Netanyahu, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Discuss Iranian Threats

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Dec. 18, 2020. Twitter
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Dec. 18, 2020. Twitter
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Netanyahu, US Joint Chiefs of Staff Discuss Iranian Threats

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Dec. 18, 2020. Twitter
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Tel Aviv, Israel on Dec. 18, 2020. Twitter

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz have discussed with visiting Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley Iran’s threat in the region.

A statement from Netanyahu's office said Friday the PM also discussed with Milley regional threats and military cooperation between Israel and the US.

Netanyahu thanked the US General for the military cooperation between the two countries, which has expanded in recent years, and expressed hope that such coordination would continue.

This is Netanyahu’s second meeting with a senior US security official this week.

Last Sunday, the Israeli PM met with US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien.

Before meeting O'Brien, Netanyahu said "the United States and Israel are working closely together more than ever."

Gantz said the army is ready for any eventuality in the face of the Iranian threat in the region, calling on the US military to remain in the Middle East.

During Friday's talks, which focused on "the Iranian threat to the region," Gantz said pressure on the Tehran regime must be continued.

"During the meeting, we discussed various challenges and changes in the Middle East,” a statement from his office said.

The Israeli Defense Minister called for continued pressure on the Iranian regime.

"It is important to maintain the US military presence in the Middle East, which is a key element for stability in the region," he said, addressing the US Chief of Staff, who arrived in Israel on Thursday on a two-day visit.

He met with the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, Aviv Kochavi, and a number of officers, to discuss joint cooperation, amid escalating tensions between Israel and Iran in the wake of the assassination of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh last month.



Türkiye Pleased with Alignment Steps by Syria, Kurdish Forces, Erdogan Says

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of male and female dormitories at Bogazici University, in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 13, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of male and female dormitories at Bogazici University, in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 13, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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Türkiye Pleased with Alignment Steps by Syria, Kurdish Forces, Erdogan Says

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of male and female dormitories at Bogazici University, in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 13, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of male and female dormitories at Bogazici University, in Istanbul, Türkiye, February 13, 2026. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he is pleased to see steps taken in neighbouring Syria to integrate the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into state structures, after a US-backed ceasefire deal late last month between the sides.

In a readout on Wednesday of his comments to reporters on a return flight from Ethiopia, Erdogan was cited as saying Ankara is closely monitoring the Syrian integration steps and providing guidance on implementing the agreement.

Meanwhile, a Turkish parliamentary commission voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to approve a report envisaging legal reforms alongside the militant Kurdistan Workers Party's (PKK) disarmament, advancing a peace process meant to end decades of conflict.

The PKK - designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and European Union - halted attacks last year and said it would disarm and disband, calling on Ankara to take steps to let its members participate in politics.

The roughly 60-page report proposes a roadmap for the parliament to enact laws, including a conditional legal framework that urges the judiciary to review legislation and comply with European Court of Human Rights and Constitutional Court rulings.

The pro-Kurdish DEM Party, which has been closely involved in the process and held several meetings with PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan in prison, objected to the report's presentation of the Kurdish issue as a terrorism problem but generally welcomed the report and called for rapid implementation.

“We believe legal regulations must be enacted quickly,” senior DEM lawmaker Gulistan Kilic Kocyigit told Reuters. Parts of the report offered “a very important roadmap for the advancement of this process," she said.

Erdogan signaled that the legislative process would begin straight away. “Now, discussions will begin in our parliament regarding the legal aspects of the process,” he said.


Turkish FM to Attend Trump’s Board of Peace Meeting in Washington, Italy as ‘Observer’ 

28 November 2025, Berlin: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Wadephul. (dpa)
28 November 2025, Berlin: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Wadephul. (dpa)
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Turkish FM to Attend Trump’s Board of Peace Meeting in Washington, Italy as ‘Observer’ 

28 November 2025, Berlin: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Wadephul. (dpa)
28 November 2025, Berlin: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Wadephul. (dpa)

‌Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Washington in lieu of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" on Thursday, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

A Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters ‌that Fidan, during the ‌talks, would call ‌for ⁠determined steps to ⁠resolve the Palestinian issue and emphasize that Israel must end actions to hinder the flow of aid into Gaza and stop its ceasefire violations.

Fidan ⁠will also reiterate Türkiye's ‌readiness ‌to contribute to Gaza's reconstruction and its ‌desire to help protect Palestinians ‌and ensure their security, the source said.

He will also call for urgent action against Israel's "illegal ‌settlement activities and settler violence in the West Bank", ⁠the ⁠source added.

According to a readout from Erdogan's office, the president separately told reporters on Wednesday that he hoped the Board of Peace would help achieve "the lasting stability, ceasefire, and eventually peace that Gaza has longed for", and would focus on bringing about a two-state solution.

The board, of which Trump is the chairman, was initially designed to oversee the Gaza truce and the territory's reconstruction after the war between Hamas and Israel.

Meanwhile, Italy will be present at the meeting as an "observer", Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said Wednesday.

"I will go to Washington to represent Italy as an observer to this first meeting of the Board of Peace, to be present when talks occur and decisions are made for the reconstruction of Gaza and the future of Palestine," Tajani said according to ANSA news agency.

Italy cannot be present as anything more than an observer as the country's constitutional rules do not allow it to join an organization led by a single foreign leader.

But Tajani said it was key for Rome to be "at the forefront, listening to what is being done".

Since Trump launched the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, at least 19 countries have signed its founding charter.


Energy Secretary: US to Stop Iran's Nuclear Ambitions 'One Way or the Other'

US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks during a press conference after a meeting with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks during a press conference after a meeting with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)
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Energy Secretary: US to Stop Iran's Nuclear Ambitions 'One Way or the Other'

US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks during a press conference after a meeting with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright speaks during a press conference after a meeting with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas on February 11, 2026. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP)

The United States will deter Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons "one way or the other", US Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned on Wednesday.

"They've been very clear about what they would do with nuclear weapons. It's entirely unacceptable," Wright told reporters in Paris on the sidelines of meetings of the International Energy Agency.

"So one way or the other, we are going to end, deter Iran's march towards a nuclear weapon," Wright said.

US and Iranian officials held talks in Geneva on Tuesday aimed at averting the possibility of US military intervention to curb Tehran's nuclear program.

Iran said following the talks that they had agreed on "guiding principles" for a deal to avoid conflict.

US Vice President JD Vance, however, said Tehran had not yet acknowledged all of Washington's red lines.