Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Delhi, called for an end to all attacks against Arab countries and urged the de-escalation of regional tensions. According to Masrawy, the Egyptian president emphasized the need for Iran to utilize all its resources to achieve comprehensive and lasting reconciliation. He also reiterated the principle of good neighborliness, stating that preserving the sovereignty of countries in the region is essential for restoring stability.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated: “The Ali Taher mountain range is part of the ‘Yellow Line’ and the Israeli security zone in Lebanon. The Israeli army is preparing on the ground to take control of the mountain range and prevent any attempt by Hezbollah or any other party to re-establish a presence there. Anyone who approaches the mountain range will be eliminated.”
According to Haaretz: “An unprecedented infestation of mice and rats in Israeli settlements near Gaza has resulted in bites to at least 10 settlers and caused significant agricultural losses. Experts believe the rodents may be coming from Gaza due to the destruction and military activity.” Israeli settlers near Gaza are calling for a halt to the entry of aid trucks into the Strip, claiming that the money ends up directly in the hands of Hamas (despite there being no evidence that humanitarian aid is being diverted to Hamas).
Saudi Arabia has suspended operations on the pipeline connecting the country’s eastern and western regions following a “series of attacks,” resulting in the closure of a key route used to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Donald Trump twice over the weekend, asking the United States to launch airstrikes against the Houthis. The American leader, however, refused to do so. Israel has reportedly agreed to provide assistance to the Saudis.
Oman’s Foreign Minister announced the cancellation of a regional meeting that was scheduled to take place in Oman. Representatives from Iran, Iraq, and several Persian Gulf states were expected to attend. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei stated: “What Iran and Oman agreed upon regarding the demarcation of maritime corridors concerns the sovereignty of these two countries. The meeting in Salalah was cancelled, and Saudi Arabia requested its postponement to a later date due to ongoing events in Yemen. We have no involvement in matters concerning Yemen, yet some countries are exploiting these events against us and fishing in troubled waters.”
Iran has communicated seven conditions to the United States, via intermediaries, for opening the Strait of Hormuz; this was reported by the Tasnim news agency.
Now, a look at the military situation in the Middle East and West Asia as of 2:00 PM on September 14. The Gulf Cooperation Council has urged Iraq to prevent attacks against Saudi Arabia. Jasim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), stated that several drones launched from Iraqi territory struck the East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina areas, causing injuries and material damage. For its part, the Iraqi government condemned the attacks and tasked Prime Minister Ali Falih Al-Zaidi with immediately launching an investigation to identify those responsible.
CENTCOM Commander Brad Cooper said in a TV interview: “I am not worried about a shortage of ammunition. We have sufficient weaponry and are ready for any confrontation.”
On September 14, a loud explosion was heard in Eilat; residents reported that it came from the direction of Jordan. No sirens were activated in the city.
Israeli attacks on Gaza continue: Israeli strikes occurred on September 13 on the Jabalia camp, and an Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood, west of Gaza City. An IDF quadcopter drone opened fire on Palestinian homes in the town of Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip; a similar incident took place in the Al-Tuffah neighborhood, east of Gaza City.
On September 14, an artillery attack took place in the Gaza Strip near the Al-Maghazi camp. Israeli forces conducted an incursion into the town of Al-Zawaida, in the central Gaza Strip, and a military raid on Unity Street in Gaza City. An Israeli attack in the Al-Yarmouk area of central Gaza City left several people injured. Five Palestinians, including children, were wounded in an Israeli drone strike targeting displaced persons’ tents west of Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza. Early in the afternoon on September 14, the Israeli army carried out an airstrike in Gaza City near Al-Shifa Hospital. This attack follows strikes that occurred earlier that morning in Deir al-Balah and Nuseirat. The raids targeted Hamas operatives, and the results are currently being assessed.
According to Israeli Army Radio, two Palestinians arrived at an Israeli farm near the town of Auja in the Jordan Valley. One of them threw stones at an Israeli individual. Both attempted to flee but were stopped by a civilian security guard and subsequently handed over to the Israeli army. Settler-led violations—backed by the Israeli army—occurred in Burqa (near Ramallah); settlers brutally beat two Palestinians in Salfit, set fire to agricultural land along the Ramallah-Nablus road, and opened fire in Deir Jarir. Concurrently, Israeli troops conducted raids, arresting Palestinians in Hebron and Rammun and detaining an international activist near Al-Mughayyir. Since October 2023, attacks by the Israeli army and settlers have resulted in the deaths of over 1,190 Palestinians in the West Bank. Israeli army special forces abducted Muhammad Shahadeh, the Fatah secretary in the Tulkarm camp, after firing live rounds at his vehicle in the eastern district of Tulkarm. In the town of Tarqumia, in the southern West Bank, a young Palestinian man was killed, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent.
An intense exchange of gunfire was reported in the Haret Hreik neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs. An Israeli airstrike hit Majdal Zoun, in the Jabal Amel region, while Israeli artillery fire struck the Doha Kfar Roummane and Ali Taher areas in southern Lebanon.
According to Turkish sources, Israeli ground troops have reportedly entered the western outskirts of Damascus.
Iraqi authorities have completely closed the Basra and Maysan border crossings. A suicide drone attack struck positions held by Iranian-backed separatist militias in Sulaymaniyah, northern Iraq. According to the regional Asayish directorate, five rockets hit Sulaymaniyah.
On September 10, a strategic Saudi Arabian oil pipeline was attacked. Saudi Arabia suspended operations on the East-West Pipeline. According to US officials, pumping stations within the East-West pipeline system were hit; the attack may have involved drones launched from Iraq. Saudi Arabia uses this pipeline to transport approximately 5 million barrels of oil per day, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
On September 11, Saudi Arabia’s national early-warning system issued a danger alert for the Khamis Mushait province; sirens sounded in that area and in Abha on September 12 due to missile attacks from Yemen. On September 12, Saudi fighter jets launched over 20 airstrikes against Houthi positions—targeting troop concentrations, vehicles, missile launchers, and communication systems—in the Al-Zahir, Dhi Na’im, Al-Sawadiyah, and Mukayras districts of Al-Bayda province, inflicting significant losses in personnel and equipment.
On September 14, Houthi missile attacks targeted Abha and Jazan. During the night of September 13–14, projectiles were launched from Yemen at the King Khalid Air Base. An oil facility in the Saudi city of Najran was also struck. A serious malfunction occurred in the American Patriot missile system, which failed to intercept and deflect Yemeni missiles heading toward areas in southern Saudi Arabia; a state of emergency was declared in the cities of Abha and Khamis Mushait.
At 06:20 Italian time, a new missile attack was launched against Khamis Mushait and Abha in southern Saudi Arabia. By mistake, the Saudis targeted mercenaries affiliated with the United Arab Emirates in southern Yemen—specifically at Al-Khubab and Bab al-Mandab—while the day before, Emirati-backed mercenaries had destroyed a Saudi drone.
At 14:00 on September 14, the following targets were struck: King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait; the Abha logistics base; an Aramco oil facility in Najran; and an Aramco oil facility in Jizan.
On September 11, Yemeni government forces announced the launch of an operation against the Houthis in an area that includes the city of Mocha. Majid al-Nuzayli, a spokesperson for the Yemeni government forces, stated: “The Yemeni armed forces are deploying all available weaponry and firepower to prevent any military activity by Houthi terrorists.” On September 11, Yemeni government forces began evacuating the Marib area due to the Houthi offensive, retreating to Shabwa. Houthi vessels are actively operating in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait following its capture this week during a rapid operation by Ansar Allah; this action allowed the group to take control of the entire western coast, territory previously held by Yemeni National Resistance forces. Unlike operations conducted from a distance, the group can now use simpler equipment to launch anti-tank guided missile systems and conduct direct surveillance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
According to reports, the Yemeni armed forces have struck positions and concentrations of Saudi-linked paramilitary groups in Taiz province using several ballistic missiles. The encirclement of the city of Taiz appears to be nearing completion, driven by advances from the Hayfan front in the east and the Jabal Habashi district in the west. This coincides with the Houthis taking control of the strategic Kahboub mountain range, which overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Ras al-Ara. The Ansar Allah movement has assumed full control of the Al-Wazehia district and the surrounding areas and mountains, including the Al-Qibla zone. They are advancing toward Lahij Governorate and are currently deployed in the region’s northwestern sector, where clashes and exchanges of fire with Saudi-backed militias are underway. The Houthis have secured full control of the town of Al-Kadha and the surrounding areas. Ansar Allah is on the verge of capturing the Al-Kadha–Al-Mokha road.
According to CNN—citing a Western source familiar with the situation—certain military units belonging to Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and stationed on the country’s west coast had only 20% of the personnel listed in official records, while the remaining 80% consisted of non-existent “ghost” soldiers. Brigadier General Yahya Hussein Salah, commander of the Saudi-aligned 5th Military District, was killed by the Houthis.
On September 14, more than 300 members of Saudi and Emirati militia brigades defected and joined Ansar Allah. According to the Houthis, there have been over 300 airstrikes in the last five days by Saudi F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets—launched from the Khamis Mushait and Taif bases—targeting most Yemeni provinces.
On September 13, reports from Iran indicated an explosion in the port city of Siri, near the Strait of Hormuz. During the night of September 14, rocket clashes occurred in the Strait of Hormuz, alongside ballistic missile launches from Iran. Reports suggest that ballistic missiles are targeting US warships. A Panamanian-flagged oil tanker, targeted last night by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, appears in Sentinel-1 satellite imagery showing a massive oil spill; the vessel is the *EL GAIA*. Indian and Pakistani sailors are reported missing. The Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization had added the tanker to its list on the 4th of the month.
The Iranians have claimed the destruction of another MQ-1 UAV. Iran intends to form 1,500 volunteer battalions as part of the “Devotees of the Homeland” campaign to defend the country in the event of an American attack.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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