TRUMP SENDS 2ND AIRCRAFT CARRIER TO MIDEAST.

 JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)

TRUMP SENDS 2ND AIRCRAFT CARRIER TO MIDEAST.

THE NEXT US-ISRAEL HIT ON IRAN SHOULD BE VERSE 37. ALL OFFENSIVE NUKE SITES MISSLES,DRONES,AND OF COURSE KHEMENI AND THE IRGC GUARDS.THEN AFTER IRANS REGIME CHANGE. MUSLIMS COME TO JESUS BY THE MILLIONS.

JEREMEIAH 49:32-39 (IN IRAN AT THE BUSHEHR OR ARAK NUKE SITES AND ALL OFENSIVE WEAPONS DESTROYED IN IRAN)
Jeremiah 49:32-39    
32 Their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil: and I will scatter to all winds those who have the corners [of their hair] cut off; and I will bring their calamity from every side of them, says Yahweh.
33 Hazor shall be a dwelling-place of jackals, a desolation forever: no man shall dwell there, neither shall any son of man sojourn therein.(Location & Size: It was strategically located along the Via Maris (Way of the Sea), a major trade route connecting Egypt with Syria and Mesopotamia.)
34 The word of Yahweh that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning Elam,(IRAN) in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
35 Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: Behold, I will break the bow of Elam,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) the chief of their might.(MISSLES AND NUKE SITES)
36 On Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of the sky, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation where the outcasts of Elam shall not come.(SINCE 1979 IRANIANS HAVE GOTTIN OUT OF IRAN BECAUSE OF KHEMENI AND HIS APOCOPOLIPTIC DEATH CULT BELIEF-BLACK HATER 12ERS)
37 I will cause Elam (IRAN) to be dismayed before their enemies, and before those who seek their life;(ISRAEL THE LITTLE SATAN AND THE U.S THE BIG SATAN) and I will bring evil on them, (MISSLES) even my fierce anger,(FIRE) says Yahweh; and I will send the sword after them,(IRANS OFFENSIVE WEAPONS) until I have consumed them; (DESTROYED THEM ALL NUKE SITES,MISSLES ETC)
38 and I will set my throne in Elam,(IRAN WILL BECOME A CHRISTIAN NATION) and will destroy from there king (KHEMENI, ISLAM) and princes, says Yahweh.(IRANIAN ARMY GUARDS)
39 But it shall happen in the latter days, that I will bring back the captivity of Elam,(IRAN) says Yahweh.(WERE IN THE LATTER DAYS NOW)

JEREMEIAH 49:23-27
23  Concerning Damascus.(SYRIA) Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea;(WAR SHIPS WITH NUKES COMING ON SYRIA) it cannot be quiet.
24  Damascus is waxed feeble, and turneth herself to flee, and fear hath seized on her: anguish and sorrows have taken her, as a woman in travail.
25  How is the city of praise not left, the city of my joy!
26  Therefore her young men shall fall in her streets, and all the men of war shall be cut off in that day, saith the LORD of hosts.
27  And I will kindle a fire (NUKES OR BOMBS) in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Benhadad.(ASSADS PALACES POSSIBLY IN DAMASCUS)

Trump: Regime change in Iran ‘would be the best thing that could happen’US president confirms sending second aircraft carrier to Middle East in case ‘difficult’ Islamic Republic doesn’t make a deal, says ‘fear’ is only thing that will get Tehran to sign agreement By Jacob Magid and ToI Staff Today, 1:31 am-FEB 13,26

Asked Friday about potential regime change in Iran, US President Donald Trump said, “it seems like that would be the best thing that could happen,” as he confirmed sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East “in case we don’t make a deal” with the Islamic Republic.“For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking,” Trump told reporters after visiting with troops at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, referring to Iran’s clerical rulers. “In the meantime, we’ve lost a lot of lives while they talk. Legs blown off, arms blown off, faces blown off. We’ve been going on for a long time.”Pressed on who he would like to take over Iran, Trump declined to answer, but he added that “there are people.”His comments appeared to contradict those made by US Vice President JD Vance, who indicated earlier this week that the administration was not pursuing regime change in Iran.“If the Iranian people want to overthrow the regime, that’s up to the Iranian people,” Vance said, appearing to suggest that this was not the administration’s goal. What we’re focused on right now is the fact that Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.”The US had recently appeared to be open to the idea of regime change in Iran, with Trump calling on protesters to “take over” government institutions amid the mass protests there, and reportedly asking aides for a strike plan that could help spur the toppling of the government.But then Washington entered negotiations with Iran, which are set for a second round in the coming days. Trump has repeatedly threatened Tehran with an attack if it doesn’t agree to a deal that sees the Islamic Republic give up its capabilities to produce a nuclear weapon, roll back its ballistic missile program, and cease its support for armed proxies in the region.Before heading to Fort Bragg, Trump hit out Iran for being “difficult” in the nuclear talks that commenced in Oman last week.“If we don’t have a deal, we’ll need it; if we have a deal, we could cut it short — it’ll be leaving very soon,” said Trump of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier.The Ford’s deployment was first reported by the New York Times on Thursday.The aircraft carrier is currently en route from the Caribbean to join the USS Abraham Lincoln, which deployed in the Arabian Sea in January amid Trump’s threats to strike Iran if it did not stop its crackdown on anti-regime protests, where regime forces killed thousands of people.Referring to the Lincoln, Trump told reporters outside the White House that “if we need it, we have it ready, a very big force.”Later, speaking to troops at Fort Bragg, Trump said only fear would get Iran to sign a deal.“We have a situation right now where we have sent a very big carrier group to Iran,” he said. “I would love to see if we could make a deal. They’ve been difficult to make a deal with.”“I thought we would have had a deal last time. They wish they did,” said Trump, citing the US strike on Iran’s key nuclear sites on June 22, during the 12-day Israel-Iran war, which put an end to a previous round of US-Iran nuclear talks.“Sometimes you have to have fear. That’s the only thing that really will get the situation taken care of,” he added.#WATCH | US President Donald Trump says, "We have a situation right now where we have sent a very big carrier group to Iran. I would love to see if we could make a deal. They've been difficult to make a deal with. I thought we would have had a deal last time. They wish they did… pic.twitter.com/q0iBb9u14P— ANI (@ANI) February 13, 2026-Iran, whose leaders are sworn to destroy Israel, denies seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, but has enriched uranium to levels that have no peaceful application, obstructed international inspectors from checking its nuclear facilities, and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.Rafael Grossi, head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, told the Munich Security Conference on Friday that reaching an accord with Iran on inspections of its processing facilities is possible but “terribly difficult.” He added that the agency’s inspectors had returned to Iran following the war, but have not been able to visit any of the sites that were targeted.Oman facilitated the indirect US-Iran talks in its capital Muscat last week. A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry said the talks let Tehran gauge Washington’s seriousness, and showed enough consensus for diplomacy to continue. The date and venue of the next round of US-Iran talks have yet to be announced.The Islamic Republic has refused US demands to expand the scope of the negotiations to include the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile program and support for regional proxy forces. Trump has repeatedly threatened to attack Iran if it doesn’t agree to a deal that encompasses all three issues.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, returning from a meeting with Trump at the White House, on Thursday said any agreement with Iran must cover “not only the nuclear issue, but also ballistic missiles and Iran’s regional proxies.”The premier expressed “general skepticism about the possibility of reaching any agreement with Iran,” but said Trump believes the Iranians could be forced into “a good deal.”Commenting on the meeting with Netanyahu, Trump told reporters on Thursday: “We have to make a deal, otherwise it’s going to be very traumatic, very traumatic.”Agencies contributed to this report.

US sending second aircraft carrier, world’s largest, to Mideast as Iran tensions high-Source says USS Ford to join USS Lincoln as Trump ups pressure on Tehran to reach nuclear deal; Iranians hold 40-day mourning events for victims of regime’s crackdown on protests-By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and Jon Gambrell 13 February 2026, 11:56 am

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will send the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Middle East to back up another already there, a person familiar with the plans said Friday, putting more American firepower behind President Donald Trump’s efforts to coerce Iran into a deal over its nuclear program and potentially its missile program too.The USS Gerald R. Ford’s planned deployment to the region comes after Trump only days earlier suggested another round of talks with the Iranians was at hand. Those negotiations didn’t materialize as one of Tehran’s top security officials visited Oman and Qatar this week and exchanged messages with the US intermediaries.Already, Gulf Arab nations have warned that any attack could spiral into another regional conflict in a Middle East still reeling from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Iranians are beginning to hold 40-day mourning ceremonies for the thousands killed in Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month, adding to the internal pressure faced by the sanctions-battered Islamic Republic.The Ford’s deployment, first reported by The New York Times, will put two carriers and their accompanying warships in the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying guided-missile destroyers are already in the Arabian Sea.The person who spoke to The Associated Press on the deployment did so on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements.It marks a quick turnaround for the Ford, which Trump sent from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean in October as the administration built up a huge military presence in the lead-up to the surprise raid last month that captured then-Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.It also appears to be at odds with Trump’s national security strategy, which emphasizes the Western Hemisphere over other parts of the world.Trump on Thursday warned Iran that failure to reach a deal with his administration would be “very traumatic.” Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman last week.“I guess over the next month, something like that,” Trump said in response to a question about his timeline for striking a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. “It should happen quickly. They should agree very quickly.”Trump told Axios earlier this week that he was considering sending a second carrier strike group to the Middle East.Trump held lengthy talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and said he insisted to Israel’s leader that negotiations with Iran needed to continue. Netanyahu is urging the administration to press Tehran to scale back its ballistic missile program and end its support for terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah as part of any deal.The USS Ford set out on deployment in late June 2025, which means the crew have been deployed for almost eight months. While it is unclear how long the ship will remain in the Middle East, the move sets the crew up for an unusually long deployment.The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.Iran at home faces still-simmering anger over its wide-ranging suppression of all dissent. That rage may intensify in the coming days as families of the dead begin marking the traditional 40-day mourning for the loved ones. Already, online videos have shown mourners gathering in different parts of the country, holding portraits of their dead.One video purported to show mourners at a graveyard in Iran’s Razavi Khorasan province, home to Mashhad, on Thursday. There, with a large portable speaker, people sang the patriotic song “Ey Iran,” which dates to 1940s Iran under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. While initially banned after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran’s theocratic government has played it to drum up support.“Oh Iran, a land full of jewels, your soil is full of art,” they sang. “May evil wishes be far from you. May you live eternal. Oh enemy, if you are a piece of granite, I am iron.”Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

Concern over welfare of imprisoned Nobel Peace Laureate-Rights group says verified death toll in last month’s Iran protests has passed 7,000-HRANA’s figure emerges as world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald Ford, said headed to region; WSJ reports US smuggled thousands of Starlink terminals into Iran amid blackout-By Agencies 13 February 2026, 4:37 pm

The verified death toll from the Iranian regime’s crackdown on nationwide protests last month has passed 7,000, with many more still feared dead, activists said Thursday.The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency — which offered the latest figure of 7,005 people killed, including 214 government forces — has been accurate in counting deaths during previous rounds of unrest in Iran and relies on a network of activists in the country to verify deaths.More than a month after the mass killing of demonstrators on January 8-9, a second round of talks between the US and Iran remains up in the air, while the American military continues to build up its forces in the region.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed his case directly with US President Donald Trump on Thursday to intensify demands on Tehran in the negotiations.Trump told reporters at the White House that Iran should come to an agreement with Washington “very quickly,” and when asked for a timeline, said: “I guess over the next month, something like that.”Netanyahu called the meeting “excellent” but said he “did not hide” his own “general skepticism” about any deal.As the premier returned to Israel, it was reported that the US will send the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the region, to join the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, as well as other ships and warplanes the country has dispatched to the Middle East in recent weeks.The move, which was first reported early Friday by The New York Times, came as US forces shot down a drone they said got too close to the Lincoln and came to the aid of a US-flagged ship that Iranian forces tried to stop in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.6,000 Starlink terminals smuggled into Iran-Additionally, it was reported Thursday that Washington has smuggled around 6,000 Starlink satellite internet kits into Iran to aid protesters during a regime-imposed internet blackout.A US official told The Wall Street Journal that senior Trump administration figures decided to use money for internet-freedom initiatives in Iran to purchase the terminals, which were mostly bought in January.The official said it was unclear whether Trump personally ordered the delivery of the devices, but said the president was aware of it.Owning a Starlink terminal is illegal in Iran and punishable by years in prison.As anti-government protests swelled across Iran last month, Trump threatened to strike the Islamic Republic if it killed demonstrators. The US president also told the protesters, via social media, “HELP IS ON ITS WAY!”So far, no operation by the US to directly help the protesters on the ground is known to have been carried out.The White House declined to comment on the Journal’s report.Tehran announces probe into mass protests-The Iranian government announced on Friday the establishment of a commission of inquiry related to the protests.“A fact-finding committee has been formed with representatives from relevant institutions and is collecting documents and hearing statements,” Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani told the local news agency ISNA.The spokeswoman did not specify whether the commission would only focus on the economic demands that triggered the protests or whether it would also investigate deaths during the protests.“The final report will be published for public information and further legal action after the process is completed,” she stated.On Thursday, a government website published comments by President Masoud Pezeskhian saying, “We have assigned teams to investigate the causes” of the unrest, without providing further details.“We are ashamed that such unfortunate events have occurred,” Pezeshkian said.Concern over Nobel Peace Prize laureate-The Norwegian Nobel Committee said Friday it was “deeply appalled by credible reports detailing the brutal arrest, physical abuse and ongoing life‑threatening mistreatment” of 2023 Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.The committee that awards the prize said it had information that Mohammadi had been beaten during her arrest in December and continued to be mistreated. It called for her immediate and unconditional release.“She continues to be denied adequate, sustained medical follow‑up while being subjected to heavy interrogation and intimidation,” the committee said. “She has fainted several times, suffers from dangerously high blood pressure, and has been prevented from accessing necessary follow‑up for suspected breast tumors.”Iran just sentenced Mohammadi, 53, to over seven more years in prison. Supporters had warned for months before her arrest that she was at risk of being put back into prison after she received a furlough in December 2024 over medical concerns.

Witkoff, Kushner to hold separate talks on Iran and Ukraine-Russia in Geneva next week-By Reuters.FEB 13,26

PALM BEACH, Florida — Two sets of diplomatic negotiations, on Ukraine and Iran, are set to take place in Geneva on Tuesday, a source briefed on the matter tells Reuters.A US delegation including envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will meet with the Iranians on Tuesday morning, the source says. Witkoff and Kushner will then participate in trilateral talks with representatives from Russia and Ukraine in the afternoon, the source adds.

US readying for potential weeks-long military campaign against Iran, sources tell Reuters-By Reuters.FEB 13,26

The US military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two US officials tells Reuters, in what could become a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries.The disclosure by the officials, who speak on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the planning, raises the stakes for the diplomacy underway between the United States and Iran.Asked for comment on the preparations for a potentially sustained US military operation, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly says: “President Trump has all options on the table with regard to Iran.”“He listens to a variety of perspectives on any given issue, but makes the final decision based on what is best for our country and national security,” Kelly says.The Pentagon declines to comment.The United States sent two aircraft carriers to the region last year, when it carried out strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.However, June’s “Midnight Hammer” operation was essentially a one-off US attack, with stealth bombers flying from the United States to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran staged a very limited retaliatory strike on a US base in Qatar.The planning underway this time is more complex, the officials say.In a sustained campaign, the US military could hit Iranian state and security facilities, not just nuclear infrastructure, one of the officials says. The official declines to provide specific detail.Experts say the risks to US forces would be far greater in such an operation against Iran, which boasts a formidable arsenal of missiles. Retaliatory Iranian strikes also increase the risk of a regional conflict.The same official says the United States fully expects Iran to retaliate, leading to back-and-forth strikes and reprisals over a period of time.The White House and Pentagon don’t respond to questions about the risks of retaliation or regional conflict.

Explainer-Iran’s military degraded by 12-day war with Israel, but still has significant capabilities-Despite its losses to Israel and US, Tehran retains missiles, manpower and regional reach-By David Rising and SAM METZ 13 February 2026, 9:52 pm

BANGKOK (AP) — With one American carrier strike group already in the Middle East and another apparently on its way as US President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear program, fears are rising of the outbreak of another war that could spread into a regional conflict.The 12-day Israel-Iran war last year appeared to cripple key elements of Iran’s military, yet left its capabilities far from neutralized — a distinction that looms large as tensions rise again.If hostilities erupt again, the risk of a broader protracted conflict returns, especially if Iran’s leadership sees the fight as one for its existence.Open skies-The June 13-24 war started when Israel launched strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear program and top military officials, saying it was responding to an existential threat posed by the nuclear program as well as Iran’s massive ballistic missile array. The United States joined the conflict, hitting three nuclear sites with massive “bunker-buster” bombs dropped from B-2 stealth bombers that flew their mission from their home base in Missouri.It was a risky move for Trump, who has criticized his predecessors for involving the US in “stupid wars,” but Iran responded weakly to the US attack, with a limited missile attack on an American military base in Qatar that it warned Washington of in advance, and which caused no casualties. Tehran and Israel then both agreed to a ceasefire.Israel was able to significantly degrade Iran’s air defenses with airstrikes and covert attacks from teams on the ground. Iran, presumably aware that its older F-14 and MiG-29 fighters were no match for the fifth-generation American F-35 stealth fighters and other aircraft flown by Israel, also never sent its air force into action.That left the skies clear for Israel to carry out waves of attacks, and for the US to hit Iran’s nuclear facilities and get out of Iranian airspace without the B-2 bombers ever being fired upon.If hostilities resume, that scenario is likely to repeat, said Sascha Bruchmann, a defense analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Bahrain.“In practical terms, in reductionist terms, the sky is open for American and Israeli planes,” he said. “The problem is how to defend the region from the retaliation.”Bruchmann said in the case of an expanded war, Iran would most likely hit back by targeting US bases in the region, but could also attack oil infrastructure and mine the Strait of Hormuz, which links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil is transported.They could also attempt to hit the American aircraft carriers, though they’re well defended by the destroyers in their strike groups, Bruchmann said.“If the regime itself believes its survival is at stake, which it did not believe in June last year, I think the game is different,” he said. “If you have a … regime that thinks it’s about to go down, then why would you hold back with retaliation?”Iran’s missile cupboard-Iran fired hundreds of missiles during the 12-day war and used more than 1,000 attack drones, killing nearly three dozen Israeli civilians and wounding thousands.Danny Citrinowicz, a researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies and a former Iran specialist in Israel’s military and intelligence services, said that it remains unclear how much missile capacity Iran has rebuilt.“You can see through satellite imagery, attempts to restart manufacturing,” he said, adding that government leaks in Israeli media suggest that Israel assumes Iran still retains a substantial number of short-range ballistic missiles.Israeli strikes last year focused on what officials saw as the most immediate threats — Iran’s medium- and long-range missiles — leaving Tehran with a reduced but far from eliminated ability to threaten Israel. Its ability to hit nearby US bases with short-range missiles seems barely diminished.“The short-range ballistic missiles did not suffer any significant hit whatsoever in the 12-day war,” Citrinowicz said.Iran’s exact capabilities aren’t known, but it’s thought to still have more than 1,000 long-range missiles that could hit Israel, and several thousand of the shorter-range missiles that could be used to hit American bases or other targets nearby, Bruchmann said.Missile stockpiles matter only if a country retains the systems to launch them. Israel also took out many of Iran’s launchers, but wasn’t able to destroy them completely, and it seems likely that Iran will have been working hard to rebuild that capacity.Very different stakes-Iran’s military vastly outnumbers that of Israel, with about 600,000 regular troops and 200,000 in the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, including the elite Quds Force.Despite this, the Israeli Defense Forces is considered a superior army. Israel has around 170,000 members of active duty forces and another 400,000 reserves. But even though the military is smaller, it has been battle-hardened by regional conflicts and possesses the latest US and European equipment as well as a robust domestic defense industry.It also has the support of the US, both with its naval assets and multiple bases in the Middle East, including Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which hosts thousands of American troops and is the forward headquarters for US Central Command.In the past, Iran has also relied on proxy forces. Those include Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. But each has been so degraded by recent fighting that it’s an open question whether they would be able — or willing — to come to Iran’s assistance from Gaza, Lebanon or Yemen.A bigger threat might come from Iran-linked militias in Iraq, which could threaten US forces on the ground there.But beyond comparing numbers and capabilities, Bruchmann said that when thinking about a possible all-out conflict, one has to look at what the sides are willing to risk.“My assumption is that Americans are trying to plan for zero casualties,” he said. “We’re talking regime survival versus a zero casualty intervention — so just phenomenally different stakes.”

UAE official backs adding Palestinian rep. to Board of Peace-Board of Peace envoy: Technocrats can’t enter Gaza if ceasefire violations persist-In rare public comments since taking on role, Mladenov says Palestinian committee being set up for ’embarrassment’ if proper conditions aren’t in place before it begins operating-By Jacob Magid-13 February 2026, 11:12 pm

The Board of Peace’s High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov said at the Munich Security Conference on Friday that the Palestinian technocratic committee tasked with governing Gaza in place of Hamas cannot enter the Strip if violations of the ceasefire continue.“We need to make sure that what is happening now with the violations of the ceasefire stops,” said Mladenov, without placing blame on either Israel or Hamas. “If you put the committee tomorrow in Gaza and the violations of the ceasefire continue the way they are now. We’re only embarrassing the committee and ultimately making it ineffective.”Under US President Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), a committee of Palestinian technocrats unaffiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, is supposed to oversee the reconstruction of the devastated Strip, with backing from the US-led Board of Peace. Mladenov, a former Bulgarian minister and UN envoy to the Mideast, took on his central role on the Board last month.Mladenov’s comments came as IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said on Friday the military would “respond to any violation” and would not give up on the war objectives of demilitarizing the Strip and disarming Hamas. Zamir, who was visiting Gaza, confirmed that the army has such plans ready to go if the government orders it.Israel has carried out daily strikes on what it says are terror operatives in Gaza. According to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, the death toll since the October ceasefire stands at nearly 600 and includes scores of women and children.On Friday, the IDF said it had carried out an airstrike against two terror operatives who entered a building on the Israeli-controlled side of the ceasefire line in northern Gaza Thursday night. The air force struck the building “to remove the threat” after the operatives were identified by reservists of the Alexandroni Brigade,” the IDF said.Also on Friday, a Hamas delegation headed by the terror group’s top negotiator Khalil al-Hayya arrived in Cairo for talks slated to focus on disarmament, an Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel.Such talks have been taking place for months, but have been largely theoretical since the US has yet to put together a proposal on the decommissioning of weapons that can be formally presented to Hamas.A US official told The Times of Israel earlier this week that Washington is expected to present its disarmament plan in the coming weeks, but no exact date has been set. In the meantime, Mideast mediating countries Egypt, Qatar and Turkey have been holding talks with Hamas officials to get an understanding of what the group would be willing to accept.In the absence of an alternative governing body, Hamas has managed to bolster its control on its side of the Yellow Line, to which Israel retreated under the October 9 Gaza ceasefire agreement.The US took until January to unveil the members of the NCAG, after Israel dragged its feet on approving the names of potential participants, said the Arab diplomat who spoke with The Times of Israel.Hamas must cede control and disarm, says Mladenov-In the rare public comments since he took on his role, Mladenov, speaking on a panel at the Munich conference, warned against “cementing” the status quo in which the Strip is divided between Israeli- and Hamas-controlled sides.The way to prevent this was to let the NCAG enter Gaza and take the reins from Hamas, said Mladenov, adding that five conditions had to be met for that to happen.The first condition, he said, was that Hamas must transfer control over civilian institutions to the NCAG. While the terror group has said it is in the process of doing this, Mladenov stressed that the process is complicated and “requires a little bit more careful planning and verification” — a possible nod to concerns that Hamas would quietly keep controlling government offices behind the scenes.The second condition for the NCAG to be able to govern in Gaza is that ceasefire violations in Gaza must end, said Mladenov.The third condition, he said, was that there be “a radical increase in the aid going into Gaza — materials that have been long needed: temporary housing, tents, caravans, medicine, food — everything that is required… so people can quickly see some basic change in their lives.”Israel maintains a strict ban on dual-use items that it deems capable of being turned into weapons, even as humanitarian organizations have warned that the ban covers life-saving items such as viable shelters from the wind and rain for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.The fourth condition cited by Mladenov for NCAG governance is that adequate resources must be procured for the committee. The Board of Peace is slated to host a fundraising meeting in Washington on Thursday, where the US plans to announce several billion dollars in donations, largely from the Gulf countries of the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar, Arab diplomats told The Times of Israel this week.The fifth and final condition is that “we need to make sure that we have an agreed framework in place on the decommissioning of weapons in Gaza,” said Mladenov. Hamas has publicly rejected calls to disarm, but Arab diplomats say the group has privately expressed more flexibility.New Gaza police expected to play greater role-Mladenov indicated that the new Palestinian police force set to be deployed in Gaza will play a greater role in the decommissioning process than will the still-unestablished International Stabilization Force that is also meant to deploy in Gaza, under Trump’s plan.The police force “should be able to secure the ground, with the assistance of the ISF. Because if we are relying on international troops — no matter where they come from — to police Gaza, we have a very wrong approach,” Mladenov said.Earlier this week, two Arab diplomats told The Times of Israel that after initial plans for the NCAG to enter Gaza in late January and early February, those involved now recognize that a specific timeline for the entry cannot be given because the technocratic body doesn’t yet have the tools necessary to govern the enclave.Asked about the financial priorities of the Board of Peace once it secures its funding, Mladenov said the first aim will be to expand humanitarian aid, the second will be emergency recovery and the third will be security.“For Gaza to be reconstructed in a way that is sustainable — one, we need to have the [NCAG] inside effectively governing; two, we need to have the process of decommissioning of weapons; and three, we need Israeli withdrawal,” Mladenov said.Trump’s Gaza peace plan envisions Israel withdrawing from the Yellow Line in tandem with Hamas’s disarmament. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will maintain overarching security control of the Strip, and Defense Minister Israel Katz has claimed the IDF will also maintain a physical presence in the enclave.Pressed on where he sees Gaza one year from now, Mladenov said he hopes the NCAG will govern the Strip in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority.“I hope that we will be significantly advanced on deploying a new security force of Palestinians inside Gaza and Hamas would have given up a significant part of its weapons so that… Israel can withdraw from the Yellow Line,” he said — suggesting Hamas will not have given up all its weapons by then.Two sources familiar with discussions about the US decommissioning plan for Hamas told The Times of Israel earlier this week that its fundamental principle will be stripping Hamas of weapons that can be used to threaten Israel.The plan envisions Hamas handing over heavy weaponry and destroying manufacturing sites in addition to incentivizing the handover of lighter weapons by offering funds, jobs and amnesty to those who cooperate, the sources said.The proposal will focus on one section of Gaza at a time, rather than the entire Strip at once. Accordingly, it will take months to finish, the sources added.While this may not lead to the recovery of every single weapon belonging to terror groups in the Strip, the US thinks enough pressure from mediators Egypt, Qatar and Turkey can prevent Hamas from holding on to power, keeping its weapons and carrying out attacks.Focus on immediate aid to Gazans-NCAG’s governance in Gaza, Hamas disarmament and Israel’s withdrawal “are critical if we are ever to return back to the political resolution of the Palestinian question,” said Mladenov. “Because the political resolution of the Palestinian question requires negotiation. It requires one Palestinian leadership over the entire occupied territory, and it requires a dialogue that is facilitated by the United States, Europe and others.”Mladenov also noted that the November UN Security Council resolution mandating the Board of Peace to oversee Gaza includes a requirement for the PA to undergo significant reforms so that it can replace the NCAG in Gaza “at the end of the transition period.”Meanwhile, he pushed back on the notion that the Board of Peace and its executive boards will be overseeing the NCAG, arguing that those bodies will instead provide “support, guidance and assistance” to the technocratic committee.Mladenov said he is focused on getting immediate relief to Gazans.“Our focus needs to be on making sure that the people of Gaza receive the aid that they require right now, that we put in transparent institutions of governance in Gaza that they have not had for 20 years, and that we make sure that there are no weapons beyond the control of the transitional authority in Gaza.”He argued that solving the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict cannot be done if the more immediate issues in Gaza are not addressed.“Under the current conditions, with Hamas still in Gaza and Gaza divided into two, we’re setting ourselves up for complete and utter failure if we don’t address that. And the price of that daily failure will be paid both by Palestinians and Israelis down the line,” Mladenov said.Also participating in the panel was senior Emirati official Anwar Gargash, who laid out the framework of Abu Dhabi’s involvement in Gaza.While the UAE will not contribute troops to the ISF, it will continue leading the humanitarian efforts and leveraging its ties with Israel so that Jerusalem can “see the other perspective,” Gargash said.He argued that while the immediate focus in Gaza must be on surging humanitarian aid into Gaza, advancing such a response would be futile without a political horizon for Palestinians.Asked about the absence of a Palestinian representative on the Board of Peace, Gargash said that this should be changed.“A more equal situation will be for the Palestinians to have their voice — not only on the Board of Peace, but everywhere. Because they are one of the principles, as much as the Israelis are,” he said.PA President Mahmoud Abbas was not invited by the US to attend the inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Gaza. An Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that the PA has sought to recruit its allies to convince the US to offer it a spot on the Board of Peace, but Washington has held off on including Abbas. Instead of Abbas, the US has invited NCAG chief commissioner Ali Shaath to attend the Washington event.Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.

IDF says Hezbollah operative rebuilding group’s infrastructure killed in strike-Separately, two fringe activists for settlement in Lebanon cross border to plant trees, are returned to Israel by troops-By Emanuel Fabian-13 February 2026, 8:30 pm

A Hezbollah operative was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon on Thursday night, the military said.The operative  — identified by Lebanese media as Mahdi Hassan Shaito — was targeted in the southern town of at-Tiri. Lebanon’s health ministry also reported one person dead in the strike.According to the Israel Defense Forces, the operative was involved in restoring the terror group’s military infrastructure in the at-Tiri area.The military said the operative’s activities were a violation of the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon.Under the November 2024 ceasefire deal, Hezbollah was required to withdraw and disarm south of the Litani River. Israel alleges that the terror group continues to operate in the area, leading the IDF to conduct near-daily strikes.The US-brokered ceasefire with Hezbollah came after two months of open conflict in Lebanon, including an IDF ground operation in the country’s south in a bid to enable the safe return of some 60,000 residents of northern Israel displaced by the terror group’s near-daily attacks. The rocket attacks began on October 8, 2023 — a day after fellow Iran-backed terror group Hamas invaded southern Israel, sparking the war in Gaza.The ceasefire required both Israel and Hezbollah to vacate southern Lebanon, to be replaced by the Lebanese armed forces. Israel has withdrawn from all but five strategic posts along the border.Since the ceasefire, the IDF said it has killed over 400 Hezbollah operatives and members of allied terror groups in strikes, hit hundreds of Hezbollah sites, and conducted over 1,200 raids and other small operations in southern Lebanon.Weakened by the war and still facing regular Israeli strikes, Hezbollah is under internal and international pressure to hand over its weapons, with the Lebanese army having drawn up a plan to disarm it.Separately, earlier on Thursday, two Israeli activists for settlement in Lebanon — a small fringe group — breached the border before being returned to Israel by the IDF.According to the military, some 20 activists had gathered near the Israeli border community of Yir’on, with two crossing the barrier into Lebanon.The activists said they entered Lebanon to plant trees and to “renew the Jewish settlement in Lebanon.”The IDF said that the two civilians were apprehended by troops, brought back to Israel, and handed over to the police for further questioning.“The IDF strongly condemns the incident and emphasizes that it is a grave event constituting a criminal offense that endangers civilians and IDF troops,” the army added.There have been several occasions where Israeli civilians have crossed the border into Lebanon since the November 2024 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.Support for Jewish settlement in Lebanon remains very small, and no politicians or major figures outside of fringe settler groups have called for their establishment.

Raytheon demonstrates recoverable Coyote system against drone swarms-by Clarence Oxford.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 13, 2026-Raytheon, an RTX business, has demonstrated the Coyote Block 3 Non-Kinetic system defeating multiple drone swarms during a recent U.S. Army exercise in the United States. The event highlighted the system's ability to launch, fly, intercept, and recover after engaging unmanned aircraft threats.Coyote Block 3NK is a counter-unmanned aircraft system designed to loiter in the battlespace and engage drone swarms using a non-kinetic payload. This approach aims to neutralize hostile unmanned aircraft while reducing the risk of collateral damage in complex operational environments.After an engagement, operators can recall the Coyote Block 3NK and prepare it for additional missions. The recoverable design supports repeated use, which is intended to reduce overall system costs and improve availability for sustained operations.Raytheon produces both kinetic and non-kinetic Coyote variants to counter small, medium, and larger unmanned aircraft systems. According to the company, these effectors can defeat targets at longer ranges and at higher altitudes than other systems in a similar class, giving operators more flexibility in how they respond to evolving air threats."Coyote provides warfighters a cost-effective defense for individual drones and swarms," said Tom Laliberty, president of Land and Air Defense Systems at Raytheon. "We continue to invest in Coyote's combat-proven capabilities, ensuring that allies around the globe gain an affordable operational advantage over sophisticated and evolving drone threats."Raytheon recently received its largest counter-drone contract to date under the U.S. Army's Low, slow, small-unmanned aircraft Integrated Defeat System, or LIDS, program. The award supports the service's effort to field layered defenses against small unmanned aircraft that can threaten deployed forces, fixed sites, and critical infrastructure.To meet growing international demand for counter-drone technologies, Raytheon has increased investment in its kinetic Coyote production line and in performance upgrades. The company reports that recent enhancements support faster launches, higher speeds, and greater engagement ranges.These improvements are intended to help Coyote variants intercept unmanned aircraft that operate at higher altitudes and carry heavier payloads over longer distances. By expanding the engagement envelope, Raytheon aims to ensure that the Coyote family can keep pace with rapidly advancing unmanned aircraft systems and emerging swarm tactics.