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The Times of Israel liveblogged Friday’s events as they unfolded.
Rubio tells ambassadors to avoid inflammatory remarks after Huckabee sparks regional fury
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Ambassador Mike Huckabee at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, September 14, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg/FLASH90)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent a memo to American ambassadors around the world, demanding that they not make comments that could “inflame regional audiences,” days after US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sparked massive backlash in the Mideast and beyond for suggesting that Israel had a biblical right to much of the land in the region.
“Given rising tensions in the region, Chiefs of Mission and embassies at addressee posts must refrain from public statements, interviews, or social media activity that could in any way inflame regional audiences, prejudice sensitive political issues, or complicate US relationships,” states the cable obtained by the Guardian.
“Chiefs of Mission are expected to avoid all commentary on issues that could heighten tensions or create confusion about US policy. Discipline in public messaging is essential, especially at this time,” the memo adds.
Huckabee is not singled out by name in the cable, but the directive is widely interpreted in the administration as a rebuke of him, the Guardian says.
White House officials were reportedly concerned that Huckabee’s comments could even harm the ongoing negotiations with Iran.
“The president is starting to get pissed with Huckabee for interfering with his negotiation,” a person familiar with the matter tells the Guardian.
“And he hasn’t forgotten that his daughter refused to endorse him in the last campaign,” the source adds, taking a shot at Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
In an interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson last week, Huckabee said “it would be fine” if Israel took over a large swath of the Middle East.
He added, however: “I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about here today … they’re not asking to take it over.”
Lindsey Graham suggests regime change would be better than a deal with Iran
US Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, gives the thumbs-up on stage next to an European and the historic Iranian "Lion and Sun" national flag during a demonstration against the Iranian regime on February 14, 2026 at the Theresienwiese fair grounds in Munich, southern Germany, on the sidelines of the 62nd Munich Security Conference (MSC). (Michaela STACHE / AFP)
While US President Donald Trump’s administration suggests it’s still open to reaching a nuclear deal with Iran, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham cautions against doing so.
“To any dealmaker regarding Iran: please understand your deal will have to come to the Senate and be tested,” Graham tweets.
It’s unclear, though, whether a deal reached by the US and Iran would require Congressional approval.
Moreover, Graham is one of the more hawkish Republican senators, and it’s unclear whether he or other GOP lawmakers would be willing to defy Trump if he brings a deal for their approval.
“When it comes to matters like this, it’s not about a political party to me. I am going ask the hard questions no matter who presents the deal,” Graham insists.
“To say I’m suspicious that the ayatollah and his regime will change and keep their word is the biggest understatement in history. I would also caution, beware of anything that comes from Oman.”
“It is clear to me that the best and only long-term answer is to stand with the Iranian people and demand regime change,” Graham adds.
US says it supports Pakistan’s ‘right to defend itself’ against Afghan Taliban
The United States says it supports Pakistan’s “right to defend itself” against attacks from Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers after Islamabad said earlier in the day that the neighboring countries were in “open war.”
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers had said earlier today that they were willing to negotiate after Pakistan bombed their forces in major cities.
“The United States supports Pakistan’s right to defend itself against attacks from the Taliban, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group,” a State Department spokesperson says in an emailed statement.
Pakistan is nuclear-armed and its military capabilities are vastly superior to Afghanistan’s. However, the Taliban are adept at guerrilla warfare, hardened by decades of fighting with US-led forces, before returning to power in 2021 when Washington withdrew chaotically.
Pakistan is a major non-NATO ally of Washington. The US considers the Afghan Taliban to be a “terrorist” group.
The latest violence erupted after Pakistan’s airstrikes on Afghan territory last weekend triggered Afghan retaliatory attacks along the border on Thursday, escalating long‑simmering tensions over Pakistan’s claim that Afghanistan shelters Pakistani Taliban militants. Afghanistan denies this and argues Pakistan is deflecting blame for its own security failures.
The State Department spokesperson says Washington is aware of the escalation in tensions and “outbreak of fighting between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban,” adding the US was “saddened by the loss of life.”
Both sides reported heavy losses in the fighting, which Pakistan’s Defense Minister Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said amounted to an “open war.”
“The Taliban have consistently failed to uphold their counterterrorism commitments,” the State Department says, adding that “terrorist groups use Afghanistan as a launching pad for their heinous attacks.”
Paramount acquires Warner Bros. in $110 bn mega-merger
US media conglomerate Paramount Skydance announces that it will acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in a deal valuing the combined company at $110 billion, after beating Netflix in a bruising bidding war.
The agreement ends a five-month saga and creates an entertainment behemoth whose impact on a struggling media landscape — and connections to Donald Trump’s White House — will be closely scrutinized.
The merged entity will include CNN, CBS, HBO and Nickelodeon as well as some of Hollywood’s most valuable franchises, including Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, the DC Universe, Mission Impossible and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Under the terms of the agreement, Paramount will pay $31.00 per share in cash for all outstanding Warner Bros. shares, implying an equity value of $81 billion — and $110 billion when including the mountain of debt Paramount will take on.
The transaction has been unanimously approved by both companies’ boards and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, the companies said.
“Our pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery has been guided by a clear purpose: to honor the legacy of two iconic companies while accelerating our vision of building a next-generation media and entertainment company,” says Paramount chairman and CEO David Ellison.
The deal closes a battle that ended Thursday when Netflix walked away, unwilling to match Paramount’s latest offer.
GOP chair of Epstein panel: Bill Clinton ‘answered every question’
The Republican chair of the panel that grilled former US president Bill Clinton on his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein credits him with answering every question, but another lawmaker pointed to “inconsistencies.”
“We believe this was a very productive deposition, that president Clinton answered every question — or attempted to answer every question,” US House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer says after the hearing.
Comer’s colleague, fellow Republican Nancy Mace, adds, “I will comment that I believe you’ll see some inconsistencies in some of the responses” when the testimony video and transcript are released.
Trump demands ‘no enrichment’ for Iran: ‘They want it for civilian. I think it’s uncivil’
US President Donald Trump takes part in a briefing on energy in Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 27, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)
US President Donald Trump stresses he is “not happy with the negotiation” with Iran over Tehran’s nuclear program and that he does not want any enrichment for Iran.
“I am not happy with the negotiation,” Trump tells reporters in Texas, adding that the Iranians “don’t want to quite go far enough. It’s too bad.”
“I say no enrichment,” Trump continues. “Not 20 percent, 30 percent, they always want 20 percent, 30 percent, they want it for civilian, you know, for civil. I think it’s uncivil.”
When asked by a reporter how close he is to making a decision on whether to launch a military strike, he says, “I’d rather not tell you.”
Omani FM reports ‘quite substantial progress’ on a US-Iran deal
In an interview with CBS News, Oman’s top diplomat reiterates his assessment that a US-Iran “peace deal is within our reach” and then the technical details could be hammered out within a “three months kind of cycle.”
“I don’t think any alternative to diplomacy is going to solve this problem,” Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi tells “Face the Nation,” referring to Iran’s nuclear program.
“We have already achieved quite substantial progress in the direction of a deal,” he adds. “The heart of this deal is very important and I think we have captured that heart.”
WATCH: After meeting with Vice President JD Vance, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi – a key mediator in the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks – tells @margbrennan "the peace deal is within our reach.” He also said, “I don't think any alternative to diplomacy is going to solve this… pic.twitter.com/zOuSPxLy5j
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) February 27, 2026
‘Stop taking hostages’: Rubio says US has declared Iran a state sponsor of wrongful detention
Illustrative: A prisoner being held in an Iranian prison. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that he has designated Iran as a state sponsor of wrongful detention.
“The Iranian regime must stop taking hostages and release all Americans unjustly detained in Iran, steps that could end this designation and associated actions,” Rubio says in a statement.
B’Tselem and Rabbis for Human Rights decry settler attack on activists
Two masked assailant wielding clubs approach an off-camera Israeli human rights activist in Qusra, in the northern West Bank, February 27, 2026. (Screen capture: X/Looking the Occupation in the Eyes)
Two Israeli NGOs denounce an attack in which settlers used sticks to beat two activists in the West Bank, calling the incident “state violence” and “Jewish terrorism.”
B’Tselem says “the unrestrained attacks carried out by settlers throughout the West Bank constitute state violence.”
“They are carried out with full backing, participation and assistance from state authorities, as part of a strategy of Israel’s apartheid regime seeking to advance and complete the takeover of Palestinian land,” it adds.
Avi Dabush, executive director of Rabbis for Human Rights, says “the blood of our friends is on the hands of those who support and finance Jewish terrorism, either directly, through the government or by turning a blind eye.”
He also condemns “the army’s impotence” in a statement that calls on “Israeli society to pull itself together … in order to put an end to this endemic terrorism.”
Susan Sarandon lauds Spanish government for its stance against Israel over Gaza war
American actress Susan Sarandon gives a press conference on the eve of the 40th Goya awards ceremony at the Auditori Forum CCIB in Barcelona, on February 27, 2025. (Lluis Gene/AFP)
Veteran Hollywood star Susan Sarandon praises the Spanish government’s support for Gaza, saying it was “on the right side of history.”
“I think Spain is doing an incredible job,” Sarandon, her voice trembling with emotion, tells reporters in Barcelona.
Sarandon, who has been a vociferous critic of Israel since the Hamas 2023 attack that sparked the Gaza war and downplayed the subsequent spike in antisemitism, lauds Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and actors such as Oscar-winner Javier Bardem for taking a strong public stand in support of the Palestinians.
“When you turn on the TV and see how strong Spain is and how clear you are morally on these issues, it makes you feel less alone,” Sarandon says.
The star of “Thelma and Louise” calls Spain’s position “so important” in the United States, which she claims is “a place where you feel repression and censorship.”
Spain’s Sanchez has been one of the most outspoken critics of Israel over the Gaza war, becoming the most senior European leader to refer to the conflict as a “genocide,” a charge that Jerusalem has rejected.
His leftist government broke with European allies in 2024 by recognizing a Palestinian state, infuriating Israel.
“Whenever I have seen him, he has been on the right side of history and also said it in a very clear way,” Sarandon says of Sanchez, describing him as “handsome and tall.”
Sanchez thanks Sarandon, writing on X that “it is so moving for me that someone the whole of Spain has admired and respected for years has made such a wonderful public statement about our country.”
Sarandon is in Barcelona to receive a lifetime achievement honor at Spain’s top film awards, the Goyas.
Oman’s FM says ‘peace within reach’ after briefing Vance on US-Iran negotiations
US Vice President JD Vance meets with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who says he briefed the veep on “the ongoing negotiation between the United States and Iran and the progress achieved so far.”
“I am grateful for their engagement and look forward to further and decisive progress in the coming days. Peace is within our reach,” Badr Albusaidi writes on X.
I met Vice President JD Vance today and shared details of the ongoing negotiation between the United States and Iran and the progress achieved so far. I am grateful for their engagement and look forward to further and decisive progress in the coming days. Peace is within our… pic.twitter.com/FApyVpeEHO
— Badr Albusaidi – بدر البوسعيدي (@badralbusaidi) February 27, 2026
Friday night flights from Istanbul to Tehran are cancelled
Flights from Istanbul airport to Tehran are cancelled on Friday night amid a mounting US military buildup around Iran.
Istanbul airport says flights by Turkish Airlines and two Iranian companies to the Iranian capital have been cancelled.
Four flights to Tehran scheduled for Saturday are also cancelled, though six others remain on the schedule. A Turkish Airlines flight to the northern Iranian city of Tabriz, due to leave early Saturday, is called off.
Turkish authorities make no comment on events in Iran on Friday, declining to join the litany of nations advising their citizens against travel to the Islamic Republic.
Turkey has a 550-kilometer (340-mile) frontier with Iran that has three crossing points.
Italy urges its citizens to leave Iran, tells those in Israel to exercise maximum caution
Italy’s foreign ministry urges its citizens to leave Iran and advises extreme caution across the Middle East, citing persistently unstable security conditions.
“Italians in (Iran) for tourism or whose presence is not strictly necessary are urged to depart,” the ministry says in a statement, adding that travel to Iraq and Lebanon is also strongly discouraged.
It advises Italian nationals in Israel to exercise maximum caution and remain vigilant.
Germany issues advisory ‘urgently discouraging’ travel to Israel
BERLIN — Germany’s foreign ministry “urgently” advises nationals not to go to Israel as it sharpens its travel advice over increasing tensions in the Middle East.
“Travel to Israel and East Jerusalem is urgently discouraged,” the ministry says in an advisory on its website.
Trump ‘not happy’ with Iran’s conduct in nuclear talks, says still no decision on strike
US President Donald Trump talks to the media as he walks to depart on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House, February 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
US President Donald Trump says he’s “not happy” with the way Iran is acting in nuclear negotiations, but hasn’t made a decision yet on whether to authorize a strike.
“I don’t want to, but sometimes you have to,” Trump tells reporters while leaving the White House when asked about the possibility of the US using military force against Iran.
He claims Iran is refusing to say the “golden words: no nuclear weapon.”
In fact, Iranian officials have stated this repeatedly, including in recent days, while claiming they have a right to enrich uranium for energy, medical and economic purposes.
“Iran will never have nuclear weapons… Not on my watch,” Trump insists. “We haven’t made a decision on Iran yet, but I want to make a deal now.”
He says additional talks on the issue will be held on Friday, ostensibly referring to later today, when US Vice President JD Vance is set to meet with the foreign minister of Oman, who has been mediating the talks with Iran.
“There may or may not be regime change in Iran,” Trump responds to a separate question on the matter.
American officials have said in the past that the goal of a US strike is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, but Trump has also remarked several times that regime change could be a positive development.
Poland urges citizens in Israel, Iran and Lebanon to immediately leave those countries
WARSAW, Poland — The Polish foreign ministry calls on citizens to leave Iran, Israel and Lebanon immediately due to the tense situation in the Middle East, it says on social media platform X.
“The security situation in the Middle East is unstable. The risk of escalation is high! Airspace for civilian traffic may be closed. Return by air may be impossible or significantly hindered,” it says in three posts regarding Iran, Israel and Lebanon.
UK moves staff at Tel Aviv embassy to elsewhere in Israel amid ‘regional tensions’
The UK has moved some of its diplomatic staff and their dependents from Tel Aviv to another location in Israel, the Foreign Office says, citing “regional tensions.”
“We have taken the precautionary measure to temporarily move some of our staff and their dependents from Tel Aviv to another location within Israel,” the Foreign Office says in an update to its travel advice for the country, adding its embassy was operating as normal but the situation “could escalate quickly and poses significant risks.”
Earlier on Friday, Britain said it had pulled its embassy staff from Iran due to the current “security situation.”
Settlers said to stone homes, set fire to a car in West Bank Palestinian village
Palestinian media reports that settlers set fire to a warehouse and vehicle in the Palestinian village of Jalud, near Nablus in the northern West Bank.
The settlers also pelted homes with stones, damaging some windows, the reports say.
Footage published by Palestinian outlets shows about ten masked people, identified as settlers, hurling stones on a road in Jalud.
Separate footage shows shattered windows and a car in flames.
No injuries or arrests are reported. The IDF does not immediately comment.
🚨لحظة هجوم مجموعات المستوطنين على قرية جالود جنوب نابلس وحرق ممتلكاتهم pic.twitter.com/cGbHSSPKld
— ديوان (@DiwanDaily) February 27, 2026
Jalud is roughly 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away from Qusra, where settlers also beat two left-wing Israeli activists today.
Citing situation in Iran, France advises its citizens against visiting Israel and West Bank
The French foreign ministry reiterates its advice to nationals not to travel to Israel and the West Bank even for tourism or family visits as a result of the security situation in Iran.
On its website, the ministry also recommends French citizens already there to show great vigilance and prudence and stay away from demonstrations and rallies and identify shelters.
Ahead of Clinton testimony, Epstein panel Democrat says ‘wrong president’ being grilled
A Democrat on the panel that will grill former US president Bill Clinton Friday about his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein says the “wrong president” is being deposed, reiterating calls for President Donald Trump to testify.
“Let’s be real, we are talking to the wrong president today,” Democrat committee member Suhas Subramanyam says ahead of Clinton’s deposition. “President Trump is the one who is blocking our investigation. President Trump is the one who wants this to go away.”
US says Rubio to visit Israel on Monday to discuss Iran, Lebanon and Gaza peace plan
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media at the Civil-Military Coordination Center for Gaza in southern Israel, October 24, 2025. (Fadel Senna/Pool Photo via AP)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold talks Monday in Israel on Iran, the State Department announces, as the United States builds up forces for a potential strike on the Islamic Republic.
Rubio “will discuss a range of regional priorities including Iran, Lebanon and ongoing efforts to implement President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott says.
Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, writes on X that Rubio’s trip will go ahead despite the US authorizing non-emergency personel and family members of those based in Israel to leave the country.
Vance set to meet with visiting Omani FM, day after US-Iran nuclear talks
An American official says that US Vice President JD Vance will meet with visiting Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, confirming reports that the top Omani diplomat is in Washington for talks with senior administration officials following the US-Iran nuclear negotiations the day before.
Supreme Court freezes government’s ban on foreign aid groups in Gaza and West Bank
The Supreme Court decides in a ruling published Friday that a government ban on 37 foreign NGOs working in Gaza and the West Bank will be frozen until it reaches a final decision.
“Without taking any position, a temporary interim order is hereby issued,” the court says in a ruling responding to a petition from the NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Oxfam, seeking to reverse the ban after Israel’s government revoked their status in Israel.
The aid groups say sharing staff information could pose a safety risk given that hundreds of aid workers have been killed or injured during the war in Gaza. Israel has said the registrations were meant to prevent diversions of aid by Palestinian terrorist groups. Humanitarian agencies dispute that substantial aid has been diverted.
Athena Rayburn, executive director of the Association of International Development Agencies, says they are “still waiting to see how the injunction will be interpreted by the state and whether or not this will mean an increase in our ability to operate,” adding that the situation inside Gaza remained “catastrophic.”
Spokespeople for Israel’s government don’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Swiss watchdog says liquidation order in effect for bank accused of breaching US sanctions on Iran
Swiss financial regulator FINMA says that a liquidation order for MBaer Merchant Bank AG is now effective after Washington threatened to cut the Swiss private bank’s access to the US financial system for breaching sanctions against Iran, Russia and Venezuela.
FINMA concluded enforcement proceedings against MBaer three weeks ago, but due to an MBaer appeal, which the bank withdrew on Friday, FINMA was previously unable to implement its own measures, it says.
In the course of its proceedings, FINMA found that the bank did not have adequate measures in place to combat money laundering and enabled clients to circumvent official asset freezes, it adds.
“The case is extremely serious,” the regulator says.
“Through its conduct and inadequate organization, (the bank) exposed itself and the Swiss financial centre to disproportionately high risks,” FINMA adds.
UK announces temporary withdrawal of diplomatic staff from Iran
Britain says it has temporarily withdrawn its staff from Iran due to the security situation.
“Our embassy continues to operate remotely,” the UK Foreign Office says in a statement.
In major shift, poll shows Americans now more sympathetic to Palestinians than Israel
People hold Palestinian flags as they protest outside of the U.S. Institute of Peace, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Americans are now more sympathetic to Palestinians than Israelis, according to a new Gallup poll, a marked reversal after decades in which US citizens were overwhelmingly more supportive of Israel.
Asked “In the Middle East situation, are your sympathies more with the Israelis or more with the Palestinians?” 36 percent of respondents say Israel, versus 41% more sympathetic to the Palestinians.
A year earlier, 46% of poll respondents had favored Israel while 33% were more sympathetic to the Palestinians.
Among Republicans, Gallup finds that they are 57 percentage points more supportive of Israelis than Palestinians, while Democrats are 48 percentage points more sympathetic to the Palestinians and independents 11 percentage points.
The only age group to favor Israel is Americans over 55, while those between 35-54 and 18-34 support the Palestinians.
Gallup: “Israelis No Longer Ahead in Americans' Middle East Sympathies”https://t.co/FlFEhkBdaZ
— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) February 27, 2026
UN nuclear watchdog says it can’t verify if Iran has halted all uranium enrichment
Centrifuges line a hall at the Uranium Enrichment Facility in Natanz, Iran, in a still image from a video aired by the Islamic Republic Iran Broadcasting company on April 17, 2021, six days after the hall had been damaged in a mysterious attack. (IRIB via AP)
Iran has not allowed the United Nations nuclear watchdog to access nuclear facilities affected by the 12-day war in June, according to a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog circulated to member states.
The report stresses that, therefore, the agency “cannot verify whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities,” or the “size of Iran’s uranium stockpile at the affected nuclear facilities,” which it says “needs to be addressed with the utmost urgency.”
“The director general calls on Iran to engage the agency constructively in order to facilitate the full and effective implementation of safeguards in Iran,” the International Atomic Energy Agency report adds.
The report also says some of Iran’s most highly enriched uranium, close to weapons grade, was stored in an underground area of its nuclear site in Isfahan.
It is the first time the IAEA has reported where uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, close to the 90% of weapons grade, has been stored. The tunnel complex’s entrance was hit in US and Israeli military strikes last year but the facility seems largely unharmed, diplomats say.
Amid Iran tensions, IDF says still no change in guidelines to Israeli public
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin issues a video statement, February 27, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
Amid the ongoing tensions with Iran, IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin reiterates that there are no still changes to the military’s guidelines for the Israeli public.
“I am aware of the sense of uncertainty and the tension prevailing among the public in light of the regional developments,” Defrin says in a video statement.
“The IDF is closely monitoring the situation in Iran and is alert and prepared to defend you,” he says.
Defrin says the IDF is “operating in full coordination with our partners, with the aim of strengthening the defense.”
“There is no change in the guidelines. If there is a change, I will be here and we will provide an update accordingly,” Defrin adds.
Two left-wing activists hospitalized after settlers beat them; Herzog says attack ‘harms settlement movement’
Two activists from the left-wing Israeli group Looking the Occupation in the Eyes were hospitalized with serious head wounds after settlers beat them in the village of Qusra, near Nablus in the northern West Bank, the group says.
The Magen David Adom says the two activists were airlifted to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva in moderate condition.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society also confirms its medics treated two “foreign solidarity activists” who were severely beaten by settlers. The Red Crescent says the activists were a 51-year-old man and 71-year-old woman.
Israeli troops and police officers were later dispatched to Qusra. The IDF says the forces are scanning the area for the assailants, and that an investigation has been launched at the police’s Ariel station.
“This is a grave incident. The IDF and the Israel Police strongly condemn incidents of violence of this kind and will continue to act to maintain the security of the residents and order in the area,” the army adds.
President Isaac Herzog condemns the attack, writing on X that it “stands in complete opposition to the values and laws of the State of Israel and the values of Judaism.”
“This serious incident joins a number of harsh and illegitimate recent incidents that, first and foremost, harm the settlement movement and the reputation of the State of Israel,” he says.
According to Looking the Occupation in the Eyes, some 15-20 armed settlers took part in the attack, which targeted both Israeli activists and local Palestinians.
Footage filmed by one Israeli activist shows at least three masked people wielding clubs pulling up in a small ATV, before getting out and swinging their clubs at the person filming, who yells in pain and pleads with the assailants to stop.
הטרור היהודי | תיעוד קשה: פעילי תנועת "מסתכלים לכיבוש בעיניים" הותקפו באלימות בידי מתנחלים בכפר קוסרה באזור שכם pic.twitter.com/RxCVhBaGdC
— חדר מלחמה (@waroomisrael) February 27, 2026
Separate footage filmed by a Palestinian shows a woman lying face-down on the ground, apparently unconscious. The person filming says the attackers “killed her.” However, MDA says both wounded activists were conscious when they arrived at Beilinson.
#شاهد| فيديو يوثق اعتداء المستوطنين على متضامنة أجنبية وإصابتها بجراح خلال فعالية تضامنية في بلدة قصرة جنوب نابلس pic.twitter.com/9gPPO8PjTU
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) February 27, 2026
Iraq PM candidate Maliki meets senior US diplomat after Trump’s threats
A woman walks past an electoral billboard bearing a portrait of former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki in central Baghdad, Iraq, on October 19, 2025. (AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP)
The leading candidate to become Iraq’s next prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, meets with US diplomat Tom Barrack after refusing to withdraw his nomination despite the US threatening to stop supporting the country if he returns to the post.
Barrack, the US envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkey, has recently visited Iraq multiple times to meet with senior officials.
Maliki “receives US envoy Tom Barrack,” reports the official Iraqi INA press agency.
Last month, US President Donald Trump intervened in Iraq’s affairs by issuing an ultimatum that if Maliki — a two-time former premier with close ties to Iran — was named Iraq’s next prime minister, the US would no longer help the country.
Earlier this week, Maliki told AFP he would not withdraw his nomination, while also seeking to allay Washington’s concerns.
“I have absolutely no intention of withdrawing out of respect for my country, its sovereignty, and its will,” Maliki told AFP in an interview.
China tells its citizens in Israel to be prepared for any escalation in violence
The Chinese embassy in Israel asks its citizens living in the country to strengthen their security precautions and emergency preparedness, citing “rising security risks in the Middle East.”
Chinese nationals based in Israel should closely follow new developments and information released by Israeli authorities, the embassy says in a statement. Citizens should also refrain from traveling outside unless necessary, it adds.
Earlier today, China advised nationals to avoid traveling to Iran and urged those in the country to evacuate as soon as possible, as tensions build between Tehran and Washington.
9 US refueling tankers arrived at Ben Gurion overnight, tracking data shows
US Air Force refueling aircraft are seen parked on the tarmac of the Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv on February 25, 2026. (Jack GUEZ / AFP)
At least nine American refueling tankers arrived at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport overnight as part of the United States’s massive buildup of military forces in the Middle East, according to footage and analysts monitoring open-source flight tracking data.
This week, several American refuelers and cargo planes were spotted at Ben Gurion Airport, and 11 F-22 stealth fighter jets — along with accompanying logistical support planes and aircrews — landed at Ovda Airbase in southern Israel.
There are now at least 14 US refuelers deployed at Ben Gurion Airport.
The tankers are likely to provide support for US fighter jets aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, which is heading toward Israel’s northern coast, in the event that US President Donald Trump orders military strikes on Iran.
Picture from N12 of US tankers at Israel's Ben Gurion airport this morning pic.twitter.com/O45RaTfb0p
— Faytuks News (@Faytuks) February 27, 2026
New satellite images show US F-22 jets moving around Ovda base in southern Israel
US F-22 stealth fighter jets are seen before taking off from Royal Air Force Lakenheath in England, en route to Israel, February 24, 2026. (@TallGlenn85 on X)
Chinese intelligence firm MizarVision publishes new satellite images showing the deployment of American F-22 stealth fighter jets at the Israeli Air Force’s Ovda Airbase.
Yesterday, the firm published images providing the first visual confirmation of 11 F-22s at the airbase in southern Israel.
The latest images show the F-22s moving around the base, with four positioned on a taxiway.
New satellite imagery from Ovda Airbase in Israel via MizarVision shows F-22s moving around the base. pic.twitter.com/y0JUeQmla1
— Faytuks Network (@FaytuksNetwork) February 27, 2026
MizarVision has alleged ties to the Chinese military and has been accused of republishing imagery from other satellite firms with its own overlays.
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.
The deployment of US fighter jets at Israeli airbases for operational activities — rather than for joint training with the IAF — is extremely rare.
French left-wing politician accused of antisemitism over Epstein jibe
France Unbowed leader Jean-Luc Melenchon applauds during the election night gathering of the of left-wing party following early results in the second round of France's legislative election at La Rotonde Stalingrad in Paris, July 7, 2024. (Sameer Al-Doumy / AFP)
French far-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon has sparked new accusations of antisemitism after mocking the pronunciation of the name “Epstein” during a political rally in southeastern France.
Speaking at a gathering in Lyon last night, Melenchon invoked the name of Jeffrey Epstein, after recent disclosures detailed the convicted sex offender’s extensive ties to the world’s rich, famous and powerful.
“I wanted to say ‘Epstein,’ sorry, it sounds more Russian, ‘Epsteen,'” said the France Unbowed (LFI) leader. “So now you’ll say Epsteen instead of Epstein, Franckensteen instead of Frankenstein,” he told a laughing audience.
The comments, which came ahead of municipal elections next month, spark outrage from across the political spectrum.
Melenchon, 74, rejects accusations of antisemitism, calling his comments “ironic.”
President Emmanuel Macron shares a video today on social media of a recent speech he made condemning the “antisemitic hydra” that he said had crept into “every crack” of French society.
“This was 15 days ago,” he writes.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez describes Melenchon’s remarks as “abject,” while Equality Minister Aurore Berge writes on X that “antisemitism in France can be spelled out in three letters: L-F-I.”
Socialist lawmaker Laurence Rossignol condemns the comments as “the most terrifying antisemitism.”
“How many decades has it been since a politician made a room laugh by rattling off Jewish names, emphasizing their pronunciation, with a sneer of hatred?” Rossignol says.
China tells its citizens in Iran to ‘evacuate as soon as possible’
Masked travelers use their smartphones to fill in their health declaration after checking in at the international flight check in counter at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, Dec. 29, 2022. (AP/Andy Wong)
China warns its citizens to avoid traveling to Iran, citing a “significant rise in external security risks” as the country faces threats of US strikes.
“In light of the current security situation in Iran, China’s Foreign Ministry and Chinese embassies and consulates in Iran remind Chinese citizens to avoid traveling to Iran for the time being,” Beijing’s foreign ministry says in a statement.
“Chinese nationals currently in Iran are advised to strengthen safety precautions and evacuate as soon as possible.”
US consular services pop-up opens its doors in Efrat settlement
Kayla Friedson, center, and her mother wait for their turn to receive consular services from US embassy officials in the Efrat settlement in the West Bank, Feb.27, 2026. (AP/Ohad Zwigenberg)
The US opens its first pop-up providing consulate services in a West Bank settlement today, setting up shop in Efrat.
Photos show Mark Marrano, the official coordinator for American Citizen Services at the US Embassy, stationed at the pop-up, which appears to be held in the basketball court of a local school.
The pop-up, offering passport applications and renewals to local residents, was welcomed by Israel’s government and criticized by the Palestinian Authority.
The US says a pop-up event will also be held in the Haredi settlement of Beitar Illit and the Palestinian city of Ramallah, as well as in Haifa, Jerusalem, Netanya and Beit Shemesh.
IDF says it struck Hamas operatives in Gaza who emerged from Rafah tunnel
The IDF says it carried out airstrikes against Hamas operatives in the Gaza Strip overnight, after several Palestinian gunmen emerged from a tunnel on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line in Rafah.
According to the military, troops of the Golani Brigade who are stationed in the eastern Rafah area spotted a number of armed operatives emerging from a tunnel yesterday.
The IDF says the gunmen “violated the ceasefire agreement.” The troops then directed an airstrike, “and eliminated several of the terrorists,” the army says.
In response to the incident, the IDF says it carried out airstrikes overnight against “armed Hamas terrorists.” Palestinian media reported that the strikes killed five, including three in an attack on a Hamas police station near Khan Younis.
Dozens of Hamas operatives were believed to be trapped underground in the eastern Rafah area, on the Israeli side of the ceasefire line. The IDF has reported killing or capturing some 50 of them in recent months.
London statue of Winston Churchill defaced with ‘Zionist war criminal’ graffiti
Graffiti reading 'Never again is now' is pictured on a statue of Britains former prime minister Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, in central London on February 27, 2026. (Brook Mitchell / AFP)
A statue of former British prime minister Winston Churchill on display in central London has been defaced with anti-Israel graffiti.
The statue was defaced with red paint reading “Zionist war criminal” on the front and “Never again is now” on the back, as well as the phrases “Free Palestine” and “Stop the genocide.”
🚨 NEW: The statue of Winston Churchill has been defaced with the words “Zionist War Criminal” pic.twitter.com/gOImqFqCW8
— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) February 27, 2026
In a statement, Metropolitan Police say that “officers were on scene within two minutes of being alerted shortly after 4am.”
Police add that a “38-yr-old man is in custody having been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage.”
Huckabee said to tell embassy staffers: If you want to leave Israel, ‘do so TODAY’
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee attends the lobby for Israel–United States relations at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 25, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee reportedly tells embassy staffers that if they want to leave Israel they must do so “TODAY.”
If any staffers or family members want to depart, they “should do so TODAY,” Huckabee writes in the email sent this morning at 10:24 a.m. local time, according to The New York Times.
The embassy’s call for non-emergency staff to depart “will likely result in high demand for airline seats today,” he writes. “Focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to DC, but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of country.”
The NYTimes says the email was verified by three people.
“There is no need to panic,” Huckabee reportedly wrote, “but for those desiring to leave, it’s important to make plans to depart sooner rather than later.”
Gallup poll: US sympathies shift to Palestinians from Israelis for first time
People demonstrate in Times Square during a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protest, in New York, September 26, 2025, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in the city. (AP/Angelina Katsanis)
Americans for the first time sympathize more with Palestinians than Israelis in their conflict, according to a Gallup poll released today.
Views on the Middle East divide sharply along partisan lines, with the shift over the past year the result of more independents souring on Israel.
Overall, 41 percent of Americans sympathize more with the Palestinians and 36 percent sided with Israel, the poll says, with the rest undecided or saying they favored both or neither.
The gap is not statistically significant, but it marks the first time since Gallup asked the question more than two decades ago that Israel was not on top. It also marks a sharp difference from just a year ago, when Israel led in sympathies 46 to 33 percent.
When asked about their sympathies, independents sided with the Palestinian people by 11 percentage points.
Members of President Donald Trump’s Republican Party continue to back Israel strongly, with 70% siding with Israel, although that figure has declined by 10 percentage points over the past decade.
In the latest poll, 65% of Democrats sympathized with the Palestinians and 17% with Israel.
Gallup surveyed 1,001 US adults by telephone from February 2 to 16.
US tells non-emergency staff, family members of envoys to leave Israel over ‘safety risks’
Travelers at Ben Gurion International Airport, October 23, 2025. (Nati Shohat/Flash90)
The US Embassy in Israel says the State Department has authorized non-emergency personnel and the family members of those stationed in Israel to leave the country due to “safety risks,” and says others may wish to leave while there are still commercial flights.
“On February 27, 2026, the Department of State authorized the departure of non-emergency US government personnel and family members of US government personnel from Mission Israel due to safety risks,” the embassy writes on X.
On February 27, 2026, the Department of State authorized the departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of U.S. government personnel from Mission Israel due to safety risks.
In response to security incidents and without advance notice, the U.S.… pic.twitter.com/aWzX6Gk36x
— U.S. Embassy Jerusalem (@usembassyjlm) February 27, 2026
“In response to security incidents and without advance notice, the US Embassy may further restrict or prohibit US government employees and their family members from traveling to certain areas of Israel, the Old City of Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Persons may wish to consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available.”
The current US Embassy travel advisory, included in its Friday security alert, suggests people “reconsider travel to Israel due to terrorism and civil unrest.”
UN rights chief ‘extremely alarmed’ by risk of regional escalation around Iran
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk delivers his speech at the opening of the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, on September 8, 2025. (Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)
The UN rights chief says he is “extremely alarmed” at the risk of a regional escalation around Iran, amid repeated threats of US strikes.
“I am extremely alarmed about the potential for regional military escalation and its impact on civilians, and I hope the voice of reason prevails,” Volker Turk tells the United Nations Human Rights Council.
He also voices alarm at the normalization of the use of force to resolve disputes, warning that conflicts create “a human rights wasteland.”
“We must not revert to violence as an organizing principle,” Turk says. “The world cannot stand by as the edifice of international humanitarian and human rights law is dismantled before our eyes.”
Canada tells its citizens to ‘leave Iran now if you can’
Illustrative: Tehran's Imam Khomeini airport, Iran, July 17, 2020. (AP/Vahid Salemi)
Canada calls on any of its citizens in Iran to leave as soon as possible as tensions remain high in the region.
“Canadians in Iran: Due to ongoing tensions, hostilities in the region could resume with little or no warning. Leave Iran now if you can do so safely,” the government says. “Ensure travel documents are up-to-date and keep sufficient supplies in case you need to shelter in place.”
Earlier this week, Australia said it was instructing family members of its diplomats posted in Israel and Lebanon to leave, and that its citizens in either country should consider leaving before it is too late.
Poland, Sweden, India and others have also called on their citizens to leave Iran as the region holds its breath for a potential escalation.
UK reviewing military flight records in latest Epstein probe
Britain’s Ministry of Defense is reviewing flight records that could hold information relating to Jeffrey Epstein, a ministry spokesperson says, after files appeared to show the late US sex offender landed his private jet at military bases.
British police are already assessing whether Epstein trafficked women through two London airports and one in central England on private flights, as part of a nationally coordinated effort to investigate the disgraced financier’s ties to Britain.
But calls are growing for police to also investigate whether Royal Air Force bases such as Marham, in eastern England, and Northolt, near London, were used for the same activity after the files appeared to show Epstein’s private jet had landed there too.
Private jets regularly use RAF Northolt, but it is much less common for them to land at RAF Marham, which is a key frontline base.
Defense Minister John Healey has now ordered a review of military flight records, the MoD spokesperson said in a statement late last night.
“The Defense Secretary has ordered a review of all records that the department may hold relating to Epstein flights landing at RAF bases to ensure that any information which relates to Epstein’s crimes is uncovered and provided to the relevant authorities,” the spokesperson says.
Nearly seven years after his death, the Epstein scandal continues to rock the British establishment.
The latest batch of files released in January led to the brief arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles’ brother, and then of Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the US, over their suspected sharing of confidential government documents with Epstein.
USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier set to arrive at Israeli coast today
The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, dispatched to the region amid tensions with Iran, departs Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete on February 26, 2026. (Costas METAXAKIS / AFP)
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is set to arrive near Israel’s northern coast today.
US President Donald Trump ordered the carrier strike group to the Middle East this month as part of a massive military buildup while he weighs whether to take military action against Iran.
The carrier departed from the Greek island of Crete yesterday following a supply stop at a US naval base. It is now en route to the Haifa area.
The USS Gerald R. Ford arrives in Israel https://t.co/B3AC4kYZba
— Reuters (@Reuters) February 27, 2026
Meanwhile, the US Navy denies recent media reports of a plumbing crisis aboard the carrier.
“In recent weeks, media reports have raised concerns regarding shipboard systems, including sanitation. Navy officials state that Gerald R. Ford’s systems are operating within expected parameters for a Ford-class aircraft carrier with more than 4,000 personnel embarked. During this deployment, Gerald R. Ford’s vacuum collection, holding, and transfer (VCHT) system has processed more than six million toilet flushes. Ship leadership reports that clog incidents are addressed promptly by trained damage control and engineering personnel, with minimal downtime,” the US Navy says in a statement.
“On a ship this size, with this many sailors, clogs will occur,” says Cpt. David Skarosi, the carrier’s commanding officer. “What matters is how quickly they are resolved. Our maintenance teams respond immediately, and the system continues to function as designed with no impact to operational readiness or our ability to meet our mission. I am engaged daily with any concerns regarding the health, well-being, and morale of the crew.”
Iran’s FM says US must drop its ‘excessive demands’ in order to reach a deal
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi delivers a speech at a United Nations conference on February 17, 2026. (Valentin Flauraud / AFP)
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that in order to reach a deal, the United States will have to drop its “excessive demands,” after the two sides held talks yesterday in Geneva.
In a phone call with Egypt’s top diplomat Badr Abdelatty, Araghchi says, “Success in this path requires seriousness and realism from the other side and avoidance of any miscalculation and excessive demands.”
Iraq’s Kataeb Hezbollah tells fighters to prepare for long Iran-US war
Illustrative: Young men raise the flag of the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group during commemorations marking the second anniversary of the killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, on January 8, 2022. (Hussein Faleh/AFP)
A powerful Iran-backed Iraqi armed group tells its fighters to prepare for the scenario of a long war in neighboring Iran should the United States launch strikes.
Kataeb Hezbollah warned the US yesterday of “immense losses” were it to start a war in the region, while a commander in an armed faction tells AFP his group is “highly likely” to intervene in case of strikes.
“Amid American threats and military build-up indicating a dangerous escalation in the region, it is necessary [for all fighters] to prepare for a potentially long war of attrition,” Kataeb Hezbollah says in a statement.
The commander tells AFP that his group sees Iran as strategic to its own interests, and therefore any attack on the Islamic Republic “directly threatens us.”
US-sanctioned Iraqi armed groups did not intervene during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last year.
This time, the commander says they would be “less restrained,” especially in the event of strikes seeking to overthrow the regime.
Thousands of West Bank Palestinians cross into Jerusalem for Ramadan prayers
Palestinians make their way through an Israeli checkpoint to the Al-Aqsa compound, also known as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City, in Bethlehem, February 27, 2026. (REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma)
Thousands of West Bank Palestinians are crossing Israeli checkpoints into Jerusalem this morning for Friday Ramadan prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the Temple Mount.
Israel said that it would cap the number of Palestinian worshipers from the West Bank attending the weekly prayers at 10,000.
Similar to last year, only males aged 55 and up, women over 50, and children under 12 when accompanied by a first-degree relative will be permitted to attend prayers at Al‑Aqsa. The restrictions only apply to West Bank Palestinians.
“On the second Friday of the month of Ramadan, the Israel Defense Forces continues to make every effort to ensure the safe passage of worshipers through the crossings… enabling them to reach Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and perform prayers safely and peacefully, with full security deployment and ongoing coordination in accordance with field situation assessments,” says Lt. Col. Ella Waweya, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokeswoman.
Tel Aviv marathon underway
Runners in the Tel Aviv marathon, February 27, 2026. (Tel Aviv Municipality)
The annual Tel Aviv marathon is underway in the coastal city, with around 50,000 runners taking to the streets.
Many major roads are closed around Tel Aviv, and will reopen gradually in the early afternoon when the races end.
The runners have generally sunny and cool weather for their race.
In blow to Starmer, UK Labour party loses parliamentary seat to left-wing Greens
Britain’s ruling Labour party loses a crunch local poll in one of its traditional heartlands to the left-wing Greens, official results show, adding to the woes of unpopular Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Green candidate Hannah Spencer won the by-election in the Manchester suburb of Gorton and Denton with almost 15,000 votes as Labour slumped to third place behind the hard-right Reform UK party, which finished second.
US intel doesn’t support Trump’s claim that Iran close to having missile that can hit US — sources
Boys stand on a launcher of an Iranian domestically-built missile during an annual rally marking 1979 Islamic Revolution at the Azadi (Freedom) sq. in Tehran, Iran, on February 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump’s claim that Iran will soon have a missile that can hit the United States is not backed by US intelligence reports, and appears to be exaggerated, according to three sources familiar with the reports, casting doubt on part of his case for a possible attack on the Islamic Republic.
In his State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday, Trump began making his case to the American public for why the US could launch strikes against Iran, saying Tehran was “working on missiles that will soon reach” the United States.
But there have been no changes, two sources say, to an unclassified 2025 US Defense Intelligence Agency assessment that Iran could take until 2035 to develop a “militarily viable intercontinental ballistic missile” (ICBM) from its existing satellite-lofting space-launch vehicles (SLV).
The White House declines to comment.
One source says that even if China or North Korea — which closely cooperate with Iran — provide technological assistance, Iran will probably take up to eight years at the earliest to produce “something that is actually ICBM level and operational.”
The sources, who speak on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive intelligence, say they are unaware of any US intelligence assessments that Iran is developing a missile that could soon range the US homeland but didn’t rule out the possibility of a new intelligence report they were unaware of.
The New York Times first reported that US intelligence agencies believe Iran is probably years away from having missiles that can hit the United States.
Vance: Tucker Carlson’s interview with Huckabee ‘a really good conversation that’s necessary for the right’
Tucker Carlson (left) interviews US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee at Ben Gurion Airport in a podcast episode published on February 20, 2026. (Screenshot/X)
US Vice President JD Vance says he’s really glad conservative commentator Tucker Carlson interviewed US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee last week.
“I guess my takeaway is it’s a really good conversation that’s going to be necessary for the right, not just for the next couple years but for long into the future,” Vance tells the Washington Post in an interview, acknowledging that he hadn’t watched the full two and a half hour interview but had “seen a couple of clips here and there.”
The interview sparked headlines after Huckabee said it would be “fine” if Israel took over large swaths of the Middle East, while Carlson launched a litany of unsubstantiated claims, some of which echoed antisemitic tropes.
The conversation frequently turned heated as the pair represent opposite sides of the Republican party regarding their feelings toward Israel, with Huckabee being an ardent Christian Zionist and Carlson espousing more isolationist views that have become more common among younger Republicans more uncomfortable with US support for the Jewish state.
Vance, who is considered close to Carlson, says that what he has always liked about the political right in the US is that “there is a real exchange of ideas,” even if he finds some of the people in his camp “annoying.”
“And if you think of the Trump coalition in 2024 — and the way that I put it is, you had Joe Rogan, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity, Tucker Carlson and JD Vance and a coalition of people … but to do that, you have to be willing to tolerate debate and disagreement,” Vance continues. “And I just think that it’s a good thing.”
Hamas civil defense raises toll in overnight Gaza strikes to 5
Gaza’s civil defense ministry says Israeli strikes killed at least five people overnight.
The civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authorities, tells AFP that an air strike in the early hours of Friday morning killed at least two people and seriously injured one in central Gaza.
A drone strike in the south of the Strip shortly after midnight killed three and injured several more people, the agency adds.
Oman’s FM to visit US on Friday to meet Vance and others in bid to prevent war with Iran — report
Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi is scheduled to meet US Vice President JD Vance and other officials in Washington on Friday for talks in an effort to stave off war with Iran, MS Now reports.
Vance: ‘No chance’ strikes on Iran would trigger protracted Mideast war
US Vice President JD Vance arrives on Air Force Two at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, February 26, 2026, after a trip to Wisconsin. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, Pool)
US Vice President JD Vance says there is “no chance” a strike on Iran — a move his boss Donald Trump is considering — will lead to protracted war in the region, according to a Washington Post interview.
“The idea that we’re going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight — there is no chance that will happen,” Vance tells the paper, essentially rejecting criticism that Washington could get stuck in a military quagmire in the volatile region should Trump order air strikes.
“I think we all prefer the diplomatic option,” says Vance, a US Marine veteran who served in the Iraq war. “But it really depends on what the Iranians do and what they say.”
Iranian FM says latest round of talks with US the ‘most intense’ yet
In this handout photo released by the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 26, 2026, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) holds a meeting with Omans Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi (R) in Geneva. (Omani Foreign Ministry/AFP)
Iran’s foreign minister says the latest round of talks with the United States in Geneva were the “most intense” so far.
“Further progress has been made in our diplomatic engagement with the United States. This round of talks was the most intense so far,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says in a statement on X posted overnight after talks on Thursday.
Top US general in Mideast reportedly briefs Trump on options for striking Iran
Then-US Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper speaks at an event at the International Defense Exhibition and Conference in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, February 21, 2023. (AP/Jon Gambrell, File)
Adm. Brad Cooper, who commands US forces in the Middle East, briefed President Donald Trump on Thursday about possible military options against Iran, a source close to Trump tells ABC News.
A second source says that Gen. Dan Caine, who as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the American president’s top military adviser, also took part in the briefing.
Pakistan declares ‘open war’ against Afghan Taliban following clashes
Pakistan’s defense minister declares “open war” on the Taliban government in Afghanistan, after both sides clashed.
“Our patience has reached its limit. Now it is open war between us and you,” Khawaja Asif posts on X.
Paramount set to acquire Warner Bros. after Netflix declines to match takeover offer
An aerial view of the Paramount logo on the water tower at Paramount Studios on February 23, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP)
Paramount Skydance, run by pro-Trump technology heir David Ellison, is poised to take control of Warner Bros. Discovery after Netflix says it will not raise its takeover offer, ending one of the biggest media bidding wars in a generation.
The deal puts a constellation of media properties — from CNN to Nickelodeon to HBO — under the control of the family led by Oracle tycoon and White House ally Larry Ellison.
Netflix says it’s “declining to match” Paramount’s latest offer after the Warner Bros. board declared it a “Superior Proposal” under the terms of its existing merger agreement with Netflix.
“The transaction we negotiated would have created shareholder value with a clear path to regulatory approval,” Netflix says in a statement.
“However, we’ve always been disciplined, and at the price required to match Paramount Skydance’s latest offer, the deal is no longer financially attractive, so we are declining to match the Paramount Skydance bid,” it adds.
The company insists it “would have been strong stewards of Warner Bros.’ iconic brands, and that our deal would have strengthened the entertainment industry and preserved and created more production jobs in the US.
“But this transaction was always a ‘nice to have’ at the right price, not a ‘must have’ at any price,” it concludes.
Without a Netflix counteroffer, the Warner Bros. Discovery board is now free to terminate its agreement with the streaming giant and proceed with Paramount.
The Paramount offer also includes financing from the sovereign wealth funds of three Middle Eastern countries — Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Abu Dhabi — which could attract an additional layer of regulatory scrutiny.
Hillary Clinton says she is confident her husband knew nothing about Epstein’s crimes
Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton speaks to the press after her deposition with the US House Oversight Committee, as it investigates links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in Chappaqua, New York, on 26, 2026. (Charly Triballeau/AFP)
Hillary Clinton says she is confident her husband, former US president Bill Clinton, knew nothing of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes when they were still in contact.
“I think the chronology of the connection that he had with Epstein ended years, several years, before anything about Epstein’s criminal activities came to light,” Hillary Clinton says after giving what she describes as a “long and very repetitive” deposition before a US congressional committee probing Epstein’s crimes.
Palestinian media reports 3 killed in IDF strike on Hamas-run police station in south Gaza
Palestinian media reports at least three people were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli airstrike a short while ago on a facility of Gaza’s Hamas-run police in Mawasi, west of Khan Younis in the Strip’s south.
The IDF doesn’t immediately comment on the reports.
Former hostage Matan Angrest says he was electrocuted in captivity
Released hostage Matan Angrest on his way home, October 23, 2025. (Paulina Patimer/Hostages Forum)
Former hostage Matan Angrest says he was tortured and electrocuted during his two-plus years in Hamas captivity.
“For eight hours in a row, I sat and had to tell them things, during which I knew that it wasn’t just about my own well-being but the security of the country at stake. There are things that are in the realm of ‘die and don’t tell,'” Angrest tells Channel 12’s Uvda investigative program, indicating that he was exposed to highly classified intelligence during his service in an elite tank unit.
Angrest recalls opening his eyes for the first time after he was kidnapped from his tank, which was hit by an RPG on the Gaza border.
He says he found himself in a home in Gaza with over half a dozen Palestinians sitting in front of him.
They began asking him questions about where he served and where he was kidnapped from, but the questions were in Arabic and he didn’t understand. His captors then got angry and started beating him while his hands and feet were tied.
He says he couldn’t move his arm because it was burned so badly.
“Someone came to me with two cables and put them on my wound and just turned (a machine) on. I could feel myself being electrocuted. I screamed in a pain that is impossible to describe,” Angrest says.
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