Morning Briefing: Feb. 16, 2026

By Asiye Latife Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday, including the Israeli government approving a proposal to register vast areas of the occupied West Bank as state property for the first time since 1967, US President Donald Trump saying that member states of the new Board of Peace will announce pledges of over $5 billion for Gaza’s reconstruction, and the killing of four people in an Israeli drone strike targeting a vehicle in the eastern Lebanese town of Majdal Anjar near the Lebanese-Syrian border despite a ceasefire.

TOP STORIES

• Israeli government approves proposal to register West Bank lands as ‘state property’ for 1st time since 1967

The Israeli government approved a proposal to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property” for the first time since the Israeli occupation of the territory in 1967.

The public broadcaster KAN said the proposal was submitted by far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

“The initial goal is the gradual settlement of 15% of Area C by 2030,” the Israel Hayom newspaper commented ahead of the government’s decision.

• Trump says Board of Peace members to pledge over $5B for Gaza reconstruction on Thursday

US President Donald Trump said member states of the new Board of Peace will announce pledges exceeding $5 billion for Gaza’s reconstruction and thousands of personnel for a planned international stabilization force during a gathering Thursday in Washington, DC.

"On February 19th, 2026, I will again be joined by Board of Peace members at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., where we will announce that member states have pledged more than $5 billion toward the Gaza humanitarian and reconstruction efforts," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Member states have also "committed thousands of personnel to the International Stabilization Force and local police to maintain security and peace for Gazans," he added.

• 4 killed in Israeli drone strike targeting vehicle along Lebanese-Syrian border

Four people were killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting a vehicle in the eastern Lebanese town of Majdal Anjar near the Lebanese-Syrian border despite a ceasefire, Lebanon’s official National News Agency reported.

The agency said an Israeli drone struck a car between the al-Masnaa border crossing and the village of Jdeidet Yabous along the Lebanon-Syria border, resulting in fatalities and an unidentified number of injuries.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said that former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko was detained while trying to leave the country.
• The International Criminal Court (ICC) has publicly identified two Philippine senators and seven former senior government and police officials as co-perpetrators in the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte, media reports said
• Taiwan has pledged to continue building its coast guard, asserting that Chinese "gray zone" incidents continue to occur, media reports said.
• China and Norway agreed to work closely to safeguard multilateralism and free trade.
• The US Justice Department has sent a letter to congressional leaders defending redactions in newly released Jeffrey Epstein files while providing a list of public figures named in the documents, a move that has intensified political disputes over transparency.
• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has described the Munich Security Conference as a “Munich circus,” criticizing the policies of the EU and several European countries toward Tehran.
• Russia and Ukraine said civilians were injured in overnight cross-border air raids, including on infrastructure and residential areas.
• Australia announced that at least $21.2 billion will be spent building a construction yard to eventually build nuclear submarines for Canberra under the AUKUS agreement.
• The Israeli army was set to conduct a drill near the occupied West Bank amid escalating regional tensions with Iran.
• Europe is not in decline and must instead reinforce its defenses and global role, the EU’s foreign policy chief said, rejecting criticism that portrays the continent as weakened.
• The Syrian Army has taken over the Al-Shaddadi military base in the countryside of Hasakah in northeastern Syria following coordination with the US, the Defense Ministry said.
• China announced that it will grant visa-free entry to citizens of the UK and Canada.
• UpScrolled, an app developed by Palestinian-Australian software engineer Issam Hijazi as an alternative to TikTok, was reinstated on the Google Play Store after a brief suspension.
• The British Museum has removed the word Palestine from displays about the ancient Middle East following concerns by a UK-based Israeli advocacy group.
• Munich Security Conference Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger urged European leaders to move from rhetoric to concrete action on defense, calling for clearer plans to strengthen the continent’s security architecture amid growing global uncertainty.
• Italy will participate as an observer in the White House initiative of the “Board of Peace,” Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni confirmed.
• The UN secretary-general has called on Nigeria to spearhead Africa’s drive for a restructured global order, describing the country as uniquely positioned to lead the continent toward greater global influence.
• US Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed speculation about Washington leaving NATO, arguing stronger European defense capabilities would enhance rather than weaken the alliance.
• The Palestinian Authority warned that an Israeli government decision to register large areas of the West Bank as “state property” amounts to a “de facto annexation” of the occupied territory and a violation of international law.
• Syria is moving in a positive direction despite significant challenges, and the current trajectory must be maintained, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, defending the Trump administration's decision to work with the new administration.
• Türkiye strongly condemned Israel's latest decision on land registration in the occupied West Bank, calling it a violation of international law.
• US forces boarded the sanctioned oil tanker Veronica III overnight in the Asia-Pacific region, said the Defense Department.
• African leaders wrapped up a two-day summit with urgent calls to end conflicts across the continent and renewed demands for reform of the UN Security Council.
• Sudan's army said it destroyed an air defense system belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in West Kordofan state.
• More than half a million refugees returned to Sudan from neighboring countries over the past two years, the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss expanding cooperation and strengthening bilateral relations.

BUSINESS & ECONOMY

• Türkiye sends drillship to Somalia for first overseas mission

Türkiye dispatched its deep-sea drillship Cagri Bey to Somalia for its first mission abroad, a move Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar called a historic step in the country’s offshore energy drive.

Speaking at a ceremony at Tasucu Port in Mersin, Bayraktar said the vessel is expected to reach Mogadishu in about 45 days and begin drilling in April at the Curad-1 well.

Türkiye and Somalia signed agreements in 2024 covering onshore and offshore oil and gas exploration. The seismic vessel Oruc Reis previously completed surveys in three offshore blocks.