Bahrain: Terror Blast Injures 5 Policemen

The body of a riot police officer lies on the road as other officers tend to him after a bomb exploded in 2014 (Reuters)
The body of a riot police officer lies on the road as other officers tend to him after a bomb exploded in 2014 (Reuters)
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Bahrain: Terror Blast Injures 5 Policemen

The body of a riot police officer lies on the road as other officers tend to him after a bomb exploded in 2014 (Reuters)
The body of a riot police officer lies on the road as other officers tend to him after a bomb exploded in 2014 (Reuters)

Five policemen were injured in a terror blast while securing Ashoora procession on Budaiya Highway in Daih, while no one claimed the responsibility for it.

The bombing targeted forces securing the participants in Ashoora procession, and as soon the occasion was over, a bomb on the side of the road remotely exploded, a source informed Asharq Al-Awsat.

The source also stated that the occasion was used by Iranian officials who called for illegal processions and walks in Daih, Duraz, and other villages.

Hezbollah’s secretary general Hasan Nasrallah delivered a speech instigating against the kingdom of Bahrain and described the Bahraini people as the oppressed people living in a prison.

Ministry of Interior announced that five policemen were injured in a terror blast while securing Ashoora procession on Budaiya Highway in Daih.

The ministry reiterated on its official Twitter account that the necessary steps are being taken.

In 2014, a terrorist explosion occurred in Daih killing an Emirati officer and two Bahraini policemen after a bomb exploded on the side of the road.

Capital Governor Hisham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa condemned the terror blast that injured five policemen, expressing full confidence in the capability of the security authorities to reveal the circumstances of the terror crime and those behind it to bring them to justice.

The governor asserted that this terror blast didn’t respect the holiness of the month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic Calendar.

The governor said that the terror blast was condemned by all conventions, legislation, developed countries and international organizations.

A Saudi official source at the Foreign Ministry condemned the terrorist bombing which injured several policemen in the Bahraini capital of Manama.

The source confirmed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's support for the Kingdom of Bahrain against these acts of terrorism aimed at destabilizing its security and stability and intimidating its people.

General Secretariat of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed strong condemnation of the terrorist bombing which took place on Monday. The attack targeted security forces while carrying out their duties, resulting in injuries among them.

OIC Secretary-General Yousef al-Othaimeen expressed solidarity with the government of Bahrain in its response to all acts of terrorism aimed at destabilizing its security and stability, terrorizing innocent civilians and damaging public property.

Othaimeen emphasized the organization's principled and firm position, which strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.



EU Exploring Support for New Gaza Administration Committee, Document Says

Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
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EU Exploring Support for New Gaza Administration Committee, Document Says

Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Palestinians push a cart past the rubble of residential buildings destroyed during the two-year Israeli offensives, in Gaza City, February 17, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa

The European Union is exploring possible support for a new committee established to take over the civil administration of Gaza, according to a document produced by the bloc's diplomatic arm and seen by Reuters.

"The EU is engaging with the newly established transitional governance structures for Gaza," the European External Action Service wrote in a document circulated to member states on Tuesday.

"The EU is also exploring possible support to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza," it added.

European foreign ministers will discuss the situation in Gaza during a meeting in Brussels on February 23.


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.