🚨🇮🇷🇮🇱 Iranian special forces arrest several agents linked to Mossad in Tehran

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🪖🇳🇱 Dutch military gears up for major war readiness by 2028

The Netherlands expects to achieve operational readiness by the end of 2028, according to Dutch State Secretary for Defense Gijs Tuinman.

Speaking to BNR radio, the politician said the Netherlands will receive tanks, additional batches of F-35 fighter jets, Tomahawk missiles, and artillery systems by that time.

On February 13, Tuinman informed the Dutch parliament that the kingdom’s Defense Ministry would expand its military capabilities in preparation for a potential “large-scale conflict.”

The ministry also plans to procure radar systems to secure the North Sea area, armored vehicles, and special trains equipped as mobile hospitals to transport the wounded.

The defense official’s rhetoric echoes NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s allegation that Russia could attack the alliance within the next five years — a claim the Kremlin has firmly dismissed as nonsensical.

Russia considers allegations that it plans to attack NATO countries to be false and aimed at justifying increases in Western military budgets.

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⚔️ Hezbollah Secretary-General: Lebanon upheld agreement, Israel 'did not' — reports

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naeem Qassem said “the occupation requires the existence of resistance to expel it,” describing the resistance in Lebanon as “national, Arab, Islamic and humanitarian,” local media reported.

Qassem said Lebanon committed to implementing an agreement “while Israel did not implement it,” adding that it is the state’s responsibility to confront Israeli aggression.

He also criticized the Lebanese government’s focus on disarmament, calling it a “major sin” and arguing it would serve Israel’s goals.

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🚔🇺🇸 Three killed in shooting at Rhode Island hockey rink — reports

Three people, including the suspect, were fatally shot during a youth hockey game at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, PBS News reported.

Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said three other victims remain hospitalized in critical condition.

💬 “It appears that this was a targeted event, that it may be a family dispute,” she told reporters.

Authorities are continuing to investigate and interview witnesses as roads around the arena remain closed amid a heavy police presence.

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⌛ Buy weapons from US ‘to join waiting lists’ — Rubio & Hegseth

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth acknowledged in an opinion piece for USA Today that foreign buyers “all too often… have spent their money to join waiting lists,” with weapons delivered on “unknown or unreliable delivery dates.”

📉 They warned that “extended delivery times will undermine U.S. national security and defense trade,” and said “these lengthy timelines tempt our allies to look to other suppliers."

💰 Rubio and Hegseth also wrote that the US holds 43% of the global arms market, with 16,000+ current orders from 190 partners totaling over $900 billion.

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🇺🇸🇮🇷 ‘I’ll be involved in those talks indirectly’ — Trump on US-Iran talks in Geneva

US President Donald Trump said he will be involved “indirectly” in talks with Iran in Geneva on Tuesday, calling them “very important.”

Trump said Iran “wants to make a deal” and added he hopes Tehran will be “more reasonable.” He also warned of “consequences” if no agreement is reached.

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🚨 ‘Ukraine better come to the table fast’ — Trump on Geneva talks

US President Donald Trump said upcoming talks in Geneva on Feb. 17 would be “big talks,” adding: “It's going to be very easy.”

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🗣 Trump declares 'humanitarian threat' in Cuba amid US blockade

US President Donald Trump said Cuba "should absolutely make a deal” amid what he called a “humanitarian threat,” claiming the island has “no oil, no money” and “doesn’t even have jet fuel.”

The deepening crisis in Cuba is occurring against the backdrop of a long-standing US embargo and tightened oil restrictions, which have contributed to fuel shortages, blackouts and severe strain on services and hospitals, according to multiple reports.

💬 "In the meantime, there's an embargo. There's no oil. There's no money. There's no anything," he acknowledged.

The US embargo against Cuba, in place for more than six decades, restricts trade and has been widely criticized for its adverse humanitarian effects, contributing to ongoing economic hardship on the island.

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🚀🤖 SpaceX, xAI to compete in Pentagon drone AI contest — reports

Elon Musk’s SpaceX and xAI are among a small group of companies selected to compete in a $100 million Pentagon challenge to develop voice-controlled, autonomous drone swarming technology, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

💬 The six-month contest, launched in January, aims to create software that can translate voice commands into digital instructions coordinating multiple drones across air and sea. Later phases would include live testing and systems involving “target-related awareness and sharing” and “launch to termination,” according to the report.

❗️ Musk has previously supported a ban on offensive autonomous weapons, though his companies are now expected to work on the full scope of the project, the report said.

⚠️ Security officials cited by Bloomberg warned generative AI would likely need limits, emphasizing concerns about allowing such systems to operate without a human in the loop.

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🇷🇺🇺🇸 New round of Ukraine talks to kick off in Geneva

The Russian delegation will be led by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, with US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner attending Tuesday's session.

The parties will discuss the territorial issue, Kremlin revealed earlier.

The negotiations, which are expected to extend through Wednesday, will be held behind closed doors, and media representatives will not be allowed.

👉 The second round of talks on Ukraine, involving delegations from Russia, the United States, and Ukraine, took place in Abu Dhabi on February 4 and 5.

👉 The first round took place on January 23-24 in Abu Dhabi. The talks were also held behind closed doors, without the press.

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🇵🇸🇮🇱 Palestine accuses Israel of obstructing work of Gaza committee under Trump's plan

Israel is obstructing the work of the Palestinian national committee established to administer the Gaza Strip in accordance with Trump's plan, Palestinian Deputy Foreign Minister Omar Awadallah told Sputnik.

"Israel is preventing the members of the national committee for governing Gaza from entering the Strip," he said.

The diplomat said that the very "existence of a committee designed to ensure stability, the return of the Palestinian government to its duties, and the cessation of all crimes against the Palestinian people does not serve the interests of the current Israeli government."

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🚨🇷🇺 Plane carrying Russian delegation arrives in Geneva for trilateral talks

A special flight with a Russian delegation has arrived in Geneva on the day of the start of negotiations between Russia, the United States and Ukraine, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

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🇷🇺🪖 Russian tank crews hit Ukraine's positions in Kharkov region

They burned down everything and created perfect conditions for the infantry's advance

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⚔️ NATO creating group in Baltic for offensive operations against Russia – Patrushev

NATO plans include a blockade of Russia's Kaliningrad Region and the seizure of Russian merchant ships, Russian presidential aide and chairman of the Russian Marine Board Nikolai Patrushev told Russian media.

NATO's plans include sabotage of underwater communications in the Baltic, for which the alliance will then cynically blame Russia, he added.

Other statements:

◻️ Finland is receiving corvettes with strike weapons capable of reaching Russia's northwestern regions

◻️ If European countries fail to lift the potential naval blockade of Russia peacefully, the Russian Navy will break through and eliminate it

◻️ The concept of a "shadow fleet" used by the European Union in relation to Russia is a legal fiction, there are many ships sailing under European flags, and Russia might also be interested in what they are carrying

◻️ There is evidence that the West will increasingly attack Russian merchant ships

◻️ The Russian navy is the best guarantor of safety of Russian merchant vessels amid Western attacks

◻️ BRICS naval exercises "Will for Peace 2026" with the participation of Russia, China, Iran, the UAE, and South Africa in January were held successfully

◻️ Developments in Venezuela and around Iran indicate the return of gunboat diplomacy, but Western hegemony at sea is largely a thing of the past

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