Israel News
Daily Alert
Iran's Extremists Want War
on February 09, 2026
(The Times-UK) Gabrielle Weiniger -
The French-Iranian author Fariba Hachtroudi, 74, believes that Tehran wants conflict. "The extremists want war," she says. "They are ideological, those behind Khameini, they will go to the end and die for this. They think that for 47 years they have done that, and they can continue like this without giving a damn about Iran."
Hachtroudi says that any assurance the regime had given Trump it would not execute detainees was false. "Those prisoners will stay for a long time, anybody who they have even the slightest suspicion to be connected with armed or outside opposition, they will keep in jail and they may face the death sentences later. But they have a problem - there is no more room in jail, the jails are full."
She fears that the unrest is far from over, that another round is coming. "The people haven't finished...and the Iranians will not retreat. Already, right now, we're seeing voices rising up from inside Iran, inside parliament, on the streets, the students, the very numerous dissident clergy, journalists and even inside the police, the guards and the army. It shows that things are likely to move rapidly."
UK Prosecutors to Seek Retrial for Acquitted Palestine Action Elbit Attackers
on February 09, 2026
(Telegraph-UK) Patrick Sawer -
On Feb. 4, a jury at Woolwich Crown Court controversially cleared six people of aggravated burglary at the Elbit Systems factory in Filton, Bristol. Palestine Action has been emboldened and has vowed to stage further protests. Video footage showed a police officer being attacked with a sledgehammer so badly that she suffered a spinal fracture that left her unable to work for months. The raid also caused more than 1 million pounds in damage to the factory.
On Feb. 7, the Crown Prosecution Service announced that it was seeking a retrial on the charges on which the jury failed to reach a verdict. Chris Philp, the Tory shadow home secretary, called for a retrial of the criminal damage and grievous bodily harm charges, and urged police to prevent further similar attacks. "We don't settle things in this country through violence. This gives the green light for mob violence," he said. Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organization by the Government last July.
Netanyahu, Trump to Discuss Iran Talks, Options If Diplomacy Fails
on February 09, 2026
(Jerusalem Post) Amichai Stein -
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and senior members of his administration on Wednesday for what Israeli officials describe as a "strategy-shaping session." It will focus not only on the U.S.-Iran negotiations but also on what could happen if the talks failed, including a potential U.S. military strike.
Israel: Any Iran Agreement Must Address Ballistic Missile Threat
on February 09, 2026
(Ynet News) Itamar Eichner -
Prime Minister Netanyahu moved up his trip to Washington against the backdrop of U.S.-Iran talks in Oman and Israel's concern that Iran's missile program is not being addressed. Netanyahu's central message to Trump will be that those missiles pose an existential threat to Israel, given the scale and ranges Iran is planning, and that it is imperative to ensure once and for all that Israel is no longer under a threat of annihilation.
In addition, the prime minister will present Israel's willingness to assist the U.S. in any military action it chooses, arguing that Israel's power vis-a-vis Iran would be a major force multiplier for the Americans.
Israel Warns U.S.: We May Act Alone If Iran Crosses Ballistic Missile Red Line
on February 09, 2026
(Jerusalem Post) Avi Ashkenazi -
Israeli defense officials recently told their U.S. counterparts that Iran's ballistic missile capabilities and production infrastructure represent an existential threat, and that Jerusalem is prepared to act unilaterally to dismantle them if necessary. "We told the Americans we will strike alone if Iran crosses the red line we set on ballistic missiles," a source said. The officials stressed that Israel will not allow Iran to restore strategic weapon systems on a scale that threatens Israel's existence.
Iran Said to Have 1,800 Missiles and 60-80 Launchers
on February 09, 2026
(Jerusalem Post) Avi Ashkenazi -
Israel has set a red line on Iran's ballistic missile force. "We are not there yet," defense officials said, but estimated Iran currently holds 1,800 missiles and 60-80 launchers. A significant increase would compel decisions in Jerusalem.
IDF Kills Four Hamas Gunmen Who Emerged from Gaza Tunnel
on February 09, 2026
(Times of Israel) Emanuel Fabian -
IDF troops on Monday killed four Palestinian gunmen who emerged from a tunnel and opened fire on soldiers in Rafah in southern Gaza. Several other Palestinians were killed in IDF strikes later in the day. The IDF said the Palestinian attack was a "blatant violation of the ceasefire."
Israel Approves Reforms to Normalize Civilian Life for Jewish Residents in Judea and Samaria
on February 09, 2026
(TPS-Jerusalem Post) Pesach Benson -
Israel's Security Cabinet on Sunday approved a set of measures on land policy, planning authority, and enforcement powers to normalize civilian life for Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria. Land registries in these areas had been kept confidential, a situation that created legal uncertainty, hindered purchases, and enabled fraud. These records will now be made public.
A Jordanian-era law that barred the sale of land to Jews was repealed. Special permit requirements and restrictions on sales to foreigners were removed, allowing Jews to buy property under conditions similar to those in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. The authority for building licenses in the Jewish areas of Hebron was transferred from the Palestinian Hebron Municipality to Israel's Civil Administration.
Israeli supervision and enforcement activities were expanded in Areas A and B of the Palestinian Authority with regard to water, environmental hazards, and damage to archaeological sites. For years, ancient heritage sites have been damaged or erased due to quarrying, unregulated construction, and a lack of enforcement. The measures will also confront severe environmental pollution originating from waste burning and other environmental hazards in Palestinian areas that harm many Israeli citizens.
A dedicated Israeli municipal administration for the Rachel's Tomb complex, a Jewish holy site located within the municipal boundaries of Bethlehem, will be responsible for sanitation, maintenance, landscaping, and daily operations at the site. Defense Minister Israel Katz said, "We are committed to removing barriers, creating legal and civil certainty, and enabling residents to live, build, and develop as equals to all citizens of Israel."
Diplomatic Negotiation in the Face of Oriental Bargaining
on February 09, 2026
(Israel Hayom) Amb. Freddy Eytan -
As a rule, Western diplomats negotiate for a better future and to secure a solid agreement, while the Iranians, Qataris, or Turks behave like carpet merchants in an oriental bazaar. They seek only immediate gain without considering the long term.
How can American negotiators accept that a rogue state, on the verge of bankruptcy, presumes to dictate the agenda and condition all the issues that will be raised during the negotiations? When defense and security issues are at stake and threats against Israel are omnipresent, the security of the State of Israel is not to be bargained with, and Trump cannot grant the mullahs a lifeline.
Netanyahu must unequivocally reject any nuclear agreement that does not also include ballistic missiles, an end to Iranian support for Hizbullah, the Houthis, and Hamas, and a halt to the daily threats to annihilate the Jewish state.
The writer, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, is a former Foreign Ministry senior adviser who was Israel's first ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania.
Why Iran Will Never Give Up Its Ballistic Missile Program
on February 09, 2026
(Jerusalem Post) Dr. Raz Zimmt, head of the Iran Program at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), told 103FM on Monday that Iran is unlikely to relinquish its ballistic missile arsenal because it views this as its last credible pillar of deterrence and a hedge against what it sees as unreliable U.S. guarantees. Zimmt said Iran is not seeking a military confrontation with the U.S., but the key question is what Tehran is willing to concede to avoid one.
He said that in Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's calculus, the risk of a military strike is less significant than the risk of dismantling missile capabilities. He assessed that Iranian decision-makers believe that even a significant U.S. attack could end without toppling the regime. "I am not convinced that Khamenei believes the Americans are truly capable of bringing down the regime," Zimmt said.
Zimmt described Iran's missile array as a direct threat to Israel. Recent events underscored how ballistic missiles can cause significant damage. He pointed to attempts to target civilian areas and multiple missile launches intended to increase the chance of penetrating air defenses. Since Israel and the U.S. have managed to push Iran further from nuclear capabilities, missiles are currently the more immediate threat.
Iran's Calm Before the Storm
on February 09, 2026
(Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs) Iran Desk -
The public discourse in Iran at present is marked by a pervasive sense of "the calm before the storm." The state is attempting to navigate between renewed diplomatic engagement with Washington and severe economic and security pressures at home and abroad.
The Iranian position, as reflected in the press, is unequivocal. Negotiations are confined strictly to the nuclear issue and the lifting of sanctions, with a categorical rejection of any attempt to expand the agenda to include the missile program or Iran's regional role.
Social discourse continues to bear the scars of the deadly wave of protests in January. Media outlets increasingly warn of the "erosion of social capital" and a growing sense of lost prospects among younger generations.
Hamas's Secret Plan to Maintain Control of Gaza
on February 09, 2026
(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh -
More than four months after the ceasefire in Gaza went into effect, Hamas has still not laid down its weapons. Hamas, in fact, is working hard to rearm, regroup and reassert its control over areas of Gaza from which the Israel Defense Forces have withdrawn.
According to Israeli security sources: "Hamas recently strengthened its control over Gaza by stealing humanitarian aid and selling it to local residents, recruiting young men in mosques, collecting taxes, and kidnapping and torturing anyone who dares to speak out against the terror group."
Hamas is seeking to incorporate its 10,000 police officers into a new U.S.-backed Palestinian administration, Palestinian sources told Reuters. There can be no peace, security or stability in Gaza if the same terrorists who murdered, tortured, and mutilated thousands of Israelis and foreign nationals on Oct. 7 are given new uniforms, rearmed and allowed to serve as a paramilitary force. There also can be no peace, security, or stability in Gaza so long as Hamas is permitted to function as a shadow government.
With countries such as Qatar, Turkey and Pakistan sitting on Trump's Board of Peace, it is hard to see how Hamas could ever be forced to lay down its weapons and give up control of Gaza. These countries - longtime sponsors and funders of Hamas - will never take part in any effort to disarm Hamas or remove it from power.
The Yellow Line Will Remain a De Facto Border in Gaza for the Foreseeable Future
on February 09, 2026
(Times of Israel) Stav Levaton -
Four months after the Gaza ceasefire took effect, the enclave remains divided in half, with Israeli forces and Hamas fighters separated by the Yellow Line. President Trump's 20-point peace framework presented the line as a provisional security boundary, pending a phased Israeli withdrawal once specific conditions were met including the disarmament of Hamas. Even in a full withdrawal scenario, Israel would still retain a 1 km.-wide buffer zone along Gaza's perimeter, including the Philadelphi Route on the Egyptian border, which has long served as a major smuggling corridor.
Hillel Frisch, professor emeritus at Bar-Ilan University and former senior researcher at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, said the central challenge moving forward is "how to get rid of Hamas." Contrary to the U.S. push for a multinational force to ensure Hamas's disarmament, he argued that the IDF is the only actor capable of carrying out that mission. Look at "the 12,000-man UN force...in Lebanon since 2006...[that] did nothing. Forty-six countries [contributed to UNIFIL], and it didn't prevent the movement of one single Hizbullah terrorist."
With no realistic prospect for removing Hamas from power to Israel's satisfaction, Frisch predicted that the Yellow Line would remain a de facto border in Gaza for the foreseeable future.
The Saudis and Other Arabs Have Grown Less Enthusiastic about Normalizing Relations with Israel
on February 09, 2026
(Wall Street Journal) Walter Russell Mead -
As the standoff with Iran persists, a loose coalition of Sunni powers in the Middle East including Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are collaborating to fill the vacuum created by the fall of Iran's allies in Lebanon and Syria. Israel's strongest regional partner, the United Arab Emirates, is largely isolated in the Arab and Muslim worlds. Qatar, Hamas's strongest friend and ally, is back in the heart of regional diplomacy.
The Saudis have risen to the leadership of the Arab world while longtime rivals Iraq and Syria plunged into chaos and Egypt into economic decline. From seriously considering entry into the Abraham Accords, the Saudis have returned to attacking Israeli behavior toward the Palestinians. Israel's defeat of Iran seems to be influencing the Saudi change in approach, resulting in increased Saudi concerns about Israeli strength as Riyadh's fear of the mullahs diminished.
The writer, a fellow at the Hudson Institute, is Professor of Strategy and Statecraft at the University of Florida.
Saudi Arabia Can't Have Peace with Israel and Reject Jewish Sovereignty
on February 09, 2026
(Jerusalem Post) Chama Mechtaly -
Saudi officials have begun projecting a markedly different posture abroad. Saudis insist they don't have a problem with Jews. It's just the Zionists they oppose. No Arab state can meaningfully benefit from Jewish cooperation while rejecting Jewish sovereignty. If Zionism remains framed as shameful, conspiratorial, or inherently illegitimate inside Saudi discourse, then the kingdom is not prepared for Abraham Accords-style peace.
When the UAE joined the Abraham Accords, it did not just normalize on paper; it legitimized Jewish sovereignty and built an interfaith infrastructure that treated Jewish presence not as an anomaly, but as a civilizational fact of the region. It removed the phrase "Zionist entity" from media usage, dismantled Arab League-aligned boycott laws, and presented Zionism as what it is, a national movement rooted in Jewish history, trauma, and the universal right to self-determination.
Visible Jewish life was supported openly, signaling that Israel's existence was real, permanent, and legitimate, not tactical or conditional. The UAE represents a living counterargument to rejectionist orthodoxy. It demonstrates that normalization with Israel can endure pressure and survive crises.
If Saudi leaders want deeper cooperation with Jews in the U.S., they must accept Israel as a sovereign, permanent state. You cannot build lasting integration by engaging the Jewish Diaspora but treating Jewish sovereignty as evil. Peace and prosperity are dividends Saudi Arabia can earn only if it accepts Jewish sovereignty.
Israel Thrives While Its Haters Flounder
on February 09, 2026
(Sunday Telegraph-UK) Sir Michael Ellis -
The mullahs say they have their "fingers on the trigger" and most regional states are rather nervous. Meanwhile, Israel seems to shake it all off and get on with life. One supposes there is nothing like being attacked multiple times over the decades to build resilience. Despite leading a country only the size of Wales, Prime Minister Netanyahu has pointed out that within a decade, Israel's economy will be worth $1 trillion.
While the Iranian regime has been busy murdering protestors by the thousands, haters of Israel prefer to focus their efforts on trying to introduce a boycott of Israeli avocados. At the same time, the Government under Sir Keir Starmer has indefinitely paused a UK trade deal with Israel, thereby doing itself out of business with one of the world's leading high-tech innovators.
Egypt and Israel have recently signed the biggest natural gas deal in Israel's history, worth $35 billion. The Israeli Leviathan gas field will soon supply a substantial proportion of Egypt's energy needs. The UAE has signed a defense contract with Israel worth $2.3 billion for a new, highly sophisticated defense system to protect its civilian and military aircraft. This follows the German parliament approving a $3.5 billion expansion of the Arrow 3 deal with Israel. In total, the deal was valued at $8 billion.
Israel's military, diplomatic, economic and tech strength is extraordinary. But the nation's true strength rests on the happiness, positivity and industry of its people in the face of those who hate them. Israel is one of the world's players. The future bodes well for them. For the haters - not so much.
The writer, former Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, served as Attorney General for England and Wales.
The Truth about American Police Training in Israel
on February 09, 2026
(Commentary) Seth Mandel -
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's obsession with Israel was on full display when, during the campaign, video emerged of him advising activists "to make clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it's been laced by the IDF."
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an Islamic pressure group that celebrated Hamas's Oct. 7 attacks, has been pushing the Los Angeles Police Commission to investigate every angle of the LAPD's past trips to Israel. The LA Police Commission's Office of the Inspector General has released a report on the department's past 10 years of participation in training programs abroad.
Major metropolitan police departments do training activities with a range of countries, so to focus solely on Israel is an admission of egregious bias. Israel is one of 32 countries to which LA police have traveled. The UK gets twice as many trips and Canada three times as many as Israel. Israel accounts for 7% of activities of LAPD personnel going abroad.
Israel Aerospace Industries Delivered 350 F-35 Fighter Jet Wings to Lockheed Martin
on February 09, 2026
(Jerusalem Post) Yonah Jeremy Bob -
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced Monday the delivery of its 350th fighter jet wing to Lockheed Martin for production of the F-35. There are currently 1,300 F-35 jets being flown by 11 different countries. Israel has 48 F-35s, with two more to be delivered later in 2026.
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said, "The delivery of the 350th wing of an F-35 symbolizes the power of the eternal partnership between the U.S. and Israel....When Israeli innovation and American industry act together, the results are capabilities which no one can compete with."
Hiding Pay-for-Slay
on February 09, 2026
(Palestinian Media Watch) Itamar Marcus -
On Feb. 10, 2025, under intense pressure from Western countries, Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas announced the cancellation of the PA rewards program for terrorists in prison known as Pay-for-Slay, saying that the payments would be based on social welfare criteria.
The PA has another huge terror rewards program for released terrorist prisoners, with more than 10,000 hidden Pay-for-Slay recipients receiving more than $230 million a year. PA law rewards terrorists who were imprisoned for more than five years with lifetime salaries.
In February 2026, the PA camouflaged the files of 6,000 Pay-for-Slay recipients, turning some into "pensioners," and paying salaries to others in the civil service for fictitious jobs. The payments are obscured from international scrutiny and impossible to monitor.
Syrian Journalist: Palestinians Risked Their Kids' Lives to Collect Pay-for-Slay
on February 09, 2026
(Palestinian Media Watch) Itamar Marcus -
Syrian journalist Mustafa Al-Miqdad told official PA TV on Feb. 1, 2026: "Years ago, at the Gaza border, there was friction with the Zionist enemy....There are stories I won't hide from you, that we all know, meaning as families, some would go together with their children, etc., so they would be injured or something would happen to them, so they could later receive the monthly aid or the monthly salary, or even be arrested and imprisoned to receive just what would support their families."
When a UN Official Becomes a Megaphone for Hamas
on February 09, 2026
(JNS) Dr. Fiamma Nirenstein -
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, told an Al Jazeera forum in Qatar on Saturday that Israel is the "common enemy" against which the global community must now unite.
Israel is a country of 10 million people - seven million of them Jews - so small its name barely fits on a map. It is surrounded by states that have spent decades and billions of dollars attempting to erase it. Those states have failed to produce a fraction of Israel's scientific, agricultural, technological and democratic achievements. To Albanese, this is proof of diabolical intent.
Iran, she suggests, should not distract us with its own crimes - tens of thousands of Iranian citizens killed for demanding freedom. No, the Jews are worse. They are the universal enemy. Israel's real crime, in Albanese's telling, is that it is still alive.
History has seen this story before. What is new is the brazenness with which the accusation is now delivered - under a UN title, on a Qatari stage, to applause.
The writer, a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs, served as vice president of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the Italian Chamber of Deputies.
Former Pro-Palestinian Activist Explains Why She Left the Movement
on February 09, 2026
(Jerusalem Post) Taryn Thomas, a former pro-Palestinian activist at Stanford University, has described her experience inside the campus protest movement following Oct. 7. She said she joined with good intentions, driven by strong emotional reactions to images from Gaza. She trusted peers, professors, and social media narratives without question.
Thomas said she encountered almost no coverage of Hamas's attack on Israeli civilians in her social media feeds or on campus. It was not until a year later, when she visited a Nova music festival exhibit, that she viewed footage of the attack, which she described as emotionally overwhelming.
She also detailed the cult-like dynamics within campus protest groups, including internal policing, exclusion of dissenting voices, and hostility toward anyone labeled a "Zionist." Antisemitic rhetoric and acts, including vandalism and threats, were dismissed or excused in the name of the cause.
Schoolbooks in Qatar Continue to Teach Hatred of Jews and Israel
on February 09, 2026
(Council on Foreign Relations) Elliott Abrams -
Despite its efforts to present itself as a modern state that promotes stability and peace, Qatar continues to teach its children contempt for Jews, Judaism, and Israel. A new study of Qatari school textbooks conducted by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), found that they portray "Jewish people as materialistic, arrogant, deceitful, and hostile to Islam."
"Jews are further associated with traits such as lying, scheming, fleeing in fear, spreading discord, breaching agreements, and excessive attachment to material wealth. Antisemitic tropes depict Jews as cynically manipulating global affairs. Textbooks also deny Jewish historical ties to Israel/Palestine and the right to self-determination....Textbooks praise the upbringing of children 'to love jihad,' and students are taught that God rewards those who fight and die for Islam by granting them entry into Paradise."
The writer is Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at CFR.
Imagining a Different Super Bowl Ad Against Antisemitism
on February 09, 2026
(Times of Israel) Dr. Mitchell Bard -
This year's Super Bowl ad combating antisemitism is well-intentioned. It shows a Jewish teen named David walking down a high-school hallway. Two students bump him and stick something onto his backpack. When David reaches his locker, we see the note: "DIRTY JEW."
The outcome is: endure the insult, suppress the confrontation, and walk away. Turn the other cheek. This commercial does not inspire courage. It says: cover it up and move along. It is the response of the ghetto Jew, not what one would expect of a Jew living comfortably in 21st-century America.
Imagine a different David: not a nebbish shrinking at his locker, but a Jew with bulging biceps who pulls out a yarmulke, puts on a Magen David necklace, turns around, and walks straight back down the hall - not to beg for acceptance, but to assert dignity. He might casually knock the guy who put the Post-it on his backpack on his behind, lean down, and put a note on his forehead that says PROUD ZIONIST to make clear American Jews are done turning the other cheek.
The writer is executive director of the Jewish Virtual Library.
Low Likelihood of Success Seen in U.S.-Iran Talks
on February 09, 2026
(Israel Hayom) Danny Zaken -
Diplomatic sources familiar with the U.S.-Iran talks say the Americans flatly rejected the Iranian attempt to set a lengthy timetable for "confidence-building" and to postpone discussion of all issues other than the nuclear file until after an agreement is reached on the nuclear question.
The Americans presented their positions, which include a complete halt to uranium enrichment and the transfer of enriched uranium, an end to the long-range missile project, a cessation of support for terrorist organizations, and an end to executions and the crackdown on protesters across Iran.
The Iranians are prepared to discuss the nuclear issue, missiles and support for their proxies, but only after the nuclear matter is resolved and substantial sanctions relief is granted. The overall picture points to a low likelihood of reaching agreements.
Diplomatic sources say there are disagreements between the Witkoff-Kushner team and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President J.D. Vance. Witkoff and Kushner believe the negotiations should continue even if Iran appears to be stalling, and that a complete halt to the nuclear project would constitute a sufficient achievement. The others insist that missiles and proxy organizations are essential demands and broadly support a significant push toward toppling the regime.
The assessment is that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will not be able to persuade Iranian conservatives to accept a halt to the military nuclear program and the transfer of enriched uranium to a third country. He certainly will not succeed in convincing them to abandon the policy of supporting terrorist organizations across the Middle East, which serve as military and economic arms of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Give to support Christians in Defense of Israel
Pray for Israel
Our prayer intercessors will lift up your prayer requests!
Sign
Petitions
Signing a petition is an easy and effective way to have your voice heard.
Stay
Informed
Sign up for The Defender newsletter and the CIDI Action Email.
Clubs & Organizations
Connect to other Israel supporters.
For more information call: (407) 875-1948 • [email protected] • PO BOX 540209 Orlando, FL 32854-0209
Christians in Defense of Israel is a 501(c)(3), tax-exempt nonprofit organization. Contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law.
©2014-present Christians in Defense of Israel. All Rights Reserved.
Click Here to Read our Privacy Policy