[YemenOnline] Fighters from Somalia's militant group Al-Shabaab reportedly spent three months in Yemen's northern province of Saada receiving training in the assembly and operation of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), according to local and security reports.
The reports said the fighters underwent specialized instruction on drone construction, maintenance, and remote-control systems in areas under the control of the Houthi movement in Saada province, a long-standing stronghold of the group in northern Yemen.
According to the information, the training program focused on drone assembly techniques, operational procedures, and guidance systems, reflecting growing concerns over the increasing use of unmanned aircraft by armed groups across the region.
The reported training has raised concerns among regional security observers about potential cooperation and knowledge-sharing between armed organizations operating in different conflict zones, particularly in the field of drone warfare.
-Increasing cooperation between the Houthis and Al-Shabaab in Somalia has been described by U.S. Africa Command leadership as an "escalatory" threat to regional stability
-The Houthis have sold weapons to Al-Shabaab and trained hundreds of fighters in the use of drones and explosives
1,500 Al-Shabaab fighters from Somalia trained with the Houthis in Yemen, according to reports from former UN experts
-Al-Shabaab in Somalia sought more advanced weapons from the Houthis, including Iranian S358-model surface-to-air missiles
-Houthi envoys intensified their visits this year to Al-Shabaab's stronghold in southern Somalia, and the Houthis have used their new alliance to install radars and equipment for monitoring navigation from the African coast
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited by Leonid Tsukanov
[Regnum] Before the central Libyan government had fully recovered from the turbulence caused by the power outages, new problems were already looming on the horizon.
In just a week, regime opponents shut down a major oil pipeline, disrupting established export chains and fueling tensions between Tripoli and its neighbors.
The threads of seemingly disparate incidents once again lead to Zawiya, a "smugglers' town" near the capital that remains under government control only nominally. However, Tripoli is in no rush to resolve the issue radically.
GUARDS PROTEST
A new crisis erupted in Libya in the second half of September, when employees of the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) went on strike due to delays in salary payments and a lack of social security.
Specifically, on September 21, an armed group of protesters closed valve No. 7 on the Sharara-Zawiya oil pipeline in the Hamada region. This led to excess pressure in the pipeline and forced Libya's national oil company to reduce pumping volumes by almost half.
The very next day, PFG blocked the gates of the Zawiya oil complex, including the refinery and the Brega Petroleum Marketing facility. Workers and technical personnel were unable to access the facilities, threatening a complete shutdown of the complex and the declaration of force majeure.
PFG had previously tried to maintain civil protest for several months and sent representatives to Tripoli at least three times with an official message that if demands were not met, the work of the fields under their control (including El-Fili and Sharara) would be paralyzed.
The final warning was issued on September 16. However, government officials then believed the PFG was bluffing and would not engage in open conflict for fear of clashing with security forces loyal to them.
And the PFG units probably wouldn't have raised the stakes so radically if they hadn't been suddenly supported by armed loyalists from the groups of Mohammed Bahrun, nicknamed Al-Far.
He is considered one of Libya's most influential field commanders and the unofficial leader of the "city of smugglers." Local sources have repeatedly reported the presence of reinforced patrols of the First Security Division, bearing Al-Far's personal insignia, at oil refineries near Zawiya. The total number of fighters involved could be as many as 150.
At the same time, Al-Far did not officially declare war on Tripoli, and its fighters, according to statements circulating in the Libyan press from “unnamed Zawiya officials,” were deployed to problematic sites solely to maintain law and order and prevent possible provocations.
ALL ROADS LEAD TO ZAWIYA
Covertly condoning protesting security guards, however, isn't the only reason Bahrun and his associates are currently being criticized in the capital. Central authorities are concerned about the sharp increase in activity on the Mediterranean routes, which illegal migrants and smugglers use to reach European countries.
Greeks are particularly vocal about the problem. Athens believes Libya is deliberately turning a blind eye to smuggling routes and, together with Turkey, is using illegal migrants as a hybrid weapon. Greece is threatening to impose a naval blockade if the situation worsens, which would impact the African nation's maritime trade.
Interestingly, the accusations against Tripoli focus not so much on the illegal migration itself as on the dirty methods used to organize it. In particular, Greek media outlets readily report that Libyan traffickers are putting teenagers aged 14 to 17 at the controls, believing that foreign laws will apply less harshly to them than to adults.
Considering that all of the illegal caravans caught had previously departed from fishing villages near Zawiya, Libya's neighbors have theorized that an entire teenage flotilla is operating in the area. They're asking Hamid Dbeibah's government a reasonable question: can they control the entire country if they can't stop what's happening just 50 kilometers from the capital?
Furthermore, the western and central parts of the country have recently been increasingly gripped by "captogon fever." Government-loyal security forces are increasingly reporting the destruction of clandestine laboratories and the seizure of large quantities of the synthetic drug.
The most recent major operation took place in mid-September, when intelligence agencies seized approximately 100,000 pills shaped like the head of the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, intended for shipment to France and Italy.
Along the way, they managed to entrap several couriers and guides, who initially tried to frighten investigators with their "big connections" in criminal and political circles, including Al-Far's authority.
THE TRUCE TRAP
However, despite the huge tangle of contradictions between Tripoli and Zawiya, the central authorities are not yet ready to directly attack the "city of smugglers" - much less outlaw Bahrun - due to the lessons of the past.
The clashes with the First Security Division in August 2026, although they ended in a draw, led to a fragmentation of the government loyalist network. Al-Far's authority was significantly strengthened, and his influence increased exponentially.
Moreover, risk assessment is closely intertwined with the personal ambitions of individual officials. For example, the prime minister's adviser and nephew, Ibrahim Dbeibah, who unofficially oversees the entire security apparatus within the government, is determined to sooner or later draw Al-Far into his orbit of influence and transform the "rebel baron" into a loyal ally of Tripoli and controller of sea routes.
He considers relying on other, less influential field commanders dangerous and risky. It was Dbeibah Jr. who, it is believed, vetoed a plan for a large-scale police operation in Zawiya in August 2026, allowing Bahrun and his supporters to maintain their positions.
He also appears to be turning a blind eye to the numerous reports of violations in the "city of smugglers," believing many of them to be attempts to create discord between the government and Zawiya. Therefore, he's in no hurry to order further pressure.
Either way, the delay is costing Tripoli dearly. The reduced volume of oil pumped through the partially blocked pipeline is costing the treasury enormous amounts of oil trading revenue daily, while the disruption to the oil refining cycle threatens a rapid diesel shortage—and, consequently, power outages for small farms.
In addition, Dbeibah's cabinet is under behind-the-scenes pressure from Italy and Germany, the main buyers of Libyan oil, whose own reserves are visibly melting away following the blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb and Hormuz Straits.
Rome and Berlin are demanding that the problem be resolved as quickly as possible and that the trust Europe placed in Libya after the overthrow of Gaddafi not be nullified. Although Europe has not publicly threatened retaliatory measures, supply shortfalls could well provoke a cooling of relations between Tripoli and its Mediterranean neighbors.
This means that the Dbeibah government will soon have to make a difficult but inevitable choice: either continue its geopolitical maneuvering regarding Zawiya, or resolve the issue roughly but quickly.
A Firm Yemeni Press Statement (The Houthis Under Surveillance)
The Yemeni Armed Forces announce that they have conducted the monitoring and tracking of all movements and military activities of the terrorist Houthi militia across various axes, fronts, and provinces.
The sites used by the terrorist Houthi militia for any military purposes are legitimate targets for our armed forces, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
It means that the army is now monitoring all military movements of the Houthis across every front and considers any site they use for military purposes a legitimate target for bombardment and targeting.
And this is a message of deterrence and warning: “We see you and we will strike you,” and it appears to be a preparatory statement for any upcoming strikes against the Houthis, while highlighting the surveillance and drone capabilities that have become a fundamental tool for the army.
⭕Overnight, IDF soldiers & Israel Border Police forces operated in the area of Jalud in Judea & Samaria to disperse Israeli rioters and protect the residents of the area, as the return of a Palestinian family to their home in the area had been coordinated.
⭕Overnight, IDF soldiers & Israel Border Police forces operated in the area of Jalud in Judea & Samaria to disperse Israeli rioters and protect the residents of the area, as the return of a Palestinian family to their home in the area had been coordinated.
The rioters blocked roads, set fires, structures & vehicles on fire and hurled rocks toward security forces, injuring 3 Israel Border Police officers.
Forces apprehended 2 suspects, who were transferred for questioning. Later the security forces will enter the area to collect findings and evidence as part of the investigation that has been launched.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday condemned the massive overnight attack and riot by Jewish bandidosgunnies in the West Bank, calling for the perpetrators to be persecuted "to the fullest extent of the law," while downplaying the attack as being perpetrated by a "small number" of people.
More than 100 Israeli settlers took part in the attack on the West Bank village of Jalud, near Nablus, preventing Israeli forces from enabling a displaced Paleostinian family to return to their home. The army said the attackers were "blocking roads, setting tires on fire, and throwing stones at security forces," injuring three Border Police officers and causing widespread property damage in Jalud. Three suspects had been arrested as of Tuesday afternoon.
Though security forces said the number of bandidosgunnies involved in the attack exceeded 100, Netanyahu placed blame on a "small number of rioters," which he said "does not represent the law-abiding settler community in Judea and Samaria," referring to the West Bank.
"They do it a grave injustice and interfere with our forces as they carry out their mission," he said.
Netanyahu has regularly downplayed settler violence as a marginal concern, claiming that nearly all incidents are the work of a few hundred wayward youths, despite attacks taking place on a near-daily basis and occurring in hundreds of villages and towns across the West Bank.
"I stand behind the IDF and Border Police personnel who are working to thwart terrorism and protect security," he continued, "and I call on law enforcement authorities to prosecute the rioters to the fullest extent of the law."
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also condemned the attack on Jalud, calling it "grave and abhorrent."
"Anyone who commits these criminal offenses and assaults Border Police fighters and IDF soldiers, and even harms them, are criminals who must be dealt with to the fullest extent of the law," Sa’ar wrote on X. "They harm our values. They harm Jewish settlement. They harm Israel."
Defense Minister Israel Katz joined in the chorus of condemnation against the attack, though he also downplayed it as being perpetrated by a "handful of rioters."
"Precisely here, in the face of this important security activity, the severity of the actions of a handful of rioters... who attacked security forces and set fire to Paleostinian homes and property stands out," he said during a visit to the West Bank with Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth, accusing the rioters of undermining the soldiers’ mission.
Katz said the violent mostly peaceful settlers are "hindering efforts to thwart Paleostinian terrorism, diverting forces from their missions, and seriously harming security efforts, the settlement enterprise, and the State of Israel."
"I strongly condemn these criminal acts. This handful of rioters does not represent the settler community, and decisive action must be taken against them, and those responsible must be brought to justice," he added.
Also issuing condemnation of the Jalud attack was top settlement leader Yisrael Ganz, who called for Israel to crack down on the phenomenon with all its law enforcement capabilities. The statement marked a rare instance of criticism of the phenomenon coming from inside the movement.
"Incidents like what happened overnight can and must be prevented," said Ganz, who heads the Binyamin Regional Council in the central West Bank, and also leads the Yesha settlement umbrella group.
"The state has powers and tools to stop this phenomenon, and it needs to use them," he said, urging the prosecution of those responsible, even as he appeared to point a finger at law enforcement for failing to do so.
"The law must be enforced in [the West Bank] exactly as it is enforced in Tel Aviv or Kfar Saba," he said.
Tubasi family home had been taken over by settlers since July
The attack happened as the IDF attempted to return the Tubasi family to their home, after they were forced to leave in July following repeated harassment and violence by settlers. In September, the High Court of Justice ordered that their safe return be ensured, in a scathing decision that castigated authorities for failing to crack down on the attacks.
Mahmoud Tubasi, the homeowner, said his house has been occupied by settlers since July. He told The Times of Israel on Tuesday that around midnight, the Civil Administration called the family and told them they would be able to return to their home.
"My wife, my son and I went to the house in the car, accompanied by an army vehicle in front of us and another behind us," he told AFP.
Settlers attacked the group upon their arrival at the house and were pushed back by soldiers with pepper spray, he added.
"We were not physically injured, but we suffered some choking from the pepper spray," Tubasi said.
According to Tubasi, the Paleostinians escaped without injury because IDF troops rescued them during the incident and moved them into a military vehicle.
In a separate attack Tuesday, dozens of settlers from hilltop outposts raided the Paleostinian village of al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, residents told AFP.
An AFP journalist saw at least five burnt-out cars as a result.
Al-Mughayyir is the scene of frequent attacks due to its isolated location and the presence of several settlement outposts around it.
In another separate incident in the town of Beitunia near Ramallah, dozens of settlers came to hold a prayer for the Jewish holiday of Sukkot using loudspeakers, Mayor Ribhi Dawla told AFP.
"This gathering is a dangerous precedent," he said. "There are ambitions for settlements in the area, they placed a caravan in the western part of the town and installed an iron gate."
Settler violence in the West Bank has risen sharply since the Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... -led onslaught of October 7, 2023, that sparked the war in Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... The attacks occur daily but perpetrators are rarely caught or prosecuted. Critics accuse the government of condoning and even encouraging the violence, which has led to the displacement of dozens of Paleostinian families.
#عاجل | جيش الدفاع والشاباك يقضيان على قائد لواء شمال قطاع غزة في حركة حماس الإرهابية
⭕️هاجم جيش الدفاع والشاباك خلال الليلة الماضية (الثلاثاء) في شمال قطاع غزة وقضيا على المخرب عز الدين البيك، قائد لواء شمال قطاع غزة في الجناح العسكري لحركة حماس الإرهابية.
— Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya | إيلا واوية (@CaptainElla1) September 29, 2026
Translated Text:
#BREAKING | IDF and Shin Bet Eliminate Commander of Hamas Terror Organization's North Gaza Brigade
⭕️Overnight Tuesday, the IDF and Shin Bet conducted a joint operation in northern Gaza Strip, eliminating the terrorist Azz a-Din al-Bik, Commander of Hamas terror organization's North Gaza Brigade in its military wing.
⭕️Azz a-Din al-Bik assumed his position following the elimination of Ahmad al-Ghandour, after having served as the brigade's intelligence officer.
⭕️In his role, Azz a-Din al-Bik was responsible for directing the brigade's terrorist activities, advancing and executing terrorist plots against IDF forces and the citizens of the State of Israel. He also worked to rebuild the brigade's capabilities, which had suffered a severe blow during the war.
⭕️The terrorist posed an immediate threat to IDF forces and the citizens of the State of Israel, and was eliminated in a precise strike.
⭕️Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians, including the use of precise munitions and aerial surveillance.
⭕️Security forces under Southern Command are deployed in the field in accordance with the situational assessment and will continue operations to remove any immediate threats.
More
ISRAELI STRIKES ELIMINATE AT LEAST 7 TERRORISTS IN NORTHERN GAZA
At least 7 terrorists were reportedly k*illed in Israeli strikes across northern Gaza today, including senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives.
Israeli Strikes Eliminate At Least 7 Terrorists In Northern Gaza
At least 7 terrorists were reportedly k*illed in Israeli strikes across northern Gaza today, including senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives.
Among them was PIJ field commander Musaab (Mutaeb) al-Balbisi, targeted near the Fakhoura clinic in Jabaliya. Three additional operatives were reportedly k*illed in a separate drone strike on the Khaloua tent camp.
The commander of Hamas ..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",... ’s Northern Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Brigade was killed in an Israeli Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... in Gaza City early Tuesday, marking the third top commander in the terror group to be killed in recent weeks.
The overnight strike in Gaza City’s al-Nasr neighborhood killed Izz al-Din al-Bik, who headed the Northern Gaza Brigade, one of Hamas’s five regional brigades in its military wing, according to the Israeli military and the terror group.
The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency said al-Bik had been in the role since the previous Northern Gaza Brigade commander, Ahmed Ghandour, was killed by Israel on November 10, 2023.
Hamas, in a statement, said al-Bik was previously chief of intelligence in the brigade, making him "one of the commanders" of the terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught. When Ghandour was killed, al-Bik assumed command of the unit, leading the fighting against Israeli troops in northern Gaza throughout the war, Hamas said.
Footage published by the IDF showed several missiles hitting an apartment building in the strike after midnight. Paleostinian medics said that a woman was killed and her husband and others were maimed in the strike.
The IDF and Shin Bet said that al-Bik was responsible for managing the activities of the brigade’s operatives, including directing them to carry out attacks on Israeli troops and civilians. The commander was also involved in restoring the brigade’s capabilities, "which suffered a fatal blow throughout the war," the joint statement read.
Al-Bik was killed "in a precise aerial strike" in Gaza City overnight, because he "posed an immediate threat to IDF troops and Israeli civilians," the military and Shin Bet added.
A strike in Gaza City on September 29, 2026, targets the commander of Hamas’s Northern Gaza Brigade. (Israel Defense Forces)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz accused the Northern Gaza Brigade commander of being involved in advancing attacks against Israeli forces and recruiting new terrorists.
"We will continue to hunt down and pursue all of the organization’s terrorists, from its commanders to its last operative, wherever they hide, until there is no Hamas in Gaza," their separate statement read.
Al-Bik is the third Hamas brigade commander killed by Israel in recent weeks, after the commander of the Rafah Brigade was killed on September 15 and the commander of the Khan Younis Brigade was killed on September 11.
The IDF in recent months has ramped up strikes on terror operatives in Gaza, including numerous October 7 terrorists, saying they posed a threat to Israeli forces.
A strike in Gaza City on Sunday killed a Hamas operative who the military said was involved in smuggling millions of shekels to the terror group’s military wing.
The IDF identified the target, Shadi Abu Hasira, as a "key money exchanger" in Hamas, who headed the "Geneva" money exchange network, which "transferred tens of millions of Israeli shekels in foreign currency to Hamas’s military wing."
"These funds were used to finance terrorists, restore military infrastructure, and advance attacks against IDF troops," the army said.
The military said Abu Hasira was also involved in commercial activities in Gaza, managing a company named "Gardena Professional" that facilitated his money-transfer activities.
Recently, the IDF said, the moneyman had been involved in advancing attacks and restoring Hamas capabilities, "in systematic violation of the ceasefire," and was killed to "remove the threat he posed."
On Friday, the IDF had warned that it would continue to target Hamas members involved in financing the terror group’s military wing, after killing 16 "key" Hamas financial officers during the war so far.
A separate strike on Sunday in southern Gaza killed Adi Adil Abd al-Aaser, identified by the IDF as a Hamas sniper operative who had been advancing attacks and attempting to restore the terror group’s capabilities, "in systematic violation of the ceasefire."
He was killed to "remove a threat," the IDF added.
The Gaza war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led snuffies invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages.
The ensuing war between Israel and Hamas has killed over 73,400 people in Gaza, including more than 1,330 since the October 2025 ceasefire, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
The Israeli military says it has killed over 24,000 combatants in Gaza and another 1,200 snuffies inside Israel during the October 7 onslaught. It believes that Hamas’s overall toll is largely accurate, with IDF officials estimating that two to three non-combatants were killed for every dead terror operative.
While the October 2025 US-backed ceasefire halted major fighting in the shattered territory, it hasn’t ended strikes by the IDF, which the military says are meant to thwart attacks by Gaza terrorists.
Gaza remains bisected into Israeli- and Hamas-controlled areas, and talks to bring about Hamas’s disarmament and the territory’s reconstruction have made only limited progress.
Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.
Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 479. The toll includes two coppers and three Defense Ministry civilian contractors.
[IsraelTimes] An “unknown projectile” struck a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a fire on board that has been extinguished, a British maritime agency reports.
The ship was hit on Monday evening but the crew is since confirmed safe, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) says.
“The fire has since been extinguished and the vessel is underway,” the agency says. “There has been no reported environmental impact or damage assessment.”
[FOX] Iranian security forces have stepped up their presence in Tehran and other cities, with motorcycle patrols, checkpoints and forces positioned across major urban areas as authorities brace for possible unrest, multiple sources inside Iran told Fox News Digital.
The security buildup comes as university students have returned to the streets in Tehran, protesting compulsory hijab rules, rising education costs and political repression, videos published on Iran International show.
Sources inside Iran confirmed to Fox News Digital that motorcycle units have been operating across Tehran and other cities during events surrounding Iran’s annual "Sacred Defense Week," while members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Basij and law enforcement have been positioned at major squares and other locations.
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09/30/2026 00:10 ||
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"I'd like 10,000 marbles and 90' of rope, please"
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[Rudaw] A Balochi rights group on Tuesday reported clashes between Iranian armed forces and “armed individuals” southeast of Iran, the latest in a successive increase of tensions in the past month in the restive southeastern province.
Haalvsh, a Baloch rights monitor, said “heavy gunfire and RPG explosions” took place in the city of Iranshahr, located in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province.
“Dozens of military vehicles and a main battle tank have been deployed to the scene, with both light and semi-heavy weaponry being used in the confrontation,” the monitor stated, citing “initial reports.”
It also claimed that roads leading to the clash site have been cordoned off “at a significant distance,” with “precise details” about the identity of the gunmen, the cause of the clash, or potential casualties and damages remain unavailable.
Saberin News, a telegram channel affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), confirmed the confrontation.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
