Houthis seize strategic Red Sea port in Yemen, and other Mideast
developments
[September 11, 2026]
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized Yemen’s strategic Red Sea port city
of Mokha, according to Houthi and Yemeni officials, bringing the rebels
closer to controlling a critical waterway to the Red Sea.
Separately, an Israeli strike killed at least four people in northern
Gaza, including two children, hospital officials said Thursday. The
Israeli military said the attack killed a militant.
Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can
be found here.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels take key port city, officials say
The Iran-backed Houthi rebel group on Thursday took over Yemen’s port
city of Mokha, Houthi and Yemeni officials said.
Mokha is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a
strategic waterway between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden through
which about 12% of the world’s oil and other goods are shipped.
The Bab el-Mandeb has become even more important for global energy
supplies since shipping through the nearby Strait of Hormuz was
disrupted by Iran after it was attacked by the United States and Israel
in February.
The Houthis’ takeover of Mokha was confirmed to The Associated Press by
Ahmed Baash, a commander with the National Resistance Forces allied with
Yemen’s government, and Hazam al-Assad, a member of the Houthis’
political bureau.
Hans Grundberg, the United Nations envoy to Yemen, warned that the
nation now faces the “harsh reality” of a return to war. Grundberg told
an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council Thursday afternoon
that the international community must address this “new and more
dangerous phase – one whose consequences, if left unchecked, will not
stay within Yemen’s borders.”
Neighboring Saudi Arabia said it would take all measures necessary to
deter Houthi attacks. Saudi Ambassador Abdulaziz Alwasil told the U.N.
Security Council that the kingdom reaffirms its right to protect its
“territorial integrity in accordance with the (U.N.) Charter and
international law.”
2 children are killed in a Gaza strike
Two children were among the dead after Israel carried out a new strike
in the northern Gaza community of Beit Lahiya, according to Shifa
Hospital, where the bodies were taken.
The strike killed a husband and wife, alongside their two daughters,
aged 8 and 12.
“There is nothing that can justify Israel attacking this home,” said
Zuheir al-Heisami, a neighbor of the family, at the hospital. He said
the strike happened at around 2 a.m. “These were two children and their
parents that were killed while they were asleep.”
The Israeli military in a statement said the strike in Beit Lahiya
“eliminated” a militant who had taken part in attacks against its
forces. It did not give details.
Israel’s military in the past has said it carries out strikes in
response to threats against its forces under the fragile ceasefire that
has been in place since October.
Trump says Iran war will not continue for the rest of his term
President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter as he prepared to leave
Texas late Thursday night if the if the Iran war would go on for the
rest of his time in office, which ends in early 2029.
“No. No,” Trump said in response.
He predicted that the war would likely end very shortly after this
November’s elections in the U.S.
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Yemen's Houthi rebels gather during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa,
Yemen, Thursday, Sept. 10, 2026. (AP Photo)
Clash at UN Security Council over Iran’s nuclear program
Nearly a year after the U.N. Security Council reimposed sanctions on
Iran over its nuclear program, the U.S., the U.K. and their council
allies called on Tehran to implement the tough measures and allow
inspectors into all its facilities.
But Russia and China reiterated their claim that reimposing
sanctions against Iran was illegal. Russia vowed to oppose any
actions to legitimize the “snapback” of sanctions.
The meeting Thursday followed a decision by the U.N. nuclear
agency’s board to report Iran to the Security Council for the first
time in 20 years, citing its failure to explain uranium traces
inspectors found at undeclared sites.
British U.N. Ambassador Sarah MacIntosh said the International
Atomic Energy Agency’s latest report needs addressing with “utmost
urgency.” Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the report
“politicized.”
Iran says it is not pursuing nuclear weapons and its program is
entirely peaceful.
Algeria says it's ending diplomatic ties with the UAE
Algeria's government announced on Thursday that it’s severing
diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates.
An Algerian Foreign Ministry statement read on state television gave
no specific reason for the decision, but cited alleged “provocative
and hostile actions” by the Gulf Arab state and “regrettable and
unjustified behavior.”
The UAE’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it hoped
Algeria’s decision ends up being temporary, and that ultimately
their "fraternal ties” will be preserved.
UN letter accuses Israel of constant violations in Lebanon
Lebanon’s mission to the United Nations has accused Israel of
committing nearly 2,000 “land, air and sea violations” of Lebanon’s
sovereignty during the month of July, according to a letter to the
U.N.
The letter, published Thursday on the U.N. website, did not give
details of the alleged violations. The Israeli military did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israel occupies a large swath of southern Lebanon it seized during a
ground invasion after Hezbollah militants began firing rockets
across the border into Israel in March.
Lebanon and Israel reached an agreement in June that calls for
Israel to withdraw from occupied areas in exchange for Hezbollah’s
disarmament. Implementation has largely stalled, with Israel
continuing airstrikes as it accuses Hezbollah of attacking its
forces.
Israel threatens strikes on Iran’s energy facilities if attacked
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Iran of a “powerful
response” if Israel is attacked, saying it would “inflict severe
damage on Iran of a kind it has not yet suffered, including on its
central energy facilities.”
Katz's video statement came after Iran launched missiles at U.S.
targets earlier this week in Jordan, Israel’s eastern neighbor, in
response to U.S. strikes on Iranian oil tankers.
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