Middle East Geopolitical Reporting for 2026-02-14
We've collected the top geopolitical conflict articles from the Middle East and brought them all here. If you're tired of only having access to MSM versions of the story, you've found the right place. We’ll include all of the outlets we know of.
Regime change in Iran 'best thing that could happen', Trump says
When asked for comment on sending another aircraft carrier in addition to the one currently in the region on Friday responded that "in case we don't make a deal, we'll need it."
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Feb 14, 2026 - jpost.com
Over 2,000 Britons served in Israeli military during Gaza genocide: Report
Over 2,000 British nationals fought alongside Israeli forces during the Gaza genocide, a report says.
Presstv
Feb 14, 2026 - presstv.ir
Hamas: Any war against Iran amounts to attack on entire Muslim world
The al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, warns that any aggression against Iran is tantamount to an attack on the entire Islamic Ummah.
Presstv
Feb 14, 2026 - presstv.ir
Gaza genocide's death toll may exceed 200,000: Report
A leading institute warns Israel’s war on Gaza may have killed over 200,000 as the population fell by more than 10 percent.
Presstv
Feb 14, 2026 - presstv.ir
Killed twice: Palestinian-Americans and the price of silence
Since the beginning of the Gaza genocide, dozens of Palestinian-Americans have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers.
Presstv
Feb 14, 2026 - presstv.ir
US military preparing for potentially weeks-long Iran operations
"Sometimes you have to have fear. That's the only thing that really will get the situation taken care of," Trump said.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Feb 14, 2026 - jpost.com
Times Square billboard targets PA 'pay-for-slay' policy
A billboard in New York’s Times Square spotlights the Palestinian Authority's pay-for-slay policy as Abbas advances a draft constitution for a future Palestinian state.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Feb 14, 2026 - jpost.com
Hamas slams Israeli settlers’ ‘criminal aggression’ in West Bank
Hamas has condemned latest assaults by Israeli settlers and the relentless army offensive across the occupied West Bank.
Presstv
Feb 14, 2026 - presstv.ir
‘Colonial eradication of Palestine’: Iran condemns Israel’s West Bank annexation push
Iran has strongly condemned the Israeli regime’s recent decision to seize more land from Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, saying the move aims to expand “illegal settlement-building” and entrench occupation.
Presstv
Feb 14, 2026 - presstv.ir
Iran faces off with E3 over snapback sanctions as Russia and China back Tehran
Europe’s bid to reimpose UN sanctions on Tehran has ignited a fierce backlash, with Iran denouncing the move as “illegal” and vowing firm retaliation.
Presstv
Feb 14, 2026 - presstv.ir
Silenced in France: The unjust detention of a pro-Palestine Iranian activist
Mahdieh Esfandiari, an Iranian academic who lived in France for eight years, has been unjustly detained for condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza on social media.
Presstv
Feb 14, 2026 - presstv.ir
IRGC is part of Iran’s national army: Pundit
Iranian academician states that Europe is not genuinely committed to labeling the IRGC as a “terrorist organization” and is facing significant pressure from the Israeli regime.
Presstv
Feb 14, 2026 - presstv.ir
Washington seeking regime change in Venezuela: Analyst
Podcaster and Journalist Esha Krishnaswamy believes the U-S military buildup in the Caribbean region is aimed at regime change in Venezuela.
Presstv
Feb 14, 2026 - presstv.ir
Gaza's sports sector devastation: No athletes at Italy's Winter Olympics
As Italy's Olympic Winter Games roll out, a report detailing the destruction of the Palestinian sports sector by Israel has been presented in Rome.
Presstv
Feb 14, 2026 - presstv.ir
Over 2,000 Britons served in IDF as 47,000 dual and multi-nationals enlisted during Gaza genocide
More than 2,000 British nationals served in the Israeli military during its genocide in Gaza, according to new data published by Declassified UK. The investigative outlet reported that figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request submitted to the Israeli army show that 1,686 British-Israeli dual nationals and a further 383 individuals holding British, Israeli and at least one addition...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Israel arrests 22,000 Palestinians in West Bank, Jerusalem since start of the genocide war
Israel has arrested around 22,000 Palestinians in the West Bank, including Jerusalem, since the start of what has been described as a war of genocide, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian Prisoner’s Club. The rights group said the figure covers all cases of arrest during this period, including those who remain in detention and those who were later released. It described the number as an unp...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
France’s censorship of voices calling out international complicity with genocide
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has once again been targeted, this time by French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, for her speech at the Al Jazeera Forum in Doha on Saturday, in which she denounced the entire complicit system that supported Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The term “common enemy”, which Albanese used to describe how involved the international community ...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
UN official refuses calls to resign, denounces states’ silence over genocide in Palestine
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, has refused calls to resign and rejected criticism from states that fail to condemn genocide in Palestine. She stressed that she will not accept “lessons from countries that violate international law and fail to condemn genocide.” Earlier on Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for t...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Lawsuit before the Constitutional Court in Germany against arms exports to Israel fails
The Federal Constitutional Court, the highest Court in Germany, has spoken. That sentence is the centre of gravity. It signals judicial restraint. It confirms that the Federal Government retains broad discretion in determining how it complies with its constitutional duty to protect fundamental human rights, including in the sensitive area of arms exports contributing to a warfare that is deemed ge...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Prisoners’ office reveals assault on Abdullah Barghouti in Israeli jail
The Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office said on Thursday that detainee Abdullah Barghouti was injured during a suppression operation at Gilboa prison a day earlier. In a statement, the office said Barghouti appeared exhausted during a family visit and had a visible injury to his left eye. It claimed he had struck his head against a door while being taken to the visit as prison authorities launched...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Government dealt a blow: Highest court deems Palestine Action ban unlawful
In a moment that exposed the flimsy nature of the government narrative, Keir Starmer’s government suffered a resounding blow from the UK Supreme Court after it struck down the decision to ban the activist group Pal Action and ruled it unlawful. This was not a mere procedural detail; it was a clear political indictment of a path that chose to criminalise the act of standing by and defending a victi...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Indonesia’s 8,000: Can stabilisation proceed without normalisation?
Gaza has become a scar on the conscience of the international system. With more than 72,000 Palestinians reported killed and over 1.9 million displaced at the height of the latest war, the strip stands as a symbol of immeasurable grief and diplomatic failure. In November 2025, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2803, backing a US-proposed plan and establishing a Board of Peace to oversee s...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Extremist Israeli minister storms Ofer Prison, oversees abuse of Palestinian inmates
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Friday forced his way into Ofer Prison, west of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, in a visit marked by intimidation and abuse of Palestinian detainees, Anadolu reports. Ben-Gvir entered the prison accompanied by senior police officials, including Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai, days before the start of the Muslim holy month of ...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
7 Palestinian families forced out of Jordan Valley amid illegal settler attacks in occupied West Bank
Seven Palestinian families on Friday dismantled their homes in the Al-Maita area of the northern Jordan Valley in the West Bank amid escalating attacks by illegal settlers and Israeli forces. Moataz Bisharat, who monitors settlement activity in Tubas, told Anadolu that the families removed their tin and tent structures after illegal settlers set fire to uninhabited tents overnight and carried out ...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Man City manager backs Gaza amputee football team with signed Palestinian jerseys
English Premier League club Manchester City’s manager Josep “Pep” Guardiola Sala signed Palestinian national team jerseys on Thursday in a show of support for an amputee football team in Gaza, the Gaza team announced, Anadolu reports. The Gaza al-Irada FC (Gaza of Will) amputee football team announced the gesture in a post on US social media platform Instagram, calling the moment a symbolic link b...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to join Middle East naval forces: Report
The USS Gerald R. Ford and its escort ships, currently in the Caribbean, will be redeployed to the Middle East and are unlikely to return home until late April or early May, according to the New York Times. Four US officials, speaking to the newspaper on condition of anonymity, said the ship’s crew was notified of the decision on Thursday. The Ford strike group will join the USS Abraham Lincoln in...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Swiss lawyers file ICC complaint accusing government of complicity over Gaza
A group of Swiss lawyers has filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court, accusing their government of failing to meet its international legal obligations in relation to Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip. The complaint relies on reports issued by United Nations bodies and independent international human rights organisations in characterising events in Gaza as genocide. According to s...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
PA drafts constitution, omits Jewish ties to Jerusalem, calls for Sharia legal system
The draft constitution also called for the "right of return" for refugees, caring for families of "martyrs, prisoners, and exiles," and reaffirming the PLO's position as representing Palestinians.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Feb 13, 2026 - jpost.com
IDF's new mechanical AI robot takes two hours to clean tanks, which soldiers needed 48 hours for
The robot operates autonomously, without soldiers present in dangerous environments and without exposure to chemicals, oils, or extreme heat.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Feb 13, 2026 - jpost.com
IDF captures aide to terrorist behind 2025 shooting attack which killed three
The captured terrorist, Muhammad Zidan, was a senior figure in the Jenin terrorist network, and involved in financing and advancing acts of terror in Israel.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Feb 13, 2026 - jpost.com
Israel's revered former security chief Ronen Bar remains Netanyahu's favorite target
For the prime minister, it's better to argue about what happened in the hours before the October 7 massacre than to hear about his failure to shape Gaza after the war ■ The de facto annexation of the West Bank keeps rolling on
Haaretz latest headlines
Feb 13, 2026 - haaretz.com
Is the Israel-Palestine conflict crashing the whole idea of global human rights?
The resignation of the flagship Human Rights Watch group's Israel-Palestine team is just the latest example of how October 7 and the Gaza war have triggered unprecedented infighting in the global human rights community. Could the whole edifice be imploding?
Haaretz latest headlines
Feb 13, 2026 - haaretz.com
Next round of Russia-Ukraine talks scheduled for next week
TEHRAN, Feb. 13 (MNA) – The Kremlin said on Friday that the next round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine is scheduled for the next week.
Mehr News Agency
Feb 13, 2026 - en.mehrnews.com
Israel bans established NGOs, installs ‘compliant’ politically convenient alternatives
Israel is replacing dozens of established humanitarian organisations in Gaza with a new cohort of approved unknown groups that are more politically aligned and less likely to challenge Israeli conduct, an investigation by The New Humanitarian, has found. The report reveals that 37 aid organisations operating in Gaza — including nearly all established non-UN international NGOs — face bans under Isr...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Iran is not Iraq and it is definitely not Venezuela
Once again, a familiar pattern is playing out in US-Iran tensions: one side talks of diplomacy paired with threats of force. And when Washington treats the standoff as a strategy, it only makes an unstable region more dangerous and increases the odds of a wider conflict. If the stated goal is de-escalation, why keep turning the negotiating table into a launchpad confrontation? Trump casts himself ...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Separatists demand removal of Saudi adviser from Aden
Separatists backed by Abu Dhabi have called for the expulsion of a Saudi military official from Aden, as hundreds gathered in a protest in the city on Thursday. The demonstrators, affiliated with the dissolved Southern Transitional Council, staged a rally in Yemen’s temporary capital, Aden, in the south of the country. The protest was directed against the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia, which ...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
IMEC vs INSTC: The emerging battle over Middle Eastern energy corridors
The Middle East is no longer merely a producer of energy; it is fast becoming the epicentre of a new geopolitical contest over corridors, connectivity and control. The launch of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) has signalled more than an infrastructure project. It represents a strategic attempt to redraw trade and energy routes in ways that could alter the region’s geoeconomic...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Moscow declines participation in first session of US-led Peace Council
Russia will not participate in the first session of the Peace Council chaired by US President Donald Trump, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. Responding to a question about whether Russian diplomats would attend the council’s inaugural meeting, scheduled for 19th February, Zakharova stated: “Russia will not attend, and work is under way to formulate its position.” Earlier, Rus...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Iranian president says his salary now worth about $1,000 amid currency decline
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said the value of salaries in Iran has sharply declined, citing his own income as an example of the country’s currency devaluation and reduced purchasing power. Speaking at a meeting on Thursday, Pezeshkian said that he previously earned a salary of 6,000 tomans, which he said was equivalent to $6,000 at the time. “Now, as president, I receive the equivalent...
Middle East Monitor
Feb 13, 2026 - middleeastmonitor.com
Indian writer Roy pulls out of Berlin Film Festival over Gaza row
Award-winning Indian writer Arundhati Roy said Friday she was withdrawing from the Berlin Film Festival over jury president Wim Wenders's comments that cinema should "stay out of politics" when asked about Gaza.Roy said in a statement sent to AFP that she was "shocked and disgusted" by responses from Wenders and other jury members to a question about the Palestinian territory at a press conference...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Feb 13, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Trump tells troops 'fear' is powerful motivator in difficult Iran talks
By Steve Holland and Trevor HunnicuttFORT BRAGG, North Carolina, Feb 13 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump told U.S. troops on Friday that Iran has been “difficult” in nuclear negotiations and suggested that instilling fear in Tehran may be necessary to resolve the standoff peacefully."They've been difficult to make a deal," Trump said of the Iranians before an audience of active-duty soldiers at ...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Feb 13, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Zelenskiy meets Iranian opposition figure Pahlavi
KYIV, Feb 13 (Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he held a meeting with Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran's last shah and a prominent voice in the opposition, on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday. "We discussed the importance of strengthening sanctions against the Iranian regime and any other dictatorial regimes," he said on X, adding that they both condemned ...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Feb 13, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Trump says change of power in Iran would be 'best thing'
US President Donald Trump said Friday that a change of government in Iran would be the "best thing that could happen," as he sent a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East to ratchet up military pressure on the Islamic republic.Trump's comments were his most overt call yet for the toppling of Iran's clerical establishment, and came as he pushes on Washington's arch-foe Tehran to make a deal to ...
Al-Monitor: The Pulse of The Middle East
Feb 13, 2026 - al-monitor.com
Russia and Ukraine to hold more talks in Geneva next week
Trump has given both sides until June to reach deal, but future of Donbas industrial heartland remains a sticking point.
Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
Feb 13, 2026 - aljazeera.com
UN accuses paramilitary RSF of committing war crimes in Sudan’s el-Fasher
UN rights chief urges probe as new report details mass killings, sexual violence and targeted attacks against civilians.
Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera
Feb 13, 2026 - aljazeera.com
WATCH: 'We have two diamonds here': IDF releases video from hostage rescue operation
The video was composed of body camera footage from Shayetet 13 soldiers who participated in the operation. In it, the two rescued hostages spoke with the soldiers in a helicopter.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Feb 13, 2026 - jpost.com
Palestinian cars smashed in West Bank altercation after attack on illegal settler farm
According to reports, Palestinians approached an illegal farm established by Jewish settlers on private land in Area B of the West Bank. Police told KAN that dozens of Palestinians attacked the farm.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Feb 13, 2026 - jpost.com
Unvaccinated child dies of complications from measles disease, 15th death since outbreak started
The Health Ministry's official policy recommends that all children be vaccinated against measles between the ages of 1 and 6 as part of the routine vaccination program.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Feb 13, 2026 - jpost.com
Former Shin Bet chiefs, officials call out Netanyahu, Zini for 'conspiracies against Ronen Bar'
"We express astonishment at the silence of the head of the Shin Bet, David Zini, in light of the unprecedented slander against former head of the service, Ronen Bar," the published letter said.
JPost.com - The Jerusalem Post - All News from the Middle East, Israel, and the Jewish World
Feb 13, 2026 - jpost.com
NYC's Brad Lander fires 'Hot Girls for Zohran' co-founder for reposts praising Hamas, Oct. 7
Kaif Gilani, a consultant to the congressional campaign of New York's Jewish progressive Democrat Brad Lander, was fired after a Jewish news site drew attention to his social media history