Iran Begins Efforts to Stop US-British Strikes Against Houthis

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani speaking to reporters (IRNA)
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani speaking to reporters (IRNA)
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Iran Begins Efforts to Stop US-British Strikes Against Houthis

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani speaking to reporters (IRNA)
Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani speaking to reporters (IRNA)

Iran launched its diplomatic efforts to stop the US-British attacks on the Houthi group, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani.

Kanaani indicated that recent developments in the Red Sea are a result of the situation in the Gaza Strip.

Speaking at the weekly press conference, Kanaani announced that the UK-US attacks against Yemen violate the sovereignty of an independent and UN member state.

He described the attacks as a "flagrant act of aggression and adventure," accusing them of issuing "false claims" of not wanting to expand the scope of the war while they launched illegal and unilateral actions.

Hamas has been launching drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since Nov. 19 in support of the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

In response, US and British forces began launching air attacks on Houthi positions.

The spokesman reiterated Tehran's condemnation of the attacks, saying the situation in the "Red Sea is caused by the conditions that are going on in Gaza."

Iran has expressed its transparent position on the issue, he further noted.

- Boycotting Israeli goods in Iran

Kanaani asserted that boycotting Israeli goods is a demand of all free people in the world.

The spokesman explained that the Foreign Ministry must monitor and prepare a list of companies and goods associated with Israel under the law.

Last year, the authorities identified the companies and goods affiliated with Israel and updated the list submitted to the Trade Ministry and the Customs Administration.

Last December, Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf demanded that the Foreign Ministry provide a list of goods linked to Israeli companies.

Ghalibaf said the government must take the necessary measures to prevent the import of these goods.

Kanaani asserted that none of the known Israeli goods will be allowed to enter Iran.

- Gaza, post-war

He indicated that the "Zionist entity does want to stop the war," accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking his interests through the ongoing war and lack of security and stability.

Kanaani defended the actions of the "Axis of Resistance" groups, referring to the recent visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian to Beirut.

Commenting on the death of Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers in Syria last month, Kanaani said officials on several occasions that any action against Iran will not go unanswered, and Tehran will respond to the Zionist action against it.

On Sunday, The Washington Post quoted Lebanese and Iraqi officials as saying that Iran is privately urging Hezbollah and other armed groups to exercise restraint against US forces.

"Iran may have realized their interests are not served by allowing their proxies unrestricted ability to attack US and coalition forces," one US official said.

"Iran is doing its utmost to prevent the expansion of the war and the escalation from reaching the point of no return," said an Iraqi official with close ties to Iranian-backed forces there.

The newspaper pointed out that Amirabdollahian praised the groups during a recent visit to Lebanon and promised continued support.

However, in private, Iranian emissaries have adopted a more measured tone. They've praised Hezbollah's sacrifices but cautioned that war with Israel would risk precious gains in the region, according to Washington Post sources.

Washington confirmed that Tehran enjoys a high level of control over its "agents" in the region. Tehran says it has provided funding, advice, and training to allies.

On Sunday, multiple Iranian and Iraqi sources told Reuters that the visit of the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, to Baghdad has led to a pause in attacks on US troops by Iran-aligned groups in Iraq.

Qaani met representatives of several of the armed groups in Baghdad airport on Jan. 29, less than 48 hours after Washington blamed the groups for the killing of three US soldiers at the Tower 22 outpost in Jordan, the sources said.

The sources added that Qaani informed the armed factions that shedding US blood risked a violent response and that they must move away from the scene to avoid launching a strike.

He said the militias should lie low to avoid US strikes on their senior commanders, destruction of key infrastructure, or even a direct retaliation against Iran, the sources said.

Since Feb. 4, there have been no attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria, compared to more than 20 attacks in the two weeks before Qaani's visit.



Israel Military Says Soldier Killed in Gaza 

A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighborhood, after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, October 21, 2025. (Reuters)
A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighborhood, after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, October 21, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israel Military Says Soldier Killed in Gaza 

A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighborhood, after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, October 21, 2025. (Reuters)
A drone view shows the destruction in a residential neighborhood, after the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the area, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Gaza City, October 21, 2025. (Reuters)

The Israeli military announced that one of its soldiers had been killed in combat in southern Gaza on Wednesday, but a security source said the death appeared to have been caused by "friendly fire".

"Staff Sergeant Ofri Yafe, aged 21, from HaYogev, a soldier in the Paratroopers Reconnaissance Unit, fell during combat in the southern Gaza Strip," the military said in a statement.

A security source, however, told AFP that the soldier appeared to have been "killed by friendly fire", without providing further details.

"The incident is still under investigation," the source added.

The death brings to five the number of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza since a ceasefire took effect on October 10.


Syria: SDF’s Mazloum Abdi Says Implementation of Integration Deal May Take Time

People sit outdoors surrounded by nature, with the Tigris river flowing in the background, following a long atmospheric depression, near the Syrian-Turkish border in Derik, Syria, February 16, 2026 REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
People sit outdoors surrounded by nature, with the Tigris river flowing in the background, following a long atmospheric depression, near the Syrian-Turkish border in Derik, Syria, February 16, 2026 REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
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Syria: SDF’s Mazloum Abdi Says Implementation of Integration Deal May Take Time

People sit outdoors surrounded by nature, with the Tigris river flowing in the background, following a long atmospheric depression, near the Syrian-Turkish border in Derik, Syria, February 16, 2026 REUTERS/Orhan Qereman
People sit outdoors surrounded by nature, with the Tigris river flowing in the background, following a long atmospheric depression, near the Syrian-Turkish border in Derik, Syria, February 16, 2026 REUTERS/Orhan Qereman

Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the process of merging the SDF with Syrian government forces “may take some time,” despite expressing confidence in the eventual success of the agreement.

His remarks came after earlier comments in which he acknowledged differences with Damascus over the concept of “decentralization.”

Speaking at a tribal conference in the northeastern city of Hasakah on Tuesday, Abdi said the issue of integration would not be resolved quickly, but stressed that the agreement remains on track.

He said the deal reached last month stipulates that three Syrian army brigades will be created out of the SDF.

Abdi added that all SDF military units have withdrawn to their barracks in an effort to preserve stability and continue implementing the announced integration agreement with the Syrian state.

He also emphasized the need for armed forces to withdraw from the vicinity of the city of Ayn al-Arab (Kobani), to be replaced by security forces tasked with maintaining order.


Israeli Far-Right Minister to Push for ‘Migration’ of West Bank, Gaza Palestinians 

A Palestinian man checks leather belts as people prepare for Ramadan, in the old city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 17,2026. (Reuters)
A Palestinian man checks leather belts as people prepare for Ramadan, in the old city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 17,2026. (Reuters)
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Israeli Far-Right Minister to Push for ‘Migration’ of West Bank, Gaza Palestinians 

A Palestinian man checks leather belts as people prepare for Ramadan, in the old city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 17,2026. (Reuters)
A Palestinian man checks leather belts as people prepare for Ramadan, in the old city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, February 17,2026. (Reuters)

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would pursue a policy of "encouraging the migration" of Palestinians from the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported Wednesday.

"We will eliminate the idea of an Arab terror state," said Smotrich, speaking at an event organized by his Religious Zionism Party late on Tuesday.

"We will finally, formally, and in practical terms nullify the cursed Oslo Accords and embark on a path toward sovereignty, while encouraging emigration from both Gaza and Judea and Samaria.

"There is no other long-term solution," added Smotrich, who himself lives in a settlement in the West Bank.

Since last week, Israel has approved a series of measures backed by far-right ministers to tighten control over the West Bank, including in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords, in place since the 1990s.

The measures include a process to register land in the West Bank as "state property" and facilitate direct purchases of land by Jewish Israelis.

The measures have triggered widespread international outrage.

On Tuesday, the UN missions of 85 countries condemned the measures, which critics say amount to de facto annexation of the Palestinian territory.

"We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel's unlawful presence in the West Bank," they said in a statement.

"Such decisions are contrary to Israel's obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed.

"We underline in this regard our strong opposition to any form of annexation."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday called on Israel to reverse its land registration policy, calling it "destabilizing" and "unlawful".

The West Bank would form the largest part of any future Palestinian state. Many on Israel's religious right view it as Israeli land.

Israeli NGOs have also raised the alarm over a settlement plan signed by the government which they say would mark the first expansion of Jerusalem's borders into the occupied West Bank since 1967.

The planned development, announced by Israel's Ministry of Construction and Housing, is formally a westward expansion of the Geva Binyamin, or Adam, settlement situated northeast of Jerusalem in the West Bank.

The current Israeli government has fast-tracked settlement expansion, approving a record 52 settlements in 2025.

Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law.