Egypt, Libya Establish ‘New Phase’ of Cooperation

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh (AFP)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh (AFP)
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Egypt, Libya Establish ‘New Phase’ of Cooperation

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh (AFP)
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh (AFP)

Libya and Egypt entered a new phase of cooperation after Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly visited Tripoli at the head of a high-ranking delegation.

Madbouly discussed with his Libyan counterpart, Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh, regional and international issues of common interest, and emphasized the importance of intensifying coordination and political consultation on various issues.

They stressed the importance of protecting Libya's sovereignty over its territory, its political unity, and its independence.

Egypt and Libya signed a number of memorandums including one on the resumption of civilian flights between the two countries, after six years of suspension.

"I instructed the [Egyptian] Aviation Ministry to immediately allow receiving planes from Libyan cities at Cairo Airport," Madbouli said at a press conference.

The statement stressed that the Presidential Council and the Government of National Unity (GNU) are the only legitimate executive authority in Libya.

The two sides also intend to exchange experience, emphasizing that the solution to political problems can only be achieved through peaceful political methods approved by the relevant international and local political conventions.

The statement also stressed the role of Egypt and its constructive contributions in controlling joint security and stability in a way that guarantees the territorial integrity of the two sides.

The statement called for trade and economic exchange between the countries, including facilitating the movement of goods.

The two officials also stressed the importance of holding the 11th session of the Higher Joint Egyptian-Libyan Committee and completing the procedures for the cooperation agreements between the two countries, the statement revealed.

They called for activating and amending previous deals on joint investments, by giving more concessions and procedural facilities for development projects of current and future joint ventures.

The two officials signed an MoU to facilitate the return of Egyptian workers to Libya.

The two delegations also decided to form a joint working group of agriculture and marine specialists, to open sea lines for passengers and freight between the ports of the two countries.

The statement called for the establishment of an information system and a common database for combating terrorism. This will lead to monitoring, follow-up, and exchange of information on terror, in addition to enumerating terrorist elements in the two countries and preparing a unified directory of wanted and suspected extremists.

The two countries will also establish security and checkpoints along the land and sea borders, form joint forces to combat terrorism, and mobilize against terror financing.

It was also decided to monitor financial transactions, funding of charities, and work to establish a joint body to combat money laundering, organized crime, and undocumented migration.

During the meeting, a number of MoUs were signed to consolidate the relations between the two countries in transportation, infrastructure, health, electricity, and communications.



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.