Report : U . S . Central Command Commander Briefs Trump on Possible Attacks on Iran

haaretz.com · Feb 27, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Live Updates February 27, 2026Share to FacebookShare to XArticle printing is available to subscribers onlyPrint in a simple, ad-free formatSubscribeComments: Zen reading is available to subscribers onlyAd-free and in a comfortable reading formatSubscribeFebruary 27, 2026Israel's top court freezes deportation of Gaza aid groups Israel's High Court has granted an interim injunction preventing the deportation from Israel of 37 international aid organizations operating in Gaza and the West Bank.The petition, filed this week by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) alongside 17 humanitarian organizations, asked the court to issue an interim injunction preventing their deportation from the area at the end of the month.According to the petition, the groups have invested approximately $500 million to provide emergency aid to residents of the Gaza Strip, including food, water and medical care. The petitioners argued that their deportation would cause the collapse of the entire aid system in Gaza and pose a danger to human life. Report: U.S. Ambassador to Israel urges employees wanting to leave country 'should do so TODAY'U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told his employees in an email Friday that, should they wish to leave the country, they should do so immediately, the New York Times reported. According to the report, Huckabee spent Thursday night conducting urgent meetings and phone calls before making the recommendation out of "an abundance of caution." Employees wishing to leave Israel "should do so TODAY," the newspaper quoted an email sent by the ambassador to his staff at 10:24 A.M. Huckabee urged staff to find flights to any destination they could find. "Focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to DC, but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of country," he said in the email. U.S. authorizes departure of some embassy personnel and their families from Israel due to safety risks The U.S. Department of State authorized Friday the departure of "non-emergency" government personnel and their families from Israel, citing safety risks. Those considering leaving Israel should do so "while commercial flights are available," the travel advisory said. According to the State Department, an "authorized departure" is an evacuation procedure allowing department employees to leave their post when "U.S. national interests or imminent threat to life requires it."Travel restrictions to Gaza and areas adjacent to Israel's northern and southern borders remain in place, while the State Department urges travelers to reconsider visits to Israel and the West Bank due to terrorism and civil unrest.'Leave now': Canada urges citizens to exit Iran amid heightened tensions Global Affairs Canada urged Canadian citizens Friday to leave Iran immediately, warning that regional hostilities could "resume with little or no warning."In an urgent message to Canadians in the country, the foreign ministry encouraged citizens to "leave Iran now if you can do so safely." The travel advisory comes as the United States and Iran held indirect talks in Geneva on Thursday aimed at resolving the longstanding nuclear dispute between the two countries amid a significant U.S. military buildup in the Middle East.Report: U.S. Central Command commander briefs Trump on possible attacks on IranGen. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command overseeing Middle East forces, briefed President Donald Trump on Thursday on potential military options against Iran, according to a source close to the president, as reported by ABC news.Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Trump's top military adviser, was also present, according to a second source familiar with the discussion.The briefing comes on the same day U.S. and Iranian officials held indirect talks in Geneva over Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.Six people killed across Gaza in IDF strikes, Palestinian sources say Six people were killed in the Gaza Strip Thursday overnight as a result of airstrikes attributed to the IDF, which targeted police points in the center and south of the Strip, Palestinian sources reported.According to the sources, the first three were killed in the Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, and three more were killed west of Khan Yunis.Report: Omani foreign minister heads to Washington with U.S. Vice President VanceOman's Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi is set to meet U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and other senior officials in Washington today, in previously unreported talks aimed at preventing war with Iran, MS NOW reported.Oman's Foreign Affairs' Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi gives a thumbs up as he leaves his hotel, in Geneva on Thursday. Credit: AFP/FABRICE COFFRINIOman's Foreign Affairs' Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi gives a thumbs up as he leaves his hotel, in Geneva on Thursday. Credit: AFP/FABRICE COFFRINIVance: ‘No chance’ U.S. will be dragged into drawn-out Middle East war U.S. Vice President JD Vance said there is "no chance" that potential American military action against Iran would turn into a prolonged regional conflict, according to an interview published Thursday by The Washington Post.Speaking aboard Air Force Two, Vance said President Donald Trump is weighing options that range from targeted strikes "to ensure Iran isn't going to get a nuclear weapon" to a diplomatic solution. "I think we all prefer the diplomatic option," Vance said, adding that much "depends on what the Iranians do and what they say."U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks at Pointe Precision in Plover, Wisconsin, U.S., Thursday. Credit: Matt Rourke/ReutersU.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks at Pointe Precision in Plover, Wisconsin, U.S., Thursday. Credit: Matt Rourke/ReutersPushing back on analysts who warn escalation could spiral, Vance told the Post: "The idea that we're going to be in a Middle Eastern war for years with no end in sight – there is no chance that will happen."A Marine veteran of the Iraq War, Vance reiterated that he remains a "skeptic of foreign military interventions," a position he said still describes Trump. At the same time, he argued that avoiding past mistakes does not mean the U.S. can "never engage in military conflict again."U.S. President Donald Trump on a newspaper front page delivering the State of the Union address, in Tehran, Iran, Thursday. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/ReutersU.S. President Donald Trump on a newspaper front page delivering the State of the Union address, in Tehran, Iran, Thursday. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/ReutersVance also addressed Republican divisions over Israel and Middle East policy, defending open debate within the party following controversy surrounding commentator Tucker Carlson and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. He described such exchanges as part of a necessary conversation on the right.U.S. and Iran make 'significant progress' in nuclear talks, Oman saysThe United States and Iran made significant progress in talks on Thursday aimed at resolving a longstanding ‌nuclear dispute and averting new U.S. strikes, mediator Oman said, amid Washington's large-scale military buildup in the Middle East.An Iranian woman walks past an anti-U.S. mural featuring Iran-US talks, next to the former U.S. embassy in Tehran on Thursday. Credit: AFPAn Iranian woman walks past an anti-U.S. mural featuring Iran-US talks, next to the former U.S. embassy in Tehran on Thursday. Credit: AFPThe two sides plan to resume negotiations soon after consultations ⁠in their countries' capitals, with techical-level discussions scheduled to take place next week in Vienna, Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said in a post on X after the day's ⁠talks ended in Switzerland.Any substantial move toward an elusive agreement between longtime foes Washington and Tehran could reduce the imminent prospects for U.S President Donald Trump to carry out a threatened attack on Iran that many fear could escalate into a wider war.The Omani minister's upbeat assessment followed indirect talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Geneva, with one session in the morning and the second in the afternoon."We have finished the day after ‌significant progress in the negotiation between the United States and Iran," Badr Albusaidi said.Demonstrators hold placards during a protest against Iran's government in front of the United Nations Office at Geneva, in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday. Credit: Pierre Albouy/ReutersDemonstrators hold placards during a protest against Iran's government in front of the United Nations Office at Geneva, in Geneva, Switzerland, Thursday. Credit: Pierre Albouy/ReutersDescribing the talks as some of the most serious that Iran has had with the U.S., Araghchi told Iranian ‌state television: "We reached agreement on some issues, and there are differences regarding some other issues.""It was decided that the next round of negotiations will take place soon, in less than a week," he said, adding the Iranians had clearly expressed their demand for sanctions relief.Iran's Araghchi: Talks were among most serious we had with U.S., next round MondayIranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the country's state television that the talks in Geneva were among "the most serious" he had with the United States, saying that the next round will be held in Vienna on Monday.Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) holds a meeting with Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi (R) in Geneva, Thursday. Credit: Omani Foreign Ministry / AFPIran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) holds a meeting with Oman's Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi (R) in Geneva, Thursday. Credit: Omani Foreign Ministry / AFP"We have entered serious talks about sanctions relief and the nuclear issue," Araghchi added. Posted on X @araghchiIn the NewsU.S. Embassy Authorizes Staff to Depart From Israel Citing 'Safety Risks'In First, Israelis No Longer Ahead of Palestinians in U.S. S