US Embassy: ‘Every day, Lebanese make it clear they prefer state institutions over Hezbollah’s weapons’ | LIVE

Iran-backed Houthis seize Yemen’s Red Sea city of Mocha, sources say

Iran-backed Houthi fighters seized the Yemeni city of Mocha on the Red Sea, moving closer to the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, three Yemeni government sources told Reuters on Thursday.

No military response discussed under Mecca agreement over Houthi attacks, Pakistan says

Pakistan said no discussions have taken place on a potential military response by Islamabad under the Mecca agreement to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. However, it added that Pakistan “will act when the time comes,” Reuters reported.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s comments came in response to a question about how Islamabad intended to fulfill its obligations under a joint defense agreement signed with Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

The agreement, signed last month, stipulates that an armed attack on any of the three countries will be considered an attack on all three.

“Nothing of the sort is currently under consideration ... When the time comes, we will act in accordance with the agreement,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said during a weekly news briefing.

US Embassy: ‘Every day, Lebanese make it clear they prefer state institutions over Hezbollah’s weapons'

The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon welcomed expressions of support from the Lebanese people for the state, particularly following calls for the army to deploy to the Nabatieh region after the capture of nearby Ali Taher hill.

“Every day, the Lebanese people make it clear they prefer Lebanese state institutions over Hezbollah’s weapons.  Southern Lebanon does not belong to regional actors or militias,” the embassy said on X, alluding to Iran’s support for Hezbollah.

“The United States applauds these communities and supports the government of Lebanon in its stated goal to assert sovereignty, enforced by the [Lebanese Army], and ensure that the decisions of war and peace lie exclusively with the Lebanese state,” it added.

After Israel captured Ali Taher hill, a strategic position for Hezbollah, residents and activists in Nabatieh, as well as political figures, expressed fears that the city, north of the Litani River, could become the target of an Israeli offensive and campaign of destruction similar to those in several border towns, including Bint Jbeil and Khiam. In response, the Lebanese Army conducted several patrols in the city and was warmly welcomed by residents.

Iran uses missiles with maneuverable warheads, signaling greater appetite for escalation, WSJ reports

At least three times in the past week, Iranian forces have launched missiles at U.S. warships — including an aircraft carrier — directly targeting the U.S. Navy in a manner not seen since the war began. On Wednesday, Iran also fired a significant salvo of missiles at U.S. forces stationed in Jordan, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The attacks on the warships came much closer to hitting their targets than previous attempts because Iran used maneuverable warheads, according to people familiar with the attacks.

Iran launched the medium-range ballistic missiles from various sites across the country, the sources said. The missiles can travel hundreds of kilometers at extremely high speeds and use advanced technology to maneuver in flight toward moving targets, making them a greater threat than other Iranian weapons.

The risk-taking marks a clear escalation from the measured attacks Iran has carried out for weeks against commercial vessels in the strait and less sensitive U.S. targets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

The attacks are pushing the conflict into a more dangerous phase, the U.S. outlet noted. A missile strike on a U.S. warship would almost certainly trigger an extremely forceful U.S. response and risk reigniting a full-scale war.

Israeli demolitions in Beni Hayan and Mansouri

The Israeli army continues to blow up homes in southern Lebanon. This morning, it carried out demolitions in two separate incidents in Beni Hayan (Marjayoun) and Mansouri (Sour), our southern Lebanon correspondent reports.

An Israeli Merkava tank also took up a position atop a hill in Braasheet (Bint Jbeil).

Machine-gun fire targeted Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya) as an incendiary bomb was dropped on a neighborhood in the village.

A fire also broke out in Wadi al-Joz (Shebaa) due to Israeli attacks.

Houthis report about 40 Saudi strikes in Yemen

Saudi Arabia has carried out about 40 airstrikes in Yemen in recent hours, the Iran-backed Houthis claimed Thursday, following fresh rebel attacks on the kingdom.

“Saudi enemy aircraft carried out approximately 40 strikes over the past few hours in the governorates of Taiz, Hodeidah, Al-Jawf and Marib,” said Saba, the rebels’ news agency.

Top Trump advisers warn Iran war could last through his term

Senior White House advisers have privately discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump the possibility that the war with Iran could drag on until the end of his term, according to U.S. officials cited in an exclusive Wall Street Journal report published Thursday. The warnings contradict Trump’s public assurances of a swift victory in the conflict, which has been underway since Feb. 28.

The Journal also reported that Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others discussed with Trump in the Oval Office and Situation Room the likelihood that Tehran would continue to withstand U.S. pressure despite the blockade and other military tactics, potentially extending the conflict beyond Inauguration Day in January 2029.

On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that the war would end “immediately” after the November midterm elections, “because they [the Iranians] won’t hold out much longer.”

Saudi Arabia lifts Khamis Mushait alert amid clashes with Houthis

Saudi civil defense authorities lifted an “emergency alert” issued for Khamis Mushait province in the country’s southwest Wednesday morning, the fourth such alert in 24 hours, as clashes intensified with Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, Reuters reported.

Civil defense officials said the danger had passed shortly after the alert was issued.

At least 73 people have been injured across four cities in southern Saudi Arabia, including Khamis Mushait, during recent Houthi attacks on the world’s top oil exporter, the Saudi-led coalition said Tuesday.

The armed group claimed to have attacked an air base in Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in neighboring cities, marking one of the most significant attacks on Saudi Arabia since the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran began in February.

The coalition said the Houthis continued their attacks on national facilities and infrastructure Wednesday.

US military aircraft damaged in overnight strikes on Jordan air base, CBS reports

Several U.S. military aircraft were damaged during overnight strikes on Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, CBS reporter Jennifer Jacobs reported Wednesday on X.

An A-10 Thunderbolt, nicknamed the “Warthog,” was hit and lost a wing. About eight F-15s also sustained minor damage before being returned to service, she added.

U.S. forces in Jordan fired more than 30 Patriot missiles to defend against Iranian attacks. The damage occurred after the United States attacked five Iranian oil tankers in retaliation for Iran’s attack on a U.S. Navy warship.

In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed to have attacked eight oil tankers, two warships and the base in Jordan.

Turbulent morning in south Lebanon; 40th Israeli demolition of the day in Mansouri

The early hours of the day in southern Lebanon saw multiple Israeli attacks across several areas, our correspondent reports. At 8:30 a.m., artillery fire targeted the area around Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya).

Around 7 a.m., two explosions shook Beni Hayan (Marjayoun). Artillery fire targeted Wadi Zibqine (Sour), Zawtar Sharqieh (Nabatieh), Braasheet (Bint Jbeil) and the heights of Halta (Hasbaya). Heavy machine-gun fire targeted Haddatha (Bint Jbeil) and, once again, Halta.

The night was no less turbulent. Around 10 p.m., Israeli aircraft carried out a strike on Wadi Slouqi (Marjayoun), followed by strikes on Mansouri (Sour) and Nabatieh Fawqa. Artillery fire hit Kfar Roummane (Nabatieh).

Around 11 p.m., the 40th demolition operation of the day took place in Mansouri, a village heavily targeted in recent weeks. It was not the only area affected: Explosions occurred around the same time in Wadi Qaiss (Khiam, Marjayoun) and twice in Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil).

Meanwhile, a drone dropped explosives on Beni Hayan. Heavy machine-gun fire targeted Zawtar Sharqieh and Beit Yahoun (Bint Jbeil). Artillery fire also targeted Nabatieh Fawqa, while fire from an Israeli Merkava tank targeted an area between Braasheet and Beit Yahoun. After midnight, Israeli machine-gun fire targeted Majdal Zoun (Sour) and Halta (Hasbaya).

After 1 a.m., artillery fire struck Wadi Zibqine (Sour), and an explosion shook Wadi Slouqi.

Houthi drones, missiles again target Saudi Arabia

Drones and missiles launched by the Houthis targeted infrastructure in southern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, a day after a major attack by the Yemeni rebels injured 73 people in the kingdom, the Riyadh-led military coalition announced.

“On Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, the militia launched several ballistic missiles and drones toward the cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Jazan,” coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said in a post on X. He reported no casualties.

New Gulf strikes; oil tops $100

Iran claimed to have attacked more than a dozen vessels attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, sending oil prices soaring, and announced plans to soon extend the zone requiring navigation authorization beyond the strategic waterway.

Tehran justified the attacks by citing U.S. strikes on five Iranian oil tankers the previous day and again warned its adversary.

“The aggressive actions by the United States against Iranian commercial vessels ... constitute ... a clear threat to regional and international peace and security,” the Foreign Ministry said, citing “legitimate self-defense.”

The Revolutionary Guard claimed to have targeted two U.S. vessels, eight oil tankers and 10 other ships in the Gulf region as they attempted to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway Tehran has blockaded since the Middle East war began in late February.

The U.K. maritime agency UKMTO reported several vessels on fire at various locations, though there was no immediate word on casualties.

Good morning. We are now launching our LIVE coverage of the region.

We are launching our live coverage of developments in Lebanon, particularly in the South, where the Israeli army has begun a deadly escalation following the fall of the strategic Ali Taher ridge.

We will also track developments between Iran and the United States as the war enters its seventh month and negotiations remain stalled.