#2
Interesting if true, apparently some IRGC troops tried to raid a house in southeast Iran and met trained resistance. Wonder who the targets are.
"The engaged armed individuals were highly motivated and fought with uncanny military discipline even under full encirclement. These individuals displayed classic maneuver discipline and are clearly trained."
[Reuters] Saudi Arabia has shut down its East-West pipeline, after the vital oil conduit came under aerial attack in the widening Middle East war, threatening to send energy prices even higher.
The world’s largest crude oil exporter said it temporarily closed the pipeline as a precaution after a drone attack that both Baghdad and Riyadh said had originated in Iraq, where Iranian-backed militias operate.
That’d be the Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation). There are about forty groups on the IRGC payroll, not all in Iraq and not all Iraqi Shiites.
Iraq dismissed a military commander on Saturday in response to the attack.
Hmmmm…
The 1,200-km (745-mile) pipeline running across the Arabian Peninsula has served as the main route out for global supplies of Middle East oil for the past six months while the Strait of Hormuz has been largely shut by war. It has been moving 4 million to 5 million barrels per day, amounting to 4% to 5% of global supply, sparing Saudi Arabia the brunt of the disruption that has crippled other Gulf oil and gas exporters.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the strikes. Satellite images showed black smoke rising from an area of the pipeline south of Medina. The attack resulted in some injuries and damage that was being assessed, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said without detailing the impact on exports.
U.S. President Donald Trump, visiting Ireland to attend a golf tournament at one of his resorts, said Iran was probably to blame.
SAUDI LEADER ASKS FOR MILITARY HELP
Oil prices shot up over the past week and the retail price of diesel in the United States surged past a record $6 a gallon, as the United States and Iran both fired on tankers and the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen advanced along the Red Sea, potentially extending disruption to another major oil route.
Washington now faces a dilemma over whether to help the Saudis fight the Houthis, risking further expansion of the war.
Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, phoned Trump on Thursday and asked for U.S. military help fighting the Houthis, three sources told Reuters. They said the prince was told that Washington would not intervene directly for now but would help with intelligence.
Trump confirmed on Saturday that he had spoken to the crown prince, and said the Houthis had also phoned his administration and asked Washington not to become directly involved in the conflict.
Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters that the Houthis had seized the strategic island of Perim on Friday in the middle of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — the "Gate of Tears" at the mouth of the Red Sea.
Courtesy of badanov:
Saudi Arabia says Iraq-launched drones hit pipeline, Baghdad opens probe
[Rudaw] Saudi Arabia said Friday that drones launched from Iraq struck its East-West oil pipeline, causing casualties and damage, prompting Baghdad to condemn the attack and announce an urgent investigation into those responsible.
The Saudi foreign ministry condemned “in the strongest terms” the targeting of the pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions by “several drones originating from Iraq,” saying the strikes caused “human casualties and some damage that is currently being addressed.”
Riyadh said it had decided against retaliating for now after Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi asked the kingdom to give Baghdad an opportunity to take measures to prevent attacks launched from Iraqi territory.
“The Kingdom has opted not to respond at this stage, and to support the efforts of the Iraqi government,” the Saudi foreign ministry said.
It added that Saudi Arabia reserves the right to “take all measures” necessary to protect its sovereignty, security, infrastructure, citizens and residents.
Baghdad swiftly condemned the strikes and reiterated that Iraqi territory would not be allowed to serve as a launchpad for attacks on other countries.
Motor Fuel: Gas prices rose 4.1% in August, reversing declines in June and July. Fuel prices have now been at least 19% above year-ago levels for six consecutive months.
Airfares: Airline ticket prices increased 2.7% in August and were 23.4% higher than a year ago. Airfares are now 20.3% above 2019 levels, still well below the 30.5% increase in overall consumer prices over the same period.
Hotels: Lodging prices increased 2.7% in August following two consecutive monthly declines. Despite the increase, hotel prices were just 2.9% higher than a year ago and 14.1% above 2019 levels, significantly below overall inflation.
Recreation and Food & Beverage: Recreation prices declined 0.4% in August and were just 0.8% higher than a year ago. Food and beverage prices increased 0.2% for the month and 3.3% year over year, roughly in line with overall consumer inflation.
#5
Allegedly MBS called Trump twice yesterday specifically requesting direct US strikes on the Houthi's and was turned down. Interesting leak. My bet it was deliberate to get the Houthi's to relax prior to a strike in 72 hours. That being said, with the recent island captures, the Houthi's now have the option of using artillery (in addition to rockets / drones) to interdict the Bab strait. Lower tech and much less expensive.
#7
Wait a minute. So the KSA, Türkiye, and Pakistan all signed up for this Mecca Defense Agreement. Where are the Saudis' allies to come to their defense? Do they have a NATO-like Article 5? Then again, the US did promise to protect the Kingdom, if I recall correctly.
Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
[Regnum] Iran has caused significant damage to U.S. Navy 5th Fleet facilities in Bahrain. Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hang Cao announced this in an interview with The Epoch Times correspondent Ryan Morgan.
"Iranian forces have smashed Bahrain to smithereens," Morgan quoted Minister H. as saying on social media.
According to the journalist, open sources previously indicated significant damage to the US 5th Fleet headquarters at the Naval Support Facility in Bahrain during the early days of the Iran-US conflict. Kao's statement was a direct, high-level acknowledgment of this fact. This from a report which took place in the early going.
Kao also confirmed that damage to the base left the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln unable to enter port in Bahrain.
It is noted that the United States continues to discuss whether, after the conflict ends, various American bases in the Middle East should be reoccupied and repaired, or whether such facilities represent an outdated model for projecting power in the region.
Earlier, the Iranian military launched massive drone strikes against targets at the Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain. The Iranian military described the base as one of the most important American bases in the Persian Gulf. It houses helicopter and drone repair and maintenance facilities, as well as reconnaissance aircraft.
Somehow I missed the previous reports. Or, was sleeping?
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/12/2026 10:28 Comments ||
Top||
#4
The reports on US bases/installations hit and the damage by the Iranians hasn't been shouted from the rooftops, but they've been out there.
The actual damage reported by Cao and the possibility of not re-building is maybe a week old.
I'm not sure why there seems to be so much surprise out there about US bases/installations being hit by Iranian missiles and drones, they certainly launched enough of them when this all started.
The USN's ability to thus far repel the Iranian antiship ballistic missile attack should not conceal the fact that virtually no other European navy could do so to the same degree.
Consider the French Charles de Gaulle. A normal CdG group includes at least one Horizon-class…
#9
Perhaps our shipbuilders should be talking to Japan. From the Wretchard the Cat thread:
As this Torygraph article points out, the JMSDF are not just building newer bigger better ships, they are building them faster than any European country toohttps://t.co/ESWewn5Qgl
#10
How can the British and French maintain a modern navy when they're spending all their money on immigrantscolonists? So much for NATO. What's the point? Are we supposed to help them when they descend into civil war?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
09/12/2026 14:30 Comments ||
Top||
#11
Guess that's what we get for not finishing the job.
🚨 HOUTHIS SEIZE STRATEGIC BAB AL-MANDEB CHOKEPOINT
The Houthis have reportedly taken Dhubab and strategic Perim (Mayyun) Island, giving them a commanding position over Yemen’s approaches to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
🚨 HOUTHIS SEIZE STRATEGIC BAB AL-MANDEB CHOKEPOINT
The Houthis have reportedly taken Dhubab and strategic Perim (Mayyun) Island, giving them a commanding position over Yemen’s approaches to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Control of the island puts vessels within reach of short-range weapons alongside existing missile and drone threats.
With Iran also pressuring the Strait of Hormuz, global shipping and Saudi oil exports now face mounting pressure at both of the Middle East’s critical maritime chokepoints.
Houthis reach Yemen’s Perim Island after government forces withdraw
[North Press] Houthi forces reached Yemen’s strategic Perim Island at the entrance to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on Friday after government forces withdrew, according to Yemeni sources.
Two sources from Yemen’s internationally recognized government said its forces had pulled out of Perim, while four government sources confirmed that the Houthis had reached the island. Reuters reported that the Houthis also took control of the nearby Red Sea coastal town of Dhubab. (Reuters)
The island, also known as Mayun, lies about 3.5 kilometers off Yemen’s western coast and occupies a strategic position in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key maritime route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. (AP News)
The Houthi advance comes after the group seized the Red Sea port city of Mokha and several nearby islands in a rapid offensive along Yemen’s western coast.
Courtesy of Besoeker:
Houthis' Stranglehold On Strategic Bab Al-Mandab Strait Grows Stronger
[TWZ10] The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have captured Mokha — a key Red Sea port in southwestern Yemen near the Bab al-Mandab (BAM) Strait. There are also reports they seized two islands located in the Red Sea shipping lanes. These moves against the Saudi Arabian-backed forces that previously held these areas could further cement the Houthis’ control over the narrow chokepoint to the Gulf of Aden, where the group has already imposed a blockade on Saudi oil exports.
The Houthis’ drive to control the BAM has been emboldened by the U.S. being stretched thin in its ongoing fight against Iran. Combined with Tehran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, this threatens to add to the Islamic Republic’s command over the flow of oil from the Middle East. It is a maximum pressure campaign on the U.S. and global markets, something we have predicted for years. Amid all this activity, the per-barrel price of Brent Crude is well over the $100 mark now.
The rapid advance on Mokha was planned and backed by Iran,
…of course…
according to the leader of Saudi-backed forces that retreated from Mokha, which is about 50 miles north of the BAM. It took place as Tehran has taken a more belligerent stance in the region that has seen it reportedly damage U.S. aircraft in a recent attack on Jordan earlier this week and get closer to striking U.S. Navy warships with ballistic missiles.
"The Joint Forces have formed a command center south of the city of Mokha, following Houthi breakthroughs across various combat axes under heavy fire, in which the Houthis used various types of weapons," Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Lt. Gen. Tareq Saleh, said in his acknowledgment that his forces lost the port. The PLC was created in 2022 to represent the internationally recognized government of Yemen.
"The armed forces on the West Coast — the National Resistance, the Giants [Brigades], and the Homeland Shield — in addition to units of the Taiz axis west of the governorate, have paid a heavy price, martyrs and wounded, over the past days as they confronted the Houthi attack, which was planned by Iran, supported by it, and carried out with the participation of its various proxies/tools."
[DW] Prosecutors say the suspects had moved beyond general preparations and were already pursuing a concrete plan for a deadly attack on Israeli or Jewish targets.
German federal prosecutors on Friday charged seven suspected members of the Islamist militant group Hamas.
The men allegedly plotted to carry out a deadly attack on Israeli or Jewish targets in Germany or Austria.
WHAT ARE THE CHARGES?
The men are accused of helping procure weapons, membership in a foreign terrorist organization, and taking part in preparations for act of violence endangering the state, the Federal Prosecutor's Office in Karlsruhe said on Friday.
Investigators believe the suspects, who were arrested in Germany and abroad over recent months, were already pursuing a concrete attack plan.
The men are accused of helping obtain guns and ammunition for an attack targeting representatives of Israel, Jewish people or people regarded as pro-Israel.
The plot allegedly became concrete by July 2025 and was intended to take place on the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.
Prosecutors say that one of the suspects recorded a video claiming responsibility in advance and announcing the planned attack in the name of Hamas.
All seven men also face weapons charges, while three are additionally accused of violating Germany's War Weapons Control Act.
WHAT WEAPONS HAD ALLEGEDLY BEEN OBTAINED?
By the time three of the suspects were arrested in Berlin on October 1, 2025, prosecutors say the group had obtained:
one functioning fully automatic rifle
13 functioning handguns
more than 700 rounds of ammunition
Part of the arsenal was allegedly moved to Vienna and stored there by another suspect who is being prosecuted separately.
According to prosecutors, all seven belonged to Hamas and several were tasked by senior Hamas officials with securing the weapons.
The suspects were arrested between October 2025 and May 2026 and remain in pre-trial detention.
Another alleged participant, Mohammed A., was arrested in London on November 3, 2025, at the request of German authorities.
He has not yet been transferred to Germany and is being prosecuted separately.
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Lebanese security forces reportedly arrested Suleiman Hilal al-Assad, cousin of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, during a raid on a suspected drug storage facility in the Bekaa Valley on Friday.
Media reports said the arrest came alongside a Syrian request for his extradition to Damascus over alleged involvement in killings and smuggling operations.
Details about the operation and the charges against al-Assad remain pending further clarification from the relevant Lebanese and Syrian authorities.
🚨 ISRAELI STRIKES AND DEMOLITIONS CONTINUE ACROSS SOUTHERN LEBANON
Israeli military activity continued across southern Lebanon today, with powerful explosions, airstrikes and demolition operations reported in Al-Mansouri.
🚨 ISRAELI STRIKES AND DEMOLITIONS CONTINUE ACROSS SOUTHERN LEBANON
Israeli military activity continued across southern Lebanon today, with powerful explosions, airstrikes and demolition operations reported in Al-Mansouri.
Artillery fire also targeted Nabatieh al-Fawqa, the area toward Kfar Tebnit, and the Ali al-Taher Heights.
استخدمت قوات جيش الدفاع أكثر من 1100 طن من المواد المتفجرة لتدمير البنى التحتية في #علي_الطاهر.
🔹 ضمت شبكة المسارات في مرتفعات علي الطاهر ثمانية مسارات تحت الأرض، بلغ طولها الإجمالي أكثر من 5400 متر. وقد عثرت قوات جيش الدفاع داخل هذه المسارات على أنواع مختلفة من الوسائل… pic.twitter.com/FEFjvE6Xlh
— Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya | إيلا واوية (@CaptainElla1) September 11, 2026
Text:
The IDF forces used more than 1,100 tons of explosives to destroy the infrastructure in Ali_al-Taher.
🔹 The network of routes in the Ali al-Taher highlands included eight underground routes, with a total length of more than 5,400 meters. Inside these routes, IDF forces discovered various types of combat means, including dozens of explosive drones and UAVs, machine guns and anti-armor missiles, hundreds of mines and RPG shells and IEDs, in addition to other military equipment.
🔹 The IDF will continue to operate to remove any threat to the northern towns and to our forces. To this day, IDF forces continue their activity in the security zone in southern Lebanon to cleanse the area and prevent the terrorist Hezbollah organization from harming the citizens of the State of Israel.
🚨 50 HEZBOLLAH TERRORISTS CHOSE TO FIGHT TO THE DEATH UNDERGROUND
The IDF has released new footage and details from its three-month operation on the Ali Tahr Ridge in southern Lebanon.
Around 50 Hezbollah operatives were barricaded inside a massive underground command complex. Israel reportedly offered them a chance to surrender through Lebanese intermediaries.
They refused. Most were killed when the complex was destroyed.
Inside, IDF forces found drones, anti-tank missiles and large quantities of weapons. Hezbollah attempts to resupply or rescue the trapped operatives were disrupted.
An Israeli source told Sky News Arabia that Israel does not intend to abandon the ridge and will strike anyone approaching the destroyed site.
The same source denied reports that Iranians were inside the complex.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
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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.
