

Affected passengers are being notified personally and will be offered options to rebook or receive a refund, it says.

Iran’s foreign minister arrives in Geneva for talks with US — diplomatic source

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his negotiating team have arrived in Geneva ahead of a third round of crucial talks with the US, a diplomatic source tells AFP.

The Iranian plane landed at Geneva Airport shortly after 7 p.m. (1800 GMT), and a diplomatic source in the Swiss city confirms that the foreign minister was on board. Iranian state news agency IRNA also reports his arrival. The talks are due to take place tomorrow.

US said to begin moving another six F-22 stealth fighters toward Middle East

The American military has begun to move another six F-22 stealth fighter jets toward the Middle East, according to analysts monitoring open-source flight tracking data.

The six F-22s are expected to be deployed at an Israeli Air Force base, where 11 other stealth fighters landed yesterday.

According to flight tracking data and analysts, the six F-22s took off from the United States earlier today and linked up with their accompanying refueler planes, and they are en route to the Royal Air Force Lakenheath airbase in England.

Yesterday, 12 F-22s that were stationed at RAF Lakenheath took off for Israel, although one returned to the airbase due to a technical issue. The 11 stealth fighters are now deployed at an IAF base in southern Israel, according to defense officials.

Langley F-22s Cell 2 crossing underway #FreeIran
— "Operation LION & SUN" —

In a mirror of yesterday's movement of 6x F-22A "Raptor" jets, another 6 are airborne and linking up with tankers for the crossing to RAF Lakenheath. 3 tankers will take them part way, and then 2… pic.twitter.com/FFxwfzaojb

— DefenceGeek 🇬🇧 (@DefenceGeek) February 25, 2026

The F-22, operated exclusively by the US Air Force, is the world’s most advanced air-superiority fighter, built for unmatched speed, maneuverability and stealth in air-to-air combat.

The movement of the jets comes as part of the United States’s massive buildup of military forces in the Middle East, as US President Donald Trump considers whether to take military action against Iran.

Dozens of fighter jets — including F-35s, F-22s, F-15s and F-16s — have been spotted heading to the Middle East by the Military Air Tracking Alliance, a team of about 30 open-source analysts that routinely analyzes military and government flight activity in recent days.

The team says it’s also tracked dozens of accompanying fuel tankers, as well as hundreds of cargo flights, heading into the region since mid-February.

UK granted permission to appeal ruling that Palestine Action ban is unlawful

The British government has been given permission to appeal against a ruling that its ban on pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action as a terrorist organization was unlawful.

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

Palestine Action was banned shortly after a June break-in at the Royal Air Force’s Brize Norton air base, in which activists damaged two planes, an action described by Prime Minister Keir Starmer as “disgraceful.”

Lawyers representing Huda Ammori, who co-founded Palestine Action in 2020, argued at a hearing last year that the move was an authoritarian restriction on the right to protest.

London’s High Court ruled this month that the ban was unlawful, ruling that it was a disproportionate interference with free speech rights.

The same court now grants Britain’s interior ministry permission to challenge its ruling, saying the ban will remain in place pending the appeal.

The Home Office does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Vance warns Iran to take US threats ‘seriously’

US Vice President JD Vance applauds as US President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2026. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

US Vice President JD Vance tells Iran to take Washington’s threats of military action “seriously,” a day after President Donald Trump appeared to build the case for war in his State of the Union address.

Vance tells Fox News that while Trump is going to try to “accomplish it diplomatically,” the US president also has the “right” to use military action.

“You can’t let the craziest and worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons,” says Vance.

“The president has a number of other tools at his disposal to ensure this doesn’t happen. He’s shown a willingness to use them, and I hope the Iranians take it seriously in the negotiations tomorrow because that’s certainly what the president prefers.”

US demanding any nuclear deal with Iran last indefinitely — report

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff attends a meeting with Ukrainian officials, November 30, 2025, in Hallandale Beach, Florida. (AP/Terry Renna)

US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told a private gathering this week that the administration is demanding any nuclear deal with Iran should remain in effect indefinitely, Axios reports, citing a US official and two others with knowledge of the comments.

Trump is pressuring the Iranian government in the wake of its violent crackdown on protesters and has amassed a large US naval presence in the region while threatening military strikes if Tehran does not reach a deal to solve a longstanding dispute over its nuclear program.

According to Axios, Witkoff told AIPAC donors that the administration does not want any deal to have “sunset clauses,” which would expire after a time, like those that existed in the Obama administration’s 2015 deal.

“We start with the Iranians with the premise that there is no sunset provision. Whether we get a deal or not, our premise is: you have to behave for the rest of your lives,” Witkoff is quoted as saying.

He also is reported to have said that though Washington is currently focusing on the nuclear issue, it will want to deal with Iran’s missile program and its support for regional proxy groups down the road.

Ahead of tomorrow’s next round of talks — seen as the make-or-break moment for diplomacy — an Israeli source tells Channel 12 Jerusalem does not believe Iran will meet the minimal American threshold, opening the way for military action.

AG said to authorize police to summon Netanyahu for testimony on claims against chief of staff

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, is seen at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 13, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has authorized police to summon Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to provide testimony on allegations relating to his Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman, Channel 12 reports.

The network notes that Netanyahu is not expected to be questioned as a suspect in the case.

Police are looking into claims that Braverman attempted to obstruct an investigation over allegations that he told Eli Feldstein, a former spokesperson for Netanyahu, that he could quash a military investigation into Feldstein over the leak of a classified document to the German newspaper Bild.

Braverman, who was designated to be ambassador to the United Kingdom in September but has yet to take up the post, is currently barred from leaving the country and cannot contact Netanyahu or other officials in the Prime Minister’s Office as conditions for his release from detention.

Former Polish intelligence heads charged over use of Israeli spyware

Two former Polish intelligence chiefs have been charged over their use of Israeli Pegasus spyware, which prosecutors allege may have compromised classified information.

The pair, who led Poland’s ABW internal security agency and SKW military counterintelligence service, each face up to three years in prison for failing in their official duties.

According to the National Prosecutors Office, the Pegasus system “did not have the required IT security accreditation.”

Former ABW head Piotr P and ex-SKW head Maciej M allegedly used the spyware “despite being aware of the risk of compromising” the agency’s activities, including “secret” or “top secret” information, the office writes in a press release.

The prosecutors withheld their last names under Polish privacy laws, but former SKW chief Maciej Materka later named himself in a social media post condemning the action.

Piotr P ran the ABW from 2015 to 2016, while Materka ran the SKW from 2018 to 2022. Both served in the government of the nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party. The current government alleges that the Pegasus spyware was also used to monitor them before they came to power in 2023.

Modi awarded new Medal of the Knesset for his ‘significant contributions’ to Israel and Jews

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana awards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the new Medal of the Knesset on February 25, 2026 (Noam Moshkovitz/Knesset)

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana awards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the newly established Medal of the Knesset to honor him for his “significant contributions to the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”

Ohana gives Modi the medal after he addresses the Knesset, touting strengthening ties between New Delhi and Jerusalem.

According to the Knesset spokesperson’s office, Modi was selected to receive the medal because he “significantly strengthened the ties between India and Israel and deepened the strategic cooperation between the countries.”

“During his tenure, cooperation in the fields of security and technology expanded, including joint security technological developments, innovation and cyber. He worked to deepen the political and cultural connection, and strengthened Israel’s position as India’s central partner in the Middle East,” the statement adds.

“This is a historic moment for the Knesset and for the entire State of Israel,” says Ohana. “The awarding of the decoration to Prime Minister Modi expresses our deep appreciation for his work to create a strategic alliance between Israel and India. His policy is an expression of a courageous, consistent and sincere friendship with the State of Israel, and of a firm stand by its side even in complex and challenging times.”

Modi says committed to expanding ties with Israel, ‘a powerhouse of innovation’

Turning to economic cooperation with Israel in his Knesset address, Modi said that India “will soon be among the top three economies globally,” while “Israel is a powerhouse of innovation and technology leadership.”

“We are committed to expanding trade, strengthening investment growth and promoting joint infrastructure development,” he said, noting that the two countries “are working hard to negotiate an ambitious Free Trade Agreement. It will unlock the vast untapped potential in our trade relationship.”

India’s government announced that talks opened in New Delhi on Monday for an India-Israel FTA, noting that total merchandise trade was $3.62 billion in 2024-2025.

Modi also addressed Israel’s agricultural influence on India, saying that “India’s parliamentary debates of the 1950s are witness to their admiration for Israel’s effort to develop agriculture in the desert. The Kibbutz movement of Israel inspired our leaders.”

“Israeli expertise in precision irrigation and water management has already transformed agricultural practices in India,” he said.

The premier also announced an advancement of the two countries’ political relationship, saying: “I’m happy to inform this august house that the Indian parliament has set up a parliamentary friendship group for Israel.”

Modi also highlighted “philosophical parallels” between the countries, referencing multiple Jewish and Hindu principles of faith: “The [Jewish] principle of Tikkun Olam speaks of healing the world. In India, [the Sanskrit phrase of] Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam affirms that the world is one family. Both ideas… ask societies to act with compassion and moral courage,” he said.

“Judaism emphasizes halacha, guiding everyday conduct through law and practice,” he continued, while “Hindu philosophy speaks of Dharma, the moral order that shapes duty and right action. In both traditions, ethical life is lived through action, and faith is expressed through conduct.”

“Our strong partnership not only serves national interests, but also contributes to global stability and prosperity. Let us ensure that the friendship between India and Israel remains a source of strength in an uncertain world,” Modi said.

Modi concluded his speech by invoking respective national rallying cries “Am Yisrael Chai” — Hebrew for “The people of Israel live” — and “Jai Hind” meaning “Long live India,” drawing resounding applause and chants of “Modi! Modi!” from the packed plenum.

US speaker says it’s good for Americans to see ‘shameful’ behavior of Reps. Omar, Tlaib

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) (R) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MI) shout during US President Donald Trump's State of the Union address during a Joint Session of Congress at the US Capitol on February 24, 2026, in Washington, DC. (CHIP SOMODEVILLA / Getty Images via AFP)

US House Speaker Mike Johnson says he nearly expelled representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib from the chamber for heckling US President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address yesterday.

“It was shameful, really. I came this close to stopping them; we could have probably ejected them from the floor. [But] I thought, let their actions speak for themselves,” he tells Fox News.

Omar and Tlaib repeatedly shouted at Trump during his speech, calling him a “liar” and alleging that he had “killed Americans.”

Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Rashida Talib lose it and start yelling at President Trump during his SOTU speech.

pic.twitter.com/F4UrqetwpL

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 25, 2026

“If they’d gone a step further, we probably would have ejected them,” Johnson says. “But I think it was good for them to be there. I think it’s good for the American people to see the shame that they’ve brought upon their parties and upon themselves. And what a stark contrast between them and between the Republican Party.

“We’re on the right side of common sense, on law and justice, on security and American dominance and strength, and the Democrats stand for exactly the opposite of all that.”

Gantz: Coalition exclusion of High Court chief proves Israel needs ‘broad, Zionist government’

Blue and White leader Benny Gantz leads a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 9, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The coalition’s decision to exclude High Court president Isaac Amit from this evening’s special Knesset session and the resultant boycott of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech prove that Israel’s political blocs must stop fighting and “establish a broad, Zionist government,” Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party says in a statement.

“Today, we witnessed a shameful event for the State of Israel, and the ultimate responsibility lies with Knesset Speaker [Amir Ohana], who prefers the Likud primaries over Israel’s diplomatic relations with one of the world’s great powers,” says the party, adding that “Gantz approached Ohana as early as a week ago and asked him to prevent this.”

Blue and White says that it “succeeded in ensuring that the rest of the opposition would attend” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech itself, “and at the very least, we avoided that particular embarrassment.

“This shameful event is further proof that the time has come to stop the ‘bloc war’ and establish a broad, Zionist government that will restore the Israeli public’s trust in state institutions and put the needs of the country before political interests,” Blue and White insists.

Modi in the Knesset: Terror ‘threatens peace everywhere’

Visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hails the bond between Jerusalem and New Delhi.

The premier expresses what an honor it is to address the Knesset, “as a representative of one ancient civilization addressing another.”

He speaks of the need to combat terrorism in Israel, India and worldwide.

“Countering terrorism requires sustained and coordinated global action. Because terror anywhere threatens peace everywhere. That is why India supports all efforts that contribute to durable peace and regional stability,” he says, reiterating India’s support for the Abraham Accords normalization agreements, calling the initiative “a moment of new hope for a long-troubled region.”

He also expresses India’s approval of the Trump administration’s comprehensive Gaza peace plan, saying, “We believe that it holds the promise of a just and durable peace for all the people of the region, including by addressing the Palestine issue.”

New billboard in Tehran threatens to make Israel ‘hell,’ calls it ‘Trump’s 51st state’

A new billboard in Tehran’s Palestine Square threatens Israel with an attack as US President Donald Trump continues to weigh strikes on the Islamic Republic.

“A clear target: Trump’s 51st state,” the large placard declares. Burning buildings are seen in the background as a sign saying “Welcome to Israel” is spraypainted with “Welcome to Hell.” Another sign identifies the Jewish state as the “51st state of the United States of America.”

🚨 The new billboard placed in Palestine Square in Tehran: "The goal is clear – Trump's 51st state" – alongside the Israeli flag and the inscription "Welcome to hell"- is propaganda by the Iranian regime portraying Israel as a US extension, while trying to link it to Trump's… pic.twitter.com/klQDkX25ne

— Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) February 25, 2026

Billboards threatening Israel have often been placed in the square.

US Treasury issues fresh Iran-related sanctions

The US Treasury Department imposes new Iran-related sanctions on individuals, several entities and tankers, hours after President Donald Trump laid out his case for a possible attack in his State of the Union speech to Congress.

The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions over 30 individuals, entities and vessels it says enable illicit Iranian petroleum sales and Iran’s ballistic missile and advanced conventional weapons production.

OFAC also targets multiple networks that enable Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics to secure the precursor materials and machinery required for ballistic missile and other weapons production, the Treasury says.

At Knesset, Modi says India stands firmly with Israel ‘in this moment and beyond’

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem during Modi’s official visit to Israel on February 25, 2026 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells lawmakers in Jerusalem that his country stands with Israel “firmly with full conviction” following Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.

“I… carry with me the deepest condolences of the people of India for every life lost and for every family whose world was shattered in the barbaric terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7,” Modi says in the Knesset.

“We feel your pain, we share your grief. India stands with Israel firmly with full conviction in this moment and beyond,” he added.

Berlinale executives to be summoned over film director’s anti-Israel speech

German government officials plan to summon tomorrow organizers of the Berlin film festival, which was rocked this year by controversy over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Gaza war.

Bild daily reports that Tricia Tuttle, the US director of the Berlinale, is expected to be sacked at the meeting, citing sources close to the KBB state-owned company that runs the festival. KBB dismisses the report, telling AFP in a short statement that “we believe this is fake news.”

Culture Minister Wolfram Weimer’s office confirmed to AFP that an extraordinary supervisory board meeting of the KBB will be held to discuss “the direction of the Berlinale,” but says it will “not comment on further speculation.”

The Gaza war loomed large over the festival, and Syrian-Palestinian filmmaker Abdallah Al-Khatib in Saturday’s closing ceremony accused Germany of being complicit in “genocide” through its support for Israel.

Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, the only member of the German government attending the ceremony, walked out over what he labelled the “unacceptable” remarks.

Opposition MKs reenter plenum, Lapid tells Modi walkout has ‘nothing to do with you’

Reentering the Knesset after boycotting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid shakes Indian premier Narendra Modi’s hand and welcomes him to the Knesset.

Lapid tells Modi that the opposition walkout during this evening’s special session had “nothing to do with you,” drawing boos from coalition lawmakers, to which he replies: “Let’s try not make things worse.”

“The entire State of Israel is filled with admiration for your leadership, for your friendship, for the fact that you were here for us in our time of trouble, and for the alliance, the eternal alliance between our two states,” Lapid says. “So thank you very much for being here. And we are all, both sides of the aisle, looking forward to hearing your speech.”

Netanyahu to Modi: We will build ‘iron alliance’ against threat of ‘extremist Islam’

Speaking in the Knesset plenum ahead of visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says India and Israel will build an “iron alliance” of countries “in the face of extremist Islam.”

“Israel is stronger than ever, and India is stronger than ever,” Netanyahu states early on in his speech, which he delivers in both Hebrew and English.

He thanks Modi for his support for Israel following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, saying, “after this murderous attack, you stood in such a clear way, so moral, so sharp… We will never forget this.”

He calls Israel’s war against Hamas “a defensive war, a war for the truth, the future of humanity.”

“India supports Israel because it understands that Israel serves as a protective wall against barbarism,” he continues, saying, “The massacre of October 7 made it absolutely clear: either the jihadist axis of evil will break us, or we will break it. And we are breaking it — and will break it.”

“In the face of extremist Islam that threatens all humanity and the free nations, we will build together an iron alliance — an alliance of nations that believe in moderation, in progress, in human dignity, in mutual respect. An alliance of nations that sanctify life and are ready to fight against those who sanctify death and seek to return us to the dark barbarism of the Middle Ages,” Netanyahu says.

Netanyahu adds that the two countries are together developing the IMEC initiative, a US-backed transport project that aims to connect India to Europe via the Middle East by sea and rail.

“This maritime-land corridor can exist and flourish only if it passes through stable and secure countries. And there are no stronger and more secure countries on this axis than India and Israel,” he says.

“During this visit of yours, we will also implement agreements in tourism, in culture, in agriculture, in water, in immigration — and in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, in peace,” Netanyahu adds.

Former coalition lawmakers take places of missing opposition MKs at special session

After opposition MKs leave the plenum to protest the exclusion of High Court president Isaac Amit from tonight’s special Knesset session featuring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former coalition lawmakers take their places to fill the empty spots.

In order to prevent the Knesset from emptying out in the event of an opposition boycott, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana invited former MKs to attend this evening’s session. Ex-lawmakers such as United Torah Judaism’s Moshe Roth and Likud’s Pnina Rosenblum are among those who responded to the invitations.

“Amir Ohana made a lot of effort to make sure he has enough people in case the opposition makes any kind of circus, to leave the plenum or something like that,” says one former MK. “He made personal phone calls. I don’t think I was the only one he called.”

“The Knesset sent an email to all former MKs to invite them and there were specific ones that the speaker wanted to invite whom he called,” a coalition source tells The Times of Israel. “Only in very special circumstances and occasions does the Knesset send invitations to the entire list of former MKs. It just shows the level of significance and importance that the Knesset is ascribing to this visit.”

Netanyahu says he’s ‘never been more moved’ than by ‘brother’ Modi’s visit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in the Knesset plenum ahead of visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech, hailing the personal relationship between them.

“Narendra, my dear friend, I am deeply, deeply moved by your visit here today,” Netanyahu says. “Because I have to be diplomatic, I will not rank it. I’ll get into trouble. But I’ve never been more moved than by your visit here with us, a great friend of Israel, a great champion of the Indian-Israeli alliance, and a great leader on the world stage,” he says.

“I would almost venture to say [you are] more than a friend, a brother,” Netanyahu says, praising the technological cooperation between the countries in recent years.

“We’ve doubled our trade, tripled our cooperation, quadrupled our understandings in ways that I cannot begin to describe. In some ways, probably shouldn’t describe,” he says

Speaker Ohana lauds Modi as great friend of Israel

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana praises Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a staunch ally of Israel, noting that he was the first Indian leader to visit Israel when he came in 2017 and declaring he is making history again by being the first Indian leader to address the Knesset.

“It is a great honor for us to welcome the leader of the world’s largest democracy: the prime minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi. Namaste! For Prime Minister Modi, leadership is not just managing a country, but inspiring a nation,” says Ohana, praising Modi for having “transformed India.”

“For over two thousand years, India has given Jews a home, and in our darkest hours, a refuge. India’s ancient Jewish communities helped build this country and continue to enrich it with Indian culture, cuisine and warmth. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established early, but it was the two prime ministers, Modi and Netanyahu, who forged a true strategic partnership,” he says.

“The friendship between our two nations has stood the test of our shared fight against terrorism. After the October 7 massacre, Prime Minister Modi was one of the first leaders to condemn the atrocities of Hamas and stood in brotherhood with the citizens of Israel. Just as we stood by India in its difficult hours after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008 and in Pahalgam last year. Both our nations are forced to fight terrorism and both, God willing, will continue to prevail.”

In Ethiopia, Herzog says attempts to undermine Israel’s ties with Africa will fail

President Isaac Herzog (R) meets Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in Addis Ababa, February 25, 2026 (Haim Zach/GPO)

In Addis Ababa, President Isaac Herzog tells Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed that some in Africa and beyond are trying to undermine Israel’s ties in Africa, “but our bond is strong, and our shared interests are stronger than any such attempt to undermine them.”

Israel has been making a major push to expand ties in the continent, and Herzog has been a central but quiet player in that effort. In November, Herzog visited Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Our drive to innovate, prosper, and bring wellbeing to all is what drives us, and outweighs any attempt to cause division or obstruction,” says Herzog, according to his office. “I am glad that we have this opportunity to deepen the dialogue between us and strengthen the ties between our nations.”

Herzog also meets with local Jewish leaders. He is slated to fly back to Israel tonight.

Opposition MKs walk out of plenum, will return for Modi speech

Responding to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana’s decision not to invite Supreme Court President Isaac Amit to this evening’s speech by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opposition MKs walk out of the plenum at the start of the special session.

As opposition MKs leave the plenum, former coalition lawmakers take their places to fill the empty spots.

Several opposition parties release statements stating that they will not attend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address and will only reenter the plenum when Modi is slated to begin speaking.

“In light of Amir Ohana’s disgraceful decision to boycott Supreme Court President Justice Amit and not invite him to the ceremonial meeting with the prime minister of India, contrary to all accepted procedure, it was decided to uphold the decision to leave the plenary session in order not to be partners in the boycott,” the opposition’s Yesh Atid and Yisrael Beytenu parties say in identical statements.

“We will only return for the Indian prime minister’s speech to respect the alliance between the countries and express our appreciation for Prime Minister Modi’s standing by Israel.”

In a separate statement, Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party says that despite Ohana’s “provocation,” its MKs will attend Modi’s speech but not that of Ohana. “In the next government, extremism will be stopped and we will lead Israel on a path of agreements instead of boycotts,” the party says. “I call on all my opposition members to act like us and not add a crime that will harm the country to Ohana’s sin.

Yair Golan’s The Democrats party likewise leaves the plenum.

“Amir Ohana has done more damage to the Knesset than almost any Israeli politician in history. His petty politics and irresponsibility dragged a major world leader into internal politics,” an opposition source tells The Times of Israel. “Ohana has disgraced the Knesset.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, several opposition MKs promise a “surprise” in the plenum but decline to state what further protests they may engage in.

“The Speaker of half the Knesset, Amir Ohana, is disgracing the dignity of the State of Israel by deciding to boycott the president of the Supreme Court, Isaac Amit,” Yesh Atid MK Moshe Tur-Paz tells The Times of Israel.

“Ohana’s primary election considerations cannot be allowed to affect Israel’s foreign relations. We will honor the Indian prime ministerand attend his speech only. Knesset Speaker Ohana and Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu do not deserve respect in light of their divisive behavior!”

Israel accepts appointment of first Somaliland ambassador, pledges to appoint its own

Israel formally accepts the appointment of Somaliland’s first ambassador to Israel, Mohamed Hagi, according to a letter sent by the Foreign Ministry to the office of Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi.

Hagi currently serves as an adviser to Abdullahi, and was an advocate for Israel-Somaliland relations, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Israel will appoint an ambassador to the African country soon, says the ministry.

Israel’s international development agency MASHAV is holding a course for officials from Somaliland’s Water Authority in Israel this week.

Israel in December became the only country in the world to recognize Somaliland’s independence — something the territory has been seeking since declaring its autonomy from Somalia in 1991.

Israel to greatly increase flow of desalinated water into Sea of Galilee

The Water Authority and the national water company, Mekorot, will vastly increase the flow of desalinated water into the Sea of Galilee starting next week.

In October, Israel became the first country in the world to top up a freshwater lake with desalinated water, sending 1,000 cubic meters (264,000 gallons) per hour into the lake.

However, with a relatively dry winter in the northeast of the country, authorities have decided to increase the flow to 4,000 to 6,000 cubic meters (a million to 1.6. million gallons) per hour.

The lake’s level has risen by just 30 centimeters (12 inches) during the current rainy season, a far cry from the 1.6 meters (5.25 feet) in an average season.

The increase in flow has been made possible by the move to full capacity at two desalination plants — one in southern Ashkelon, the other near central Rishon Lezion.

Tests conducted before the project’s implementation indicated that the saltless seawater would not have any particularly negative effects on the lake’s ecosystems.

However, it is only this winter that scientists from the Kinneret Limnological Laboratory have been able to start analyzing and assessing the chemical and biological impact of the new water flow in real time.

The idea for the project was born toward the end of several disastrous drought years, between 2013 and 2018, when the lake’s level approached an all-time low. With desalinated water already set to be piped to communities in the nearby Lower Galilee, officials decided they could hook the lake into the system as well.

Modi in Knesset plenum for his speech to parliament

Indian Prime Minister Modi has entered the Knesset plenum for his speech. Watch it here:

Indian premier greeted at Knesset as PM jokes about unwieldy parliament

As they walk through the entrance of the Knesset, Netanyahu is heard joking with Modi about Israel’s complex political landscape, comparing India’s “thirty parties for a country of a billion and a half [people,] and [Israel’s] 13 parties for 10 million. You see the problem we have? You’re in better shape.” Modi laughs in response.

The Indian premier then pauses in the Chagall Hall to sign the Knesset’s official guestbook, earning applause from the surrounding crowd. Remaining in the hall, Netanyahu and Modi greet a group of enthusiastic children waving Israeli and Indian flags. The two leaders then continue into Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana’s office.

Members of the Indian delegation, as well as ambassadors and officials from other countries, begin to head to the plenary hall for the special session during which Modi will address the Knesset.

Hezbollah official says group will not intervene in event of ‘limited’ US strikes on Iran

WATCH: Indian Prime Minister Modi set to address the Knesset

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived at the Knesset and is set to address the plenum, the first Indian head of state to do so.

He is greeted at the outside by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.

Watch it here:

Netanyahu won’t comment on exclusion of Supreme Court chief from Modi Knesset address

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declines to comment on the exclusion of Supreme Court President Isaac Amit from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming Knesset speech.

Asked about the issue by reporters as he heads to the Knesset plenum, Netanyahu looks at his watch and replies “we’re in historic times” before moving on.

ראש הממשלה נתניהו מתעלם מהשאלה על החרמת נשיא העליון מהביקור של ראש ממשלת הודו בכנסת

אומר: "אנחנו בזמנים היסטוריים" pic.twitter.com/IxvUxZWRLD

— amir ettinger – אמיר אטינגר (@amirettin) February 25, 2026

New government program to help immigrant doctors find work more quickly

A new government program aims to integrate immigrant doctors into Israel’s healthcare system quickly, the Immigration and Absorption Ministry says.

“The ‘Path to Medicine’ program combines professional training with an important absorption process for immigrant doctors,” Aliyah and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer says, speeding up a licensing process that many new arrivals find frustratingly slow while easing professional and social integration.

The eight-month program includes preparation for the government licensing exam, lessons in clinical Hebrew, and training in patient communication, medical documentation, and hospital procedures, the ministry says. Participants will also take part in hospital tours, lectures, mentorship programs and exposure to various medical specialties.

New immigrants are invaluable additions to Israel’s medical sector, which suffers from continued workforce shortages, the Immigration and Absorption Ministry says. Doctors who choose to live and work in Israel’s Negev and Galilee regions, where the need for doctors is highest, are eligible for large grants.

Over the past two years, more than 1,000 immigrant doctors have joined Israel’s healthcare system, with hundreds more expected this year, the ministry notes.

David Shuker, last Jew from Saudi Arabia’s Najran community, dies at 82

David Shuker, an Israeli who claimed to be the last survivor of the the Najran Jewish community in Saudi Arabia, has passed away, sources report. He was about 82 years old.

In October 2022, Shuker made several public appeals to the kingdom’s rulers to allow him to visit the place of his birth before he dies, including in a Wall Street Journal op-ed. 

“I’m asking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his father King Salman to go to the city of my birth, Najran, while I am still standing on my feet… to see where my grandparents are buried,” Shuker, a former mayor of the town of Bnei Ayish, near Ashdod, told Channel 13 at the time.

The request was never granted.

Shuker was born in Najran, in the Saudi southwest, in 1944. Once considered part of Yemen, the city was taken over by Saudi Arabia when the kingdom was formed in 1934. It is known to have had a small Jewish community, but rising persecution by the establishment caused most to flee to Yemen and from there to Israel.

Shuker recalled that some 60 Jewish families lived in Najran and the surrounding villages when he was a young child. When the State of Israel was declared in 1948, the king forced them to leave toward the Yemeni border. From there, his family came to Israel in 1951.

Heartbreaking news this morning: David Shuker, known as the "last Jew from Saudi Arabia," has passed away.
He died without ever being allowed to return to the land where he was born. The land he loved. The land he longed to see one last time.
He was barred from reentering Saudi…

— Amjad Taha أمجد طه (@amjadt25) February 24, 2026

In a post announcing his passing, the Yemenite Jewish and Israeli Communities Heritage Center calls Shuker “a multifaceted public character whose image is woven into the story of the Jews of Yemen in general and the Najran community in particular.”

“His life story is that of the Yemenite Jews — tradition, faith, labor and preservation of identity from generation to generation,” the organization adds.

Israel’s HMOs prepare for potential conflict with Iran

Israel’s health management organizations have inventories of equipment, medications, and laboratory supplies sufficient for about 60 days in case Iran strikes Israel, according to Ynet.

If conflict erupts, the funds will expand remote services, including online physicians, pregnancy support centers, and nurse call centers.

Emergency call centers will also be set up in case of evacuations, with hotlines staffed by social workers to provide support for anxiety victims.

Countries issuing Middle East travel advisories as Iran tensions rise

Vehicles drive along a highway under a pedestrian bridge with a huge banner showing people waving the Iranian flag, in Tehran, Iran, on February 18, 2026. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Several countries have begun withdrawing dependents of diplomatic personnel and nonessential staff from some locations in the Middle East, or advising citizens to defer travel to Iran, amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Here are some of the moves:

AUSTRALIA: The government has told dependents of Australian diplomats in Israel and Lebanon to leave the two countries, citing a deteriorating security situation in the region. It also offered voluntary departures to Australian diplomats’ dependents in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Qatar. It continues to advise citizens in Israel and Lebanon to consider leaving while commercial options remain available.

SERBIA: Serbia has told its nationals in Iran to leave as soon as possible due to increased tensions and the risk of a deterioration of the security situation.

POLAND: Warsaw has said Polish citizens should leave Iran immediately.

UNITED STATES: The US is pulling nonessential staff and eligible family members from its embassy in Lebanon amid Iran tensions.

SWEDEN: The Foreign Ministry advised its citizens to avoid all travel to Iran and leave the country immediately on January 12. The foreign minister said in February that people who decided to stay should not expect help from the government to be evacuated.

INDIA: The Indian embassy in Iran advised citizens currently in Iran to leave by available means of transport, including commercial flights.

CYPRUS: Cyprus advised its citizens to avoid all travel to Iran and leave the country immediately on January 13.

SINGAPORE: Singapore advised citizens to continue to defer all travel to Iran.

Gaza firm to build UAE-funded housing compound in Israeli-held south, sources say

Illustrative: IDF troops are seen in southern Gaza's Rafah, November 23, 2025. (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)

A Gaza firm has been contracted to build an Emirati-funded compound for tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in a part of the territory under Israeli military control, two Israeli officials and two Palestinian businessmen tell Reuters.

The plan for a Palestinian contracting firm staffed by Gaza workers to build the compound has not been previously reported.

It appears to signal an aim to begin reconstruction without waiting for Israel to withdraw from Gaza, a step that is meant to accompany the disarming of Hamas in the next phase of a ceasefire under US President Donald Trump’s plan.

Employing Palestinians in construction could be a way to reduce local hostility to the project, but it remains to be seen whether large numbers of Palestinians would agree to live or work in an Israeli-held area of Gaza.

The United Arab Emirates has yet to formally announce the housing project, dubbed by some diplomats “Emirates City.” According to a planning map seen by Reuters, the compound would be built near Rafah on Gaza’s southern edge, an area depopulated and demolished by Israeli forces during the war with Hamas.

The four sources identify the firm as the Gaza-based Masoud & Ali Contracting Co (MACC), which has led large-scale projects in Gaza and the West Bank for decades.

One of the Palestinian businessmen, who has direct knowledge of the plan, says MACC would partner with two Egyptian firms to build it. He describes the project as spanning some 74 acres and capable of housing tens of thousands of people in pre-fabricated trailer-style units stacked multiple stories high.

MACC declines to comment. The IDF does not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor do spokespeople for Hamas.

A UAE official does not comment directly on the plans but says the country is “firmly committed to supporting all international relief and recovery efforts in Gaza, in close collaboration with partners, to ensure that life-saving assistance reaches those in need swiftly and effectively.”

Modi hails ‘excellent’ meeting with Netanyahu on ‘boosting bilateral ties’

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he had an “excellent” meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on advancing bilateral ties after he arrived in Israel earlier today.

“Had an excellent meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Modi writes on X, calling it “a delight to be back in Israel after 9 years,” and saying the two “discussed a wide range of subjects aimed at boosting bilateral ties.”

Had an excellent meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu. Expressed gratitude to him for the warm welcome earlier in the day. It is a delight to be back in Israel after 9 years. We discussed a wide range of subjects aimed at boosting bilateral ties. Sectors such as technology,… pic.twitter.com/uh1cyL411c

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 25, 2026

“Sectors such as technology, water management, agriculture, talent partnership and more offer immense scope for close collaboration. We also discussed key developments in the region,” Modi adds.

Modi and Netanyahu are expected to arrive at the Knesset in Jerusalem within the hour, where they will attend a special session in Modi’s honor. The Indian premier will address the plenum, becoming the first Indian state leader to do so.

German foreign minister: Iran must stop support for Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul addresses a joint press conference with the Lithuanian Foreign Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vilnius, Lithuania, January 5, 2026. (Petras Malukas / AFP)

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says Iran must commit in negotiations with the United States to stop support for armed proxy groups Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.

Speaking at a press conference with his Belgian counterpart Maxime Prevot, he adds that Germany has “a special responsibility for the security of the State of Israel.”

Italy sees record number of antisemitic incidents in 2025

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators sits down in front of police officers during a protest on a highway in Milan, Italy, against Israel's interception of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, on October 3, 2025. (Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP)

A record 963 antisemitic incidents were reported in Italy in 2025, according to the latest data from the country’s Center of Contemporary Jewish Documentation (Centro di Documentazione Ebraica Contemporanea, or CDEC).

The country has seen a marked upward trend over the past four years, the foundation’s annual report shows. In 2022, 241 incidents were recorded, rising to 453 in 2023 and 877 in 2024.

Most incidents occurred online, with 643 cases reported on digital platforms. Physical acts, including graffiti, vandalism and desecration of synagogues, threats, intimidation and assaults, accounted for 320 cases.

Over the past year in Italy, antisemitic incidents have included synagogue vandalism in Rome with Nazi slogans, physical assaults on Jewish individuals in Milan, and verbal harassment in Venice.

A survey found in September that around 15% of Italians view attacks on Jews as “justifiable.”

CDEC researchers warn that antisemitic discourse is becoming increasingly normalized in Italian society, shrinking the social spaces in which being Jewish is regarded as acceptable under constitutional protections.

Lapid calls on Netanyahu to personally handle disappearance of Haymanut Kasau

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid addresses the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, February 23, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid says on the second anniversary of 9-year-old Haymanut Kasau’s disappearance that the Prime Minister’s Office must directly oversee the investigation.

“The search for Haymanut must be conducted by the Prime Minister’s Office under Netanyahu’s personal supervision,” says the Yesh Atid chairman before the plenum, with Kasau’s family and other supporters protesting in the gallery holding signs with her face.

“When I was prime minister, cases of especially serious violence went to the Prime Minister’s Office and we handled them in the cabinet,” continues Lapid, who served in the role for six months in 2022.

Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor any other senior member of government or the coalition has said anything today regarding Kasau, who was last seen on February 25, 2024 in Safed on security camera footage at 7:45 p.m. Little to no progress has been made in Kasau’s case over the past two years.

Netanyahu met with the family last month in his office, and vowed to get “personally” involved in the case.

IDF: Troops destroyed Hezbollah infrastructure in several south Lebanon raids

Troops of the 300th 'Baram' Regional Brigade operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout photo issued by the military on February 25, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israeli troops destroyed Hezbollah infrastructure in several raids in southern Lebanon in recent months, as part of efforts to prevent the terror group from rearming, the IDF says.

During the raids, the military says troops of the 300th “Baram” Regional Brigade destroyed Hezbollah observation and firing posts, where anti-tank missile launchers were located.

Lebanon’s government declared last month that it had completed disarmament efforts of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, which Israel has declared insufficient.

Syria confirms mass escape from Al-Hol camp for relatives of jihadists

Syria’s interior ministry confirms the mass escape of relatives of suspected Islamic State group jihadists from the Al-Hol camp last month following the withdrawal of Kurdish forces who had overseen the facility.

“When our forces arrived, they found cases of collective escapes due to the camp having been opened up in a haphazard manner,” ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba says at a press conference.

Police arrest 2 suspects linked to killing of Arab teen last year

Police say they have arrested two suspects linked to the killing of an Arab teen in northern Israel, following a manhunt that spread into the West Bank.

The victim, 19-year-old Riyad Salem, was killed outside his house in Deir Hanna on December 12. He was one of 252 Arab homicide victims in 2025, the deadliest year on record for the minority group.

Several days after the lethal shooting, police arrested two suspected perpetrators, both of whom remain in custody.

Police now say they have nabbed two additional suspects, who allegedly fled to the West Bank in the killing’s wake.

Yesterday, undercover Border Police officers raided a building in the West Bank city of Qalqilya — just east of the Green Line — and detained the pair in hiding.

The men, residents of Deir Hanna ages 18 and 29, were brought to the Acre Magistrate’s Court, where a judge ruled they will remain in custody until at least March 4.

Netanyahu celebrates ‘real friendship’ with Modi as two hold private meeting

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after he arrives in Israel, February 25, 2026. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

After holding a welcome ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sit down for a private meeting at the airport, ahead of Modi’s Knesset address in Jerusalem.

“This is a bond, a real friendship,” Netanyahu cheerfully tells his Indian counterpart, calling him “my great friend” as Modi laughs in response, in footage shared by Netanyahu’s office.

Iran’s negotiating team heads to Geneva for nuclear talks with US tomorrow, state media says

FILE - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on during a meeting with Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, at Tahrir Palace in Cairo, September 9, 2025. (AP/Khaled Elfiqi, File)

Iran’s negotiating delegation, led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, has left Tehran for Geneva to take part in a third round of nuclear negotiations, state media reports.

The United States has deployed a vast naval force near the Iranian coast ahead of possible strikes on the Islamic Republic. US President Donald Trump said on February 19 that he was giving Tehran about 10 to 15 days to make a deal.

The talks are set to take place tomorrow in Geneva, a senior US official said on Monday, with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner slated to meet with the Iranian delegation.

Israel delivers unmanned spy submarine to German Navy

An undated handout photo of an autonomous unmanned BlueWhale submarine. (Israel Aerospace Industries)

State-owned Israel Aerospace Industries and German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp announce the delivery of a large autonomous underwater vehicle, dubbed BlueWhale, to the German Navy.

The delivery took place today at the Eckernförde naval base, “marking a significant milestone for autonomous underwater systems,” IAI says in a statement.

IAI says BlueWhale, first revealed in 2023, was “developed to support the German Navy in unmanned anti-submarine warfare and covert maritime missions.”

It underwent testing in the Baltic Sea, “one of the most demanding and complex areas of operation for the German Navy,” according to the Israeli defense firm.

BlueWhale uses radar and electro-optical systems to detect sea and coastal targets. It is also equipped with sonar capabilities to gather intelligence, detect manned and unmanned submarines, and map out naval mines, IAI says.

Thyssenkrupp’s Atlas Elektronik subsidiary developed BlueWhale’s towed array sonar, making it a joint project between the German shipbuilder and IAI.

BlueWhale joins a swiftly growing array of unmanned underwater vehicles developed over the last several years as navies around the world scramble to upgrade their naval defense technologies and protect offshore assets, such as undersea pipelines.

Australia tells family members of officials posted in Israel and Lebanon to leave

The Australian government says it has called for family members of Australian officials posted in Israel and Lebanon to leave both countries amid sky-high tensions with Iran.

“The Australian Government has directed the departure of dependents of Australian officials posted to Israel in response to the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East,” the Foreign Office says in a statement. “If you’re in Israel, we continue to advise you consider leaving while commercial options to depart are still available.”

“The security situation in the Middle East is unpredictable. Regional tensions remain high and there continues to be a risk of military conflict,” the statement adds. “Conflicts in the Middle East could result in airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions.”

The Foreign Office posts an identical message about Lebanon.

It also says that it has offered voluntary departures to family members of Australian officials posted in Jordan, Qatar and the UAE.

Yeshiva student arrested after trying to entrap Lapid by suggesting killing Netanyahu

A yeshiva student arrested under mysterious circumstances last month is suspected of having proposed to take out a hit on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a text message sent to Yair Lapid.

The threat was apparently an attempt to entrap the opposition leader, rather than a serious suggestion to assassinate Netanyahu, according to a police statement.

According to reports, the young man sent Lapid a message in which he asked whether he would like if, “‘by accident,’ something were to happen to [Justice Minister] Yariv Levin, or even Bibi?”

“Maybe, ‘God forbid’ something [could happen] to his family… between us, right?” the text continues. He quickly deleted the message, but not before Lapid’s team screenshotted it and reported the correspondence to law enforcement.

He was reportedly arrested at a gas station on Route 6, interrogated for several hours, then freed the same day.

Police say the yeshiva student apologized for sending the message, said he did not intend to make an attempt on anyone’s life, and claimed he was trying to “lure” Lapid, apparently into endorsing violence against his political opponents.

Braverman agrees to temporary extension of release conditions until court ruling

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, at the funeral of Asher Hayon, a former chief of staff and adviser to the premier, at a cemetery in Modiin, February 17, 2026. (Tal Gal/Flash90)

Upon the recommendation of the Central District Court, Tzachi Braverman agrees to abide by restrictive release conditions that had been imposed on him for several weeks but expired at midnight last night, until the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court can make a ruling on a request by the police to extend the restrictions.

Braverman is being investigated on suspicion of interfering with an investigation and other crimes, in connection with allegations that Braverman told Eli Feldstein, a former spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that he could quash a military investigation into Feldstein over the leak of a classified document to the German newspaper Bild.

The police only filed their extension request at noon yesterday, the day the conditions were set to expire, but Judge Menahem Mizrahi said the request could only be heard tomorrow, leading the police to appeal that decision to the District Court.

Since Braverman agrees to abide by the terms of the conditions until the Magistrate Court’s ruling, Judge Michael Karshen of the Central District Court says the appeal is therefore rendered obsolete.

Karshen adds that he had been concerned that the police deliberately delayed filing their extension request because the case was before Mizrahi, who has ruled against numerous police requests over this and other cases connected to the Bild and Qatargate affairs affecting the Prime Minister’s Office.

The judge says, however, that during today’s hearing the police presented him with a document that demonstrated “convincingly” why the release conditions extension request was filed so late.

Progressive Jewish groups decry Western Wall bill as a ‘stride toward becoming Iran’

Conservative/Masorti Movement leaders praying at the egalitarian plaza at the Western Wall in October 2025. (Courtesy MERCAZ Olami)

The Knesset’s advancement of legislation giving the Chief Rabbinate full control over prayer at all parts of the Western Wall is an “antisemitic” attack on Diaspora Jewry that has effectively criminalized non-Orthodox worship at the Jewish holy site, critics declare after lawmakers vote 56-47 in favor of the controversial bill in a preliminary reading.

The bill is “patronizing and antisemitic,” declares Anna Kislanski, the CEO of the Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism. “The State of Israel is about to criminalize non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at the Western Wall. What hypocrisy. If such a law were to be passed in the United States, Australia or Britain, and prevent Jews from holding their prayers under threat of imprisonment for up to seven years, the State of Israel would immediately launch a fierce fight against antisemitism.”

If passed into law, the bill would give the country’s two chief rabbis ultimate authority over the so-called Ezrat Israel or Robinson’s Arch area, and define any activity at the site contrary to their instructions, such as non-Orthodox worship, as a “desecration.” The law currently states that desecration of a holy place carries a penalty of seven years in prison.

The Women of the Wall prayer group decries the vote as a “black day for the Jewish people, a day that will be remembered in the history of the State of Israel, when the state divorced Diaspora Jewry and declared outright that they are not welcome and are not accepted in the home of the Jewish people.” The group argues that a state willing to jail women for reading the Torah at the Western Wall is “taking giant strides toward becoming Iran.”

“This is a law against every Jew who is not Haredi, and its impact will be much broader than the Western Wall,” says The Democrats MK Gilad Kariv, a Reform rabbi.

“We will fight this extremist law with all our might, together with the majority of the secular and traditional Israeli public and with the majority of world Jewry,” Kariv adds. “We will not allow Avi Maoz and Benjamin Netanyahu to spit in the face of our brothers around the world, who, while they are dealing with an unprecedented wave of antisemitism, are being stabbed in the back by the government and the coalition.”

Yair Golan: Haymanut Kasau’s disappearance ‘should keep every citizen in this country awake at night’

Family members and friends of missing girl Haymanut Kasau attend a hearing of the Knesset Diaspora Affairs Committee at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Democrats leader Yair Golan marks the two-year anniversary of the disappearance of 9-year-old Haymanut Kasau, delivering the only statement on the milestone from any political leader so far.

“Two years of a black hole and an open wound at the heart of Israeli society. Two years in which a little girl, only nine years old, is simply gone,” says the left-wing leader in a post on X.

Kasau was last seen on February 25, 2024, in Safed on security camera footage at 7:45 p.m. handing out municipal election leaflets outside the Jewish Agency absorption center, where she had lived since immigrating with her family from Ethiopia three years earlier. Little to no progress has been made in her case over the past two years.

“Haymanut is the daughter of all of us. The fact that a child can disappear from an absorption center in the middle of a city in Israel — without a trace — should keep every citizen in this country awake at night, right and left alike,” he continues.

He adds that the state has a “moral duty” to “turn over every stone, use every means, and not give up until we know what happened to her. We are here, we will continue to search, we will continue to demand answers, and we will not give up on her.”

The only other recognition of the day by a political leader or body came from the Knesset Committee on Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, chaired by MK Gilad Kariv of Golan’s Democrats Party, which held a special session to mark the occasion.

Teen charged with arson and assault over attack on West Bank village last year

Palestinians inspect a vehicle set on fire during an attack by extremist settlers in the village of Jaba, West Bank, November 18, 2025. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)

A young man is charged for his role in an attack on a West Bank village last year, which saw dozens of masked Jewish extremists burn Palestinian property and endanger residents.

The defendant, 19-year-old Israel Harpaz, is from the northern town of Ma’alot-Tarshiha, located inside the Green Line, but he appears to be linked to ultranationalist circles in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc.

Harpaz is charged in the Jerusalem District Court with joint arson, joint aggravated assault with a racist motive, rioting that caused damage with a racist motive and other violent offenses.

He was arrested this month with two others in connection to the November 17 attack on Jaba, a village west of Bethlehem, which was carried out in revenge for the government’s evacuation of the illegal outpost of Tzur Misgavi.

According to the indictment filed today by the State Attorney’s Office, the defendant was at the site of the demolition as it was underway, protesting in a group. He and others then traveled straight from the razed outpost to a synagogue in Bat Ayin, a nearby settlement.

It was near that synagogue where he and others were given a “briefing” by an unknown individual, in which they were instructed to turn off their phones, don face masks and travel to Jaba in order to avenge the outpost’s evacuation and “teach ‘them’ a lesson,” prosecutors write.

The participants also allegedly received instructions to split into two groups. The first group, those driving vehicles, would travel in a convoy to Jaba, drop off the assailants and then return to Bat Ayin and wait. Those in the second group, the actual assailants, were instructed to return on foot to Bat Ayin, where they would be picked up by the drivers and ferried out of the settlement.

At around 5:30 p.m, approximately 20 vehicles, including one driven by Harpaz, set out to the village. Dozens of masked individuals disembarked and began wreaking havoc in the Palestinian town, setting cars and buildings on fire and throwing stones.

Residents were forced to lock themselves in their houses, and one of the assailants threw a Molotov cocktail at a house while a family was inside, resulting in no injuries. They also sprayed graffiti with messages including “A Jew does not evict a Jew” and “Death to Arabs,” prosecutors write.

Knesset approves preliminary reading of bill cementing Orthodox control over Western Wall

Conservative rabbis pray at the Ezrat Yisrael egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall, December 12, 2024. (Courtesy/ File)

Lawmakers vote 56-47 in favor of the preliminary reading of a bill giving the Chief Rabbinate full control over prayer at all parts of the Western Wall

Despite declining to back the bill, Netanyahu allowed members of his coalition to vote freely. Several Likud lawmakers are absent from the vote, including Yuli Edelstein and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.

The bill, sponsored by Noam MK Avi Maoz, is intended to undercut last Thursday’s High Court of Justice ruling that the state must move forward with the upgrade of the Western Wall egalitarian plaza, which would allow non-Orthodox prayers at a lesser-used portion of the holy site. The upgrade was part of the Western Wall Compromise agreed to by Netanyahu’s government a decade ago, which called for a pluralistic prayer platform at the site.

The new bill would give the country’s two chief rabbis ultimate authority over the so-called “Ezrat Israel,” which has been used as an egalitarian prayer area, and define any activity at the site contrary to their instructions, such as non-Orthodox worship, as a “desecration.”

“I had the privilege of voting in favor of the Western Wall law, and I congratulate the Knesset on its approval. The Knesset said to the High Court: No more! I call for the completion of the legislation to put an end to the High Court’s interference in the management of the Western Wall,” declares Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who also serves as religious services minister.

The ultra-Orthodox Shas party praises the law as intended to “reserve the sanctity of the Western Wall, and against attempts to desecrate and violate the rules of the place that have been practiced for generations.”

Netanyahu greets Indian PM as he touches down in Israel for two-day visit

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi disembarks from the plane upon his arrival at the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on February 25, 2026. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is enthusiastically greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Ben Gurion Airport, after arriving for a two-day official visit to Israel.

Netanyahu and his wife, Sara Netanyahu, greet Modi after he descends his plane. All three are seen embracing and laughing on a huge red carpet as trumpets blast in the background.

“Welcome, my friend,” Netanyahu is heard saying to his counterpart, before the two stand for the Israeli national anthem, flanked by numerous military personnel.

Netanyahu and Modi are slated to hold a private meeting at the airport before continuing to Jerusalem, where Modi will deliver a speech in the Knesset this afternoon.

Likud MK Bitan says Smotrich ‘thinks he’s Trump,’ calls VAT exemption an election bid

Likud MK David Bitan leads an Economic Committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Likud MK David Bitan says Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich erroneously thinks he can force the passing of his VAT exemption order, which Bitan accuses of being a cynical ploy to gain popularity leading up to elections.

“Smotrich probably thinks he’s Trump, but that’s not the case. He doesn’t have unlimited powers,” says Bitan in a radio interview with the Kan public broadcaster. “For three and a half years, he did nothing on the cost of living issue, and now, suddenly, two to three months before the elections, he’s pushing this.”

A national election is set to be held by October, but is likely to be called earlier.

Smotrich signed an order yesterday expanding the value-added tax exemption on personal imports from $75 to $130, hours after lawmakers voted to revoke his previous order, which raised the exemption from $75 to $150. The new order took effect at midnight last night.

Smotrich’s previous order was hailed by the general public but drew sharp condemnation from local business owners who argued it would hobble their sales. They succeeded in garnering support from other members of the coalition, in particular from within Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, to revoke it following a lengthy overnight debate on Monday evening.

Bitan says he will work to overturn the new order as well.

“He’s not God,” the Likud lawmaker says, adding that Smotrich “should have respected the Knesset’s decision.”

Knesset panel marks somber 2-year anniversary of Haymanut Kasau’s disappearance

Family members and friends of missing girl Haymanut Kasau attend a hearing of the Knesset Diaspora Affairs Committee at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Knesset Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs committee holds a special session marking the two-year anniversary of the disappearance of 9-year-old Haymanut Kasau, in what appears to be the sole recognition of the day by members of the Knesset or government.

“We mark with sorrow two years since Haymanut’s disappearance,” says committee chair and Democrats MK Gilad Kariv, noting that this is the 15th discussion the committee has held on the matter.

Kasau was last seen on February 25, 2024, in Safed on security camera footage at 7:45 p.m. handing out municipal election leaflets outside the Jewish Agency absorption center, where she had lived since immigrating with her family from Ethiopia three years earlier.

Little to no progress has been made in Kasau’s case over the past two years. Her case was transferred in December by the Israel Police to the Lahav 433 Major Crimes Unit. A representative at the committee says that the investigation team is “still in the initial stages of reviewing the material” from the last two years.

Kasau’s parents, who have led the campaign to raise awareness about their daughter, address the committee in tears, via an Amharic translator, demanding that her case be transferred to the Shin Bet.

“We are requesting that the case be transferred to the Shin Bet, which has more resources and capabilities, until Haymanut is returned,” says Kasau’s father, Tesfai Kasau. “My daughter has been kidnapped for two years, and there is no new information about her. The tears in our eyes have run dry, and our hearts bleed.”

MK Tzega Melaku, from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, expresses disappointment that the government has not done more to raise awareness about Haymanut.

“I am ashamed to sit here and ask the Kasau family for forgiveness that we have still not found your daughter. I regret that we have still not seen a government-led campaign to raise awareness about Haymanut’s disappearance,” she says.

No other member of the Likud party, government or coalition has commented on the anniversary as of yet, nor is it being observed by the wider Knesset.

A protest will be held outside the Aliyah and Integration Ministry in Jerusalem at 2 p.m. to mark the anniversary and protest the failure to find Kasau, led by various organizations.

Release restrictions on Braverman expire after court sets hearing for tomorrow

Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman arrives for the funeral of Asher Hayon, a former chief of staff and adviser to Benjamin Netanyahu, at a cemetery in Modi’in, February 17, 2026. (Jonathan Sahul/Flash90)

The restrictive release conditions on Tzachi Braverman — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff who is being investigated on suspicion of interfering in an investigation — expired early this morning after the judge presiding over the case said the police filed their request to extend the restrictions too late.

The police filed their request to the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court to extend the restrictions until March 10 at noon yesterday, and asked for a temporary extension without a hearing until the court could make a ruling.

Braverman — who was designated to be ambassador to the United Kingdom in September but has yet to take up the post — is barred from leaving the country, and cannot contact Netanyahu or other officials in the Prime Minister’s Office as conditions for his release from detention.

In response to the request, Judge Menachem Mizrachi accused police of filing their extension request too late for the court to be able to hold a hearing before the restrictions expired. Instead he said a hearing on the extension request hearing would take place tomorrow.

The police subsequently appealed to the Central District Court against this decision, and the hearing for that appeal is currently underway.

A spokesperson for Braverman did not immediately say whether Netanyahu’s chief of staff had contacted the prime minister or anyone else on the no-contact list in the time after the restrictions expired.

He is being investigated on suspicion of interfering with an investigation and other crimes, in connection with allegations that Braverman told Eli Feldstein, a spokesperson for Netanyahu, that he could quash a military investigation into Feldstein over the leak of a classified document to the German newspaper Bild.

Prince Harry and Meghan to meet Gazan refugees during trip to Jordan

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attend a World Health Organization roundtable with key donors and humanitarian partners in Amman, Jordan, February 25, 2026. (PA Images via Reuters)

British Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have arrived in Jordan for a two-day visit that will include meeting with Gazan refugees.

According to the BBC, the couple accepted an invitation to the country from World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

During their visit, they are expected to meet WHO officials and World Central Kitchen staff who are part of efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, the BBC reports.

They will also meet with children who were medically evacuated from Gaza, after last year they donated $500,000 to WHO projects enabling such efforts.

Iranian parliament speaker warns US will face ‘firm blow’ if it attacks amid negotiations

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf (2-L)) and his Lebanese counterpart Nabih Berri (L) walk together after their meeting in Beirut on October 12, 2024. (AFP)

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s parliament speaker, says the US can either continue with diplomacy or face Iran’s wrath.

“If you choose the table of diplomacy — a diplomacy in which the dignity of the Iranian nation and mutual interests are respected — we will also be at that table,” Qalibaf says, according to the semiofficial Student News Network, a media outlet believed to be close to the all-volunteer Basij force of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

“But if you decide to repeat past experiences through deception, lies, flawed analysis and false information, and launch an attack in the midst of negotiations, you will undoubtedly taste the firm blow of the Iranian nation and the country’s defensive forces.”

Modi replies in Hebrew to Lapid’s Hindi greeting ahead of Israel visit

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, India, October 9, 2025. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says he is looking forward to arriving in Israel today, writing in Hebrew on X in response to a post in Hindi from Opposition Leader Yair Lapid welcoming him.

“I also look forward to my visit to Israel. I am confident that my visit will further strengthen the bilateral relations between our countries,” Modi writes.

Lapid wrote on X last night, “All of Israel is looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow. He is a true friend of Israel. The relationship between Israel and India is not only a strategic one, but a bond of deep friendship between the peoples.”

The Indian prime minister is slated to touch down at Ben Gurion airport shortly before 1 p.m., where he will be greeted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They’ll then head to Jerusalem, where they will be received in an official welcome ceremony at the Knesset.

Lapid has threatened to boycott Modi’s speech to the Knesset unless Supreme Court President Isaac Amit is invited, which Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana has refused to do.

Visiting Addis Ababa, Herzog says Ethiopian immigrants have ‘enriched’ Israeli society

President Isaac Herzog (left) meets with Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie in Addis Ababa on February 25, 2026. (Haim Zach/GPO)

President Isaac Herzog meets with Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie during a visit to Addis Ababa.

“This is my third visit to Africa, and the fourth African nation I have visited as president of the State of Israel,” he tells Selassie, according to his office. “The relationship between our peoples is woven deep into the pages of history and human tradition. At the heart of the story of both our nations lies a clear common thread — the ability to join hands, unite resources of spirit and substance, to innovate, develop, and grow for the benefit of all.”

Herzog adds that “the social fabric of Israel has been deeply enriched by Ethiopian heritage, brought by the Ethiopian Jewish communities in Israel, and as president of the State of Israel, I wish to express my deep appreciation for these cherished communities.”

The Israeli president was greeted with an honor guard at an official ceremony upon his arrival at the Presidential Palace, and will later meet with the prime minister.

Herzog is slated to return to Israel tomorrow and meet with visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Sa’ar welcomes US embassy’s opening of consular service pop-up in West Bank settlement

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar addresses a Knesset caucus on Israel-US relations, February 25, 2026. (Courtesy Foreign Ministry)

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar expresses his appreciation for the US embassy’s decision to open a pop-up location providing consular services to US citizens in the West Bank settlement of Efrat.

“I want also to mention and to appreciate the important decision by the US embassy to extend consular services to Efrat in Judea and Samaria, that we saw only this week,” Sa’ar says during his remarks, using the biblical term for the West Bank while speaking at a Knesset caucus marking the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The embassy’s announcement of the initiative came despite its denial earlier this month that it was planning to open a new office — either temporary or permanent — in Efrat, after the settlement’s mayor appeared to try to preview the pop-up but referred to it as a consular branch. The embassy has not responded to a request for clarification on the apparent reversal.

Huckabee: US investment in Israel is a ‘two-way street’

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee speaks at a Knesset caucus on Israel-US relations, February 25, 2026. (Zev Stub/Times of Israel)

The American relationship with Israel is a “two-way street,” and Washington’s $3.8 billion in annual security assistance is a strategic and economic investment that strengthens both countries, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee tells a Knesset caucus on Israel-US relations.

Huckabee jokes that he was “planning on bringing Tucker Carlson today,” following his controversial interview with the right-wing pundit last week, which made headlines for challenging US aid for Israel, among other things.

Military aid, a fraction of the roughly $7 trillion US federal budget, helps sustain “hundreds and hundreds” of well-paying American jobs, Huckabee says. He cites ammunition produced in factories near Little Rock, Arkansas, and components for the Iron Dome and Arrow 3 missile systems manufactured in Camden, Arkansas.

The US–Israel alliance is rooted in shared Judeo-Christian values dating back “3,800 years” to the biblical figures Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Huckabee says at the event, sponsored by the Ruderman Foundation. Those foundations underpin Western civilization and American freedom, he says.

Rock band Smash Mouth plays surprise Tel Aviv concert

California pop-rock band Smash Mouth in a surprise show at Tel Aviv's Barby on February 23, 2026. (Screenshot/YouTube)

California rock band Smash Mouth surprised the audience at Tel Aviv’s Barby club Monday night when they came onstage and began playing.

The band, best known for its 1990s and early 2000s pop-rock hits, including “All Star” and “Walkin’ on the Sun,” was warmly received by the crowd, especially when it swung into its cover of “I’m a Believer” from the “Shrek” soundtrack, prompting a full audience singalong.

Smash Mouth will perform again at Barby Tel Aviv tonight, but the earlier show was one of the club’s “Cat in the Bag” concerts, when audience members buy tickets without knowing who will perform.

The band posted a clip from the show on its Instagram account, writing, “Go for the Moon World Tour 2026,” after posting a day earlier, “A secret show overseas! But where is it??? It’s a secret! The Believer Breakdown!”

Jewish lead singer Zach Goode, not one of the band’s original members, has been stating his solidarity with Israel and fellow Jews on social media over the past two years.

He was harassed by anti-Israel commenters when he wrote, “It’s a war. Kinda have to pick a side… One side wants us dead.”

Steve Harwell, one of the band’s original members who left in 2021, twice raised his hand in a Nazi salute during a show.

Now in Israel, Goode has so far only posted about his breakfasts, noting “Breakfast in Israel compared to the U.S. is insane!”

Iranian official accuses US and Israel of employing Goebbels-like propaganda

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei during the weekly press conference held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the capital Tehran, on February 10, 2026. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei accuses the US and Israel of using Nazi propaganda in a disinformation campaign against Tehran.

“Professional liars are good at creating the ‘illusion of truth,'” writes Baqaei on X, posting the message in English, Farsi and Arabic.

Baqaei continues: “‘Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth,’ is a law of propaganda coined by Nazi Joseph Goebbels. This is now systematically used by the U.S. administration and the war profiteers encircling it, particularly the genocidal Israeli regime, to serve their sinister disinformation & misinformation campaign against the Nation of Iran.”

The spokesman writes that “whatever they’re alleging in regards to Iran’s nuclear orogram [sic], Iran’s ballistic missiles, and the number of casualties during January’s unrest is simply the repetition of ‘big lies,'” adding that “no one should be fooled by these prominent untruths.”

Australia to return posters showing politicians as Nazis, seized under new hate crime laws

Australian police say they will return posters depicting politicians as Nazis that they seized from a Canberra bar under new hate crime laws.

Officers declared a crime scene at the Dissent Cafe and Bar and took away the posters on February 18 after someone complained about possible hate crime imagery.

Police for the Australian Capital Territory say they took the posters in line with laws outlawing “prohibited symbols.”

But after further assessment, they determined the posters did not meet some “aspects” of the legislation, they say in a statement.

“As such, criminal proceedings will not occur,” the territory’s police say. “The posters will be returned to the owner in due course and this matter finalized.”

Under hate crime legislation passed after a deadly antisemitic mass shooting at a Bondi Beach Hanukkah celebration on December 14, it is an offense to display Nazi and other hate symbols or to make the Nazi salute.

However, the law gives an exception for symbols shown for a “legitimate purpose,” including artistic, literary, religious, academic and educational reasons.

Departing for Israel, India’s Modi vows to ‘strengthen cooperation’ between nations

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he gathers with world leaders and representatives for a group photo during the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 19, 2026. (Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on his way to Israel for a two-day visit to deepen ties with a key trade and defense partner, stirring criticism at home.

“Our nations share a robust and multifaceted strategic partnership,” Modi says in a departure statement, saying he will meet his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu and address the Knesset. “Ties have significantly strengthened in the last few years.”

New Delhi has steadily expanded cooperation with Israel across the defense, agriculture, technology and cybersecurity sectors while balancing diplomatic interests in the Middle East.

Talks opened in New Delhi on Monday for an India-Israel Free Trade Agreement (FTA), India’s government says in a statement, noting that total merchandise trade was $3.62 billion in 2024-2025.

Modi says he will hold talks with Netanyahu to “discuss ways to strengthen cooperation,” as well as meet President Isaac Herzog.

The Indian prime minister is slated to touch down in Israel shortly before 1 p.m., where he will be greeted by Netanyahu before heading to Jerusalem, where they will be received in an official welcome ceremony at the Knesset.

Herzog lands in Addis Ababa for state visit to Ethiopia

President Isaac Herzog (center) is greeted at the airport in Addis Ababa by Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos (right) on February 25, 2026. (Haim Zach/GPO)

President Isaac Herzog begins an official state visit to Ethiopia.

According to his office, Herzog lands in Addis Ababa and is greeted at the airport by Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos and Israeli Ambassador to Ethiopia Avraham Neguise.

Herzog is slated to meet later today with Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali and local Jewish leaders.

He is scheduled to return to Israel tonight.

Trump breaks Bill Clinton’s record for longest State of the Union speech by US president

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has delivered the longest-ever State of the Union address, beating Bill Clinton’s 2000 record of one hour and 20 minutes.

Republican Trump also smashes his own 1 hour and 40 minute record for a presidential speech to Congress, which he set last March in an annual address that was not technically a State of the Union.

Trump: US ‘wiped out’ Iran’s nuclear program ‘but they want to start all over again’

US President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, February 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Turning to Iran, US President Donald Trump declares that he will seek peace wherever is possible but “I will never hesitate to confront threats to America,” noting last June’s strikes against the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

“Since they seized control of that proud country 47 years ago, the regime and its proxies have done nothing but spread terrorism and death and hate,” Trump says.

“We took out [Qassem] Soleimani… it had a huge impact,” the US president boasts, referring to the top Iranian military commander killed in a 2020 strike in Baghdad.

Trump adds that “just over the last couple of months with the protests, it looks they killed at least 32,000 protesters,” saying Iran’s leaders “are terrible people.”

“They are working to build missiles that can reach the United States of America,” Trump says.

According to the US president, his administration warned Tehran after the strikes last year “to make no future attempts to rebuild their weapons program, in particularly nuclear weapons, but they continue.”

“We wiped it out but they want to start all over again and at this moment are pursuing their sinister ambitions,” he adds.

“They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon.’ My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy, but one thing is certain, I will never allow the world’s number one sponsor of terror — which they are by far — to have a nuclear weapon. Can’t let that happen.”

“No nation should ever doubt America’s resolve. We have the most powerful military on earth.”

Trump: Gaza war ‘proceeding at a very low level — it’s just about there’

US President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, February 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

US President Donald Trump states that he “ended eight wars” since coming to office, including Israel versus Iran “and of course the war in Gaza, which proceeds at a very low level — it’s just about there.”

He then thanks his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are in the crowd at the State of the Union, as well as Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“Under the ceasefire I negotiated, every hostage — both living and dead — has been returned home, can you believe that?” Trump says. “I said those last 20 are going to be tough, but we got them back.”

Noting Hamas did not return all the slain hostages along with the last living captives, Trump says, “believe it or not, Hamas worked along with Israel, and they dug, and they dug, and they dug — it’s a tough thing to do, going through bodies all over… tough job.”

“They found all 28, no one thought that was possible, but we did it.”

Referring to the family of Israel Police Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last dead hostage to be returned from the Gaza Strip, Trump says that “they were so grieved, but they were so happy, they were as happy as possible to be. They had their boy back. The mother said, ‘sir, we have our boy back.'”

“What a period of time that was, but we got them all back,” the US president adds.

Trump says he ‘speaks a lot’ with Zohran Mamdani

US President Donald Trump (R) meets with New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on November 21, 2025. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP)

US President Donald Trump tells Congress during his State of the Union speech that he “speaks a lot” with “communist” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who he describes as a “nice guy” who has “bad policies.”

Japanese national was detained in Tehran, Tokyo reveals, demanding swift release

Tokyo says that a Japanese national has been detained in Tehran and that it has “strongly demanded” Iranian authorities swiftly release the person.

Speaking at a daily briefing, Japan’s Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masanao Ozaki says the person was detained on January 20 but gives no further details.

WATCH: Trump begins delivering State of the Union speech

US President Donald Trump begins to deliver the annual State of the Union to Congress, in which he expected to focus on domestic issues and also address his intensifying threats about launching military strikes on Iran over its nuclear program.

“This is the golden age of America,” Trump declares in his opening lines.

Trump to vow US will ‘confront threats to America’, as Iran tensions rise — speech excerpts

US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk out of the White House on February 24, 2026, to travel to the US Capitol where he will deliver the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump will tell Congress he will “confront threats” to the nation, according to excerpts from his State of the Union speech, as the United States expands its military presence near Iran.

“As president, I will make peace wherever I can — but I will never hesitate to confront threats to America wherever we must,” Trump will say in his first State of the Union address since he began his second presidential term 13 months ago.

His spokeswoman posts a picture of Trump with his Iran negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner shortly before the speech.

Ukrainian FM thanks Sa’ar for Israel’s vote at UN, provision of mobile generators

The Ukrainian foreign minister says he thanked his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar after Jerusalem backed a UN General Assembly resolution voicing support for Ukraine, four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

“This is about supporting life, peace, and truth,” Andrii Sybiha writes on X. “We discussed our bilateral agenda and common security challenges, including those posed by Iran.”

“I expressed gratitude for Israel’s humanitarian assistance during this difficult winter, particularly 117 mobile generators that will be provided to the Kyiv region tomorrow,” Sybiha adds.

In first, US embassy to provide consular services at pop-ups in West Bank settlements

View of the settlement of Efrat, Gush Etzion, in the West Bank, July 31, 2025. (Wisam Hashlamoun/Flash90)

The US Embassy in Israel announces that it will for the first time operate pop-up locations in a pair of West Bank settlements to provide passport services to American citizens.

The first pop-up will be held on Friday in the Efrat settlement, which is home to a large American expat community.

The ultra-Orthodox settlement of Beitar Illit will also host a consular services event along with the Palestinian city of Ramallah, the US embassy says in an X post, adding that there will also be pop-ups in Haifa, Jerusalem, Netanya and Beit Shemesh.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry welcomes “the historic decision by the US Embassy in Jerusalem to extend consular services to American citizens in Judea and Samaria.”

“Thank you [US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee] for making the relation between Israel and the US closer and stronger than ever,” the Foreign Ministry tweets.

Earlier this month, Efrat’s mayor appeared to try and preview the pop-up, but referred to it as a consular branch, leading the US embassy to issue a denial that it was planning to launch something more permanent.

While US President Donald Trump has said that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, Huckabee has expressed support for the controversial move in the past, and the embassy’s decision to operate out of West Bank settlements would appear to be a nod toward Israeli sovereignty in the territory.

pic.twitter.com/zfjCPsXSmM

— U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (@usembassyjlm) February 24, 2026

Security forces investigating arson in Susya after reported settler attack

IDF and police forces arrived in Susya following reports of arson in the area, the security forces say in a statement, after Palestinian media and Israeli activists reported settlers had set fire to homes and vehicles in the southern West Bank village.

The flames have been put out and no injuries were reported, the statement says. It adds that the forces are scanning the area for suspects and that police and the Shin Bet are investigating the incident.

“Security forces harshly condemn incidents like this, and will continue to act to preserve law and order in the area,” the statement says.

It does not specify whether the suspected perpetrators are thought to be Israeli. No arrests have been reported.

Security camera footage from Susya, published by Palestinian media and timestamped to about 8:15 p.m., shows over a dozen masked people dressed in dark hoodies setting fire to a truck and another vehicle near a pair of structures.

At one point, one of the people picks up an object from the ground and tosses it in the direction of the camera. Threads of tzitzit, or Jewish ritual undergarment, peek out from under the hoodie of another person beside him.

لحظة إحراق المستوطنين مساكن ومركبات الأهالي في قرية سوسيا بمسافر يطا جنوب الخليل. pic.twitter.com/uqNJPS4Bja

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) February 24, 2026

Trump administration sues University of California system over alleged antisemitism at UCLA

A couple of protesters sleep beneath a wall covered with placards near an encampment set up by pro-Palestinian students and activists on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Los Angeles, California, on May 1, 2024. (Etienne LAURENT / AFP)

US President Donald Trump’s administration says it has sued the University of California system over alleged unlawful discrimination against Jewish and Israeli employees at UCLA involving an “antisemitic hostile work environment.”

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, marks the latest instance of the administration taking legal action against a prominent US university and represents its latest dispute with Democratic-governed California, the most populous US state.

The Justice Department’s lawsuit alleges that UCLA violated federal civil rights law by “failing to prevent and correct discriminatory and harassing conduct” after the assault on Israel led by the Palestinian terror group Hamas on October 7, 2023.

UCLA does not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Numerous Jewish and Israeli employees have been forced to take leave, work from home and leave their jobs to avoid the hostile work environment, the department says in a statement.

Anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian protests occurred on numerous US college campuses, including UCLA, against Israel’s military assault in Gaza that followed the Hamas attack.

Protesters say the administration conflates their criticism of US ally Israel’s incursion in Gaza with antisemitism and their support for Palestinian rights as sympathy for Hamas.