Israel in February 2026: the most important developments in security
In February 2026, Israel's security agenda ended in war with Iran. On 28 February Israel and the United States launched airstrikes on hundreds of sites across Iran, in an operation Israel named 'Operation Roaring Lion', reportedly killing senior officials. Iran fired missile barrages at Israel and at US assets in the Gulf, sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, and one woman injured in a strike later died. Israel shut its offshore gas fields and closed the Rafah crossing into Gaza again. During the month Israel raised its alert level, US tanker aircraft and F-22 fighter jets arrived in Israel, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arrived off its coast, and on 27 February the US State Department authorized non-essential staff to leave its embassy in Jerusalem.
In Gaza, Israeli military operations continued under the October ceasefire. Health officials reported 30 people killed on 1 February, at least 20 on 4 February and dozens on 15 February, and the Palestinian civil defense put the war's death toll above 72,000. The IDF said it targeted militants emerging from tunnels, mainly around Rafah, and on 23 February said it had finished its Rafah operation, destroying a major tunnel network. Rafah reopened for limited civilian movement on 2 February. On 16 February Israel gave Hamas a 60-day ultimatum to disarm, which Hamas rejected. A UN report said both Israeli forces and Hamas may have committed war crimes.
In the West Bank, settlers attacked Palestinians and villages, and the army chief ordered troops to intervene against what he called nationalist crime. A Palestinian child was killed by unexploded ordnance in a live-fire zone.
Inside Israel, police reported a surge in killings in Arab communities, including 48 in Nazareth in 45 days. Several Israelis were arrested or charged with spying for Iran, and two people were charged with using military secrets to bet on Polymarket.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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