Al Jazeera sources: An explosion sounded in Nour Shams camp, east of Tulkarm, in the northern West Bank

As part of cost-cutting measures coordinated by Elon Musk (DOGE), tens of thousands of U.S. federal workers have been laid off or accepted voluntary severance packages in recent days. Among them are hundreds of employees from the NNSA (National Nuclear Security Administration), responsible for the control and security of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile.

According to the Trump administration, on Thursday, hundreds of NNSA employees were informed via email that they had been terminated "with immediate effect," losing instant access to facilities and work accounts. However, on Friday, the Trump administration sent a follow-up email revoking the terminations. The issue? Most of the fired employees had already lost access to their email accounts and could no longer be reached.

A Reuters and NBC report states that 2,000 NNSA workers were laid off, but 325 were classified as "essential workers" and should not have been dismissed. Many of them were responsible for producing nuclear fuel for atomic bombs or performing critical maintenance tasks to ensure the efficiency and safety of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.

The report did not specify how many employees have been reinstated, but there are growing concerns that, in the coming days, the U.S. nuclear arsenal may be managed by a significantly reduced workforce.

After his tour through Central America to strengthen U.S. ties with regional allies, Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Israel.

Netanyahu was the first head of state received by Trump at the White House, further reinforcing U.S. support for Israel’s defense.

https://video.nostr.build/e0eb65b0ce6cb1c666a6a6339ec846f931b659cf800fd3697a496d4a8a57618f.mp4

U.S., Japanese, and French naval forces conducted a joint naval exercise in the Philippine Sea on February 12.

According to the new directives from the Trump administration, the U.S. focus will be on countering China's expansion in the Pacific, meaning we can expect to see more American and allied warships operating in the region.

Following the conclusion of the Munich Security Conference, French President Emmanuel Macron has invited all European Union leaders to an emergency meeting tomorrow in Paris.

The goal is to discuss the new geopolitical reality in Europe, particularly in light of the U.S. distancing itself from the continent.

The Trump administration has presented Zelensky with a draft agreement proposing that the U.S. would gain access to half of Ukraine's rare earth minerals, valued at over $11 trillion.

This appears to be the condition for the U.S. to continue supplying weapons for Ukraine’s defense against Russia.

In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte led a coup d'état in France, seizing absolute power. In doing so, he violated the constitution and the country's laws, but justified it by claiming he was saving the nation. This led to the attribution of the phrase:

“He who saves the nation violates no law.”

(though there is no official historical confirmation of Napoleon ever saying this).

In 1804, Napoleon once again defied French law, this time by crowning himself Emperor, once again claiming it was necessary to save France.

Today, Trump repeated Napoleon’s phrase on X, with the official White House account reposting it shortly after.

Just two days after an Afghan ran over 28 people in Munich, killing a woman and her baby, today a Syrian stabbed multiple people in the Austrian city of Villach, killing a 14-year-old Austrian boy.

In the photo, the Syrian terrorist is seen smiling and raising his index finger, a traditional Islamic gesture known as Tauhid.

Photos released today of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) conducting flight operations in the Mediterranean Sea after a collision with the Panamanian-flagged cargo vessel M/V Besiktas-M near Egypt back on February 12.

“Fully mission capable.”

Official in India says at least 15 people have been killed in a stampede at a railway station in New Delhi

Reports suggesting that a man called Imad Shamoun was arrested by the Lebanese Intelligence Services after a statement he made threatening the intervention of the "Army of Sharia" to release Ahmed al-Assir and other ISIS terrorists detained in Roumieh

With the Munich Security Conference coming to an end, the consensus among participants is that Trump and Putin will reach a deal in Saudi Arabia.

Putin is expected to demand:

- Recognition of occupied territories,

- The removal of Zelensky’s government,

- A new, Russian-imposed Ukrainian constitution, explicitly banning Ukraine from joining NATO and the European Union.

Conference participants believe that Trump, eager for a quick deal, will accept Putin’s demands, allowing the Russian leader to declare victory in his invasion of Ukraine.

Trump will then turn to Europe and say:

> “Here’s the deal. Accept it, or fund the war yourselves."

After that, he will step back, proclaiming himself “the man who ended the war in Ukraine.”

At that point, Europe will face two options:

1️⃣ Accept the “Russian victory” granted by Trump to Putin;

2️⃣ Finance Ukraine’s defense using exclusively European resources.

Europe will not participate in Ukraine peace negotiations, says U.S. envoy

Donald Trump’s envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, told European leaders on Saturday that their inclusion in the negotiations to end the war in Ukraine "is not going to happen."

According to Russian state-owned media outlet RIA Novosti, the Russian Foreign Ministry has told them that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. As we understand it, this is the first time the U.S and Russian heads of foreign affairs have publicly spoken since December 5, 2024.

A French diplomatic source told Al-Hadath: We do not share Trump’s vision regarding Gaza

An army source told LBCI: While organizing the demonstration, a number of young men deliberately blocked the main road and attacked army military vehicles.

Rather notably, after reports of a Russo-U.S. summit in Saudi Arabia next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said to reporters that Ukrainian officials have yet to receive an invitation to such an event.

https://video.nostr.build/e5da9f578a9ce9ba66f9e32e922aebc0febb9861998ffd95a1c842b83098fe15.mp4

According to reports, the U.S. and Russia are set to send top advisors and diplomats to Saudi Arabia next week for a summit on the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War that will prepare for an eventual leader summit.

An unrelated update from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has said that that Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), in concert with CENTCOM forces, conducted a strike in the area around Rawa, Iraq that killed five ISIS operatives.

Per the release:

“An initial post-strike clearance confirmed the dead ISIS operatives, various medium and small caliber weapons, grenades, suicide explosive belts, and ammunition.”

According to the release, Coalition Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CTF-OIR) did provide intelligence and technical support to the ISF.

Barak Ravid: President Zelensky tells me Ukraine hasn't received an invitation for a meeting between national security advisers from U.S. & Russia in Saudi Arabia. "It is strange to hold a meeting in such format before we had consultations with our strategic partners".