Free Republic

“Washington and Erbil, Iraq — The CIA is working to arm Kurdish forces with the aim of fomenting a popular uprising in Iran, multiple people familiar with the plan told CNN. The Trump administration has been in active discussions with Iranian opposition groups and Kurdish leaders in Iraq about providing them with military support, the sources said. Iranian Kurdish armed groups have thousands of forces operating along the Iraq-Iran border, primarily in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. Several of the groups have released public statements since the beginning of the war hinting at imminent action and urging Iranian military forces to defect....

... The newspaper cited former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett as publicly calling Turkey a threat to Israel last week and accusing Ankara of aligning with a hostile regional bloc. Bennett warned Israel could not “turn a blind eye” to Turkey, adding that Tel Aviv must counter threats from both Tehran and Ankara...

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot held a call on Monday with his ​Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss ‌the Iran war and both agreed to work on de-escalation, Barrot's office said in a statement. Both ministers ​committed to seeking a political solution ​that would guarantee collective security and take ⁠into account the aspirations of the ​Iranian people, the statement said. Barrot "reiterated the Iranian ​regime's responsibility for the ongoing escalation, after it unjustifiably attacked several countries in the region," the statement ​said. He also criticised the Iranian regime for ​refusing to respect the resolutions from the United Nations' ‌Security ⁠Council...

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth warned that some traditional U.S. allies are "hemming and hawing about the use of force" as Washington presses forward with its campaign against Iran, raising fresh questions about NATO cohesion at a moment of escalation.Spain has refused U.S. permission to use certain bases for strikes on Iran, calling for de-escalation and adherence to international law. Turkey has criticized the operation and warned of broader regional destabilization, while President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he was "saddened" by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death and denied that Turkish territory was used in the campaign. In a statement released on...

ransomnote: NATO has been our enemy, trying to destroy America, freedom and Trump. Trump must have beaten NATO like a rug, because they now lie supine at his feet!https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/2028488139040239948 Eric Daugherty@EricLDaugh·11h🚨 BREAKING: NATO SecGen Mark Rutte just STUNNED the Democrats, coming out in 100% support of President Trump's Iran triumph"The Commander-in-Chief, the leader of the free world, President Donald J. Trump, I REALLY commend what is happening here! Taking out Khamenei, taking out the nuclear capability and ballistic missile program in Iran." 🔥"This is crucial. I spoke with ALL the key European leaders...there's WIDESPREAD support for the president's doing."March 2,...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer tells Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides “clearly and unequivocally” that Cyprus was not the target of an Iranian missile attack, according to Cyprus’s readout. Earlier, UK Defense Secretary John Healey said that two Iranian missiles were fired toward Cyprus. “We don’t believe they were targeted at Cyprus,” says Healey in a Sky News interview. The UK has two large sovereign base districts in Cyprus.

Two Iranian missiles were fired in the direction of Cyprus, British Defence Secretary John Healey said on Sunday but were intercepted.The island is home to two British military bases.Healey said it was not yet clear if the missiles were deliberately targeting UK facilities on the island...However, President Nikos Christodoulides said he had spoken to UK Prime Minister Kair Starmer, who had confirmed categorically that Cyprus was not a target for Iran...Meanwhile, President Nikos Christodoulides has called an extraordinary meeting of Cyprus' National Security Council on Sunday evening.Healey said the 300 British personnel were near targets in Bahrain and warned of...

Is there any better evidence that the Europeans are as hidebound, bureaucratic, and ridiculous as we think they are than this statement from European Union Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran's mullah regime? Ursula von der Leyen @vonderleyen Following the ongoing situation in Iran, I am convening a special Security College on Monday. For regional security and stability, it is of the utmost importance that there is no further escalation through Iran’s unjustified attacks on partners in the region. 9:44 AM · Feb 28, 2026 Don't let the bombing of Iran, the...

On Thursday, Apple announced iPhone and iPad are the first and only consumer devices in compliance with the information assurance requirements of NATO nations. This enables iPhone and iPad to be used with classified information up to the NATO restricted level without requiring special software or settings — a level of government certification no other consumer mobile device has met. Apple designs security into all of its products from the start, ensuring the most sophisticated protections are built in across hardware, software, and Apple silicon. This unique approach allows Apple users to benefit from industry-leading security protections such as best-in-class...

The scope and depth of the evil now coming into plain view across the Western world defies comprehension. More baffling still is the fact that, in many cases, the West brought this evil upon itself. Monday on the social media platform X, British politician Rupert Lowe, Member of Parliament for Great Yarmouth, posted a “Statement from the Rape Gang Inquiry” filled with shocking details of police behaving as “active perpetrators” in the extreme sexual abuse and murder of young British girls “predominantly perpetrated by Pakistani-heritage men.” Lowe’s statement described testimony from a survivor of Pakistani rape gangs whose ordeal began...

The urge to visit Beijing has gotten stronger lately among allies of the United States. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who referred to China last year as his country’s biggest security threat, made the trip last month, as did his British counterpart, Keir Starmer. Next week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who heads the largest economy in Europe, plans to meet with Xi Jinping during a three-day visit packed with discussions of security and trade. In a speech this past weekend at the Munich Security Conference, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. “will always be a child of Europe.”...

Canada's woke, female , DEI Minister of Defence announces the hiring of foreign nationals into the Canadian Military for the purpose of attacking and destroying provincial oil infrastructure , and the waging of war against its own citizens, especially in Alberta and Saskatchewan. This is a chilling move disguised from the public by military recruitment code numbers.Stirling Thomas does an incredibly accurate reveal as to where the tyrannical liberal elites are prepared to take Canada in order to preserve their protective tariff economy from being an open market, as well as preparations to have foreign military willing to wage war...

In yet another reckless move by the far-left Liberal government, Canada is now throwing open the doors of its military to foreign nationals, offering them a fast-track path to permanent residency.Under Prime Minister Mark Carney’s regime, skilled immigrants from around the world can now snag jobs in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as doctors, nurses, or even pilots, and get expedited immigration status in return.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told European leaders on Feb. 14 that Washington is not walking away from the transatlantic alliance—but called for a renewed partnership that aligns with President Donald Trump’s push for national revival, tougher border control, and a return to industrial and military strength.Addressing the annual Munich Security Conference, Rubio sought to reassure governments unsettled by a year of tensions over trade, defense spending, and at times critical U.S. rhetoric toward NATO.At the same time, he made clear that Washington’s commitment would be tied to what he called a broader civilizational renewal—one that calls on Europe...

Retired British Army Col. Richard Kemp, who commanded U.K. forces in Afghanistan in the early 2000s, is warning about the current sad state of his country’s military. In a Wednesday piece for The Telegraph, he wrote that the British military has an alarmingly low level of ammunition on hand. “Knowledgeable observers have suggested that our munitions stocks — from rifle bullets and artillery shells to long range missiles and drones — would see out only about a week of intensive fighting,” Kemp recounted. “That’s even taking account of the fact that our Armed Forces are now very small, having been...

Greece will cooperate with Israel on anti-drone systems and cybersecurity, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Tuesday after meeting his Israeli counterpart in Athens."We agreed to exchange views and know-how to be able to deal with drones and in particular swarms of unmanned vehicles and groups of unmanned subsea vehicles," Dendias said in joint statements with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz."We will also work together in order to be ready to intercept cyber threats."With strong economic and diplomatic ties, Greece and Israel operate an air training centre on Greek territory and have held joint military drills in recent years.Greece...

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has arrived in Kyiv and meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "Maidan Nezalezhnosti. The People’s Memorial of National Remembrance," Zelenskyy wrote Tuesday on X. "A memorial honoring our heroes, warriors, our people who defended Ukraine against the enemy, fought, and made the ultimate sacrifice in this war. Together with @SecGenNATO Mark Rutte, we honored the memory of fallen Ukrainian defenders today. Eternal honor to our warriors. "Eternal gratitude for their sacrifice and for defending the country. It is our duty to preserve the memory of our fallen heroes." Rutte's visit comes after Russia attacked Ukraine...

Births in Türkiye fell again in 2025, continuing a decline that has put NATO's youngest population on a course President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has called a "demographic disaster." For decades, the country of 85 million and rising military power had the bloc’s highest total fertility rate (TFR). In 2016, it stood at 2.1 births per woman, the level needed to sustain a population naturally. By the end of last year, the Turkish Statistical Institute reported it had fallen to 1.48, driven by prolonged economic downturn, rising cost of living and changing social norms among young people. It’s a familiar pattern...

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is not expected to attend a NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels next month, two sources said, the second time in a row that a top Trump administration official skips a gathering of the military alliance. U.S. President Donald Trump has had a tense relationship with NATO and many of its other members, most recently over his desire to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of fellow alliance member Denmark. The sources, a U.S. official and a NATO diplomat, both said Hegseth would miss the Feb 12 gathering at NATO headquarters. U.S. Secretary of State Marco...

At a Spanish port 50 miles northwest of Gibraltar, four Turkish Navy ships, including a brand-new amphibious assault ship that doubles as an aircraft carrier, were set to arrive Friday to take part in NATO military exercises. Heavy winds had delayed the Turkish vessels, but once they dock at the Spanish Navy port, they will form a fleet with Spanish ships, sail around the continent and rendezvous with French, German, Polish and Dutch vessels. They will then travel to Germany’s Baltic Sea coast, bringing tanks, landing craft, helicopters, drones and troops from southern Europe to northern Germany. About 10,000 troops...