The head of the Yemeni Leadership Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, said during his meeting with the Egyptian ambassador to his country, Ihab Abu Saree, that “protecting the Yemeni coast and restoring the state’s control over its lands, ports, and territorial waters represent a common Yemeni, Egyptian, Arab, and international interest.”
Two sources in the Yemeni government stated that the Houthi group, allied with Iran, reached the Greater and Lesser islands of Zaqar and Hanish in the southern Red Sea off the coast of Eritrea after taking control of the coastal city of Mocha in a strategic development that may threaten the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the most important global shipping routes.
According to the official news agency "Saba", Al-Alimi warned that "the recent escalation by the Houthi militias, especially on the western coast of Taiz Governorate, is linked to Iranian efforts to give the militias the ability to influence Bab al-Mandab and the Red Sea."
He added, "This would allow the pressures facing Tehran to be transformed into a cost for the region, trade, and global markets."
Al-Alimi pointed out that "the Houthis are seeking to change the military equation on the west coast," warning that any threat to Bab al-Mandab, as a vital international corridor, will directly affect the security of the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, and the global trade movement.
Houthis: Navigation is safe and regular
For their part, the Houthis said that navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab remain safe and regular for all companies except for the previous ban on Saudi ships.
In a post on the
“If the aggression against Yemen stops and the siege is lifted, the current operations will stop.”
Two senior Iranian sources and three other people familiar with the matter said: Iran used a barter-like arrangement to circumvent sanctions imposed on its oil sales and purchase billions of dollars worth of goods from China, including military equipment.
The sources, who requested to remain anonymous, said that the secret trade mechanism, which allowed the exchange of Iranian oil with funds designated to finance Chinese imports, provided Tehran with a financial lifeline in the past few years, at a time when the United States escalated economic and military pressure on Iran because of its nuclear program.
She added that this mechanism also helped China, the world's largest importer of crude oil, to continue purchasing Iranian oil at reduced prices, while protecting banks and companies that export goods to the Islamic Republic from international scrutiny or sanctions.
Decreased ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz
On the other hand, preliminary data tracking ship movement showed that the number of ships that crossed the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, Wednesday, fell to seven ships, compared to 12 ships the previous day. These levels were also below the 10-day average of 14 ships.
According to the data available today, Thursday (September 10, 2026), four ships left and three ships entered. Some ships sail through the waterway with their transmitters and receivers turned off, and therefore these ships are not included in the census operations.
One of the ships that left was the very large crude oil tanker (Finland Prosperity), which was loaded with nearly two million barrels of crude oil.
CBS correspondent Jennifer Jacobs reported on Wednesday (September 9, 2026) on the X platform that several American military aircraft were damaged as a result of strikes targeting the Muwafaq Salti Air Base in Jordan during the night.
It added that an A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft was hit and lost one of its wings, while about eight F-15 aircraft were slightly damaged, all of which were returned to service.
The sources, who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said that about eight F-15 aircraft suffered minor damage and were reported to have been returned to service. The sources added that one A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft, known as "Wartog", was hit and lost one of its wings. There were no reports of American deaths as a result of the strikes targeting Jordan.
The damage that occurred overnight came after the United States announced, on Tuesday, that it had attacked five Iranian oil tankers in response to Iran targeting a US Navy warship. In response, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that it had launched attacks on eight oil tankers and two warships, among its targets were Al-Qaeda in Jordan.
CBS News learned that American forces in Jordan launched more than 30 Patriot missiles to confront Iranian strikes in Jordan. The American network had previously reported that American officials were concerned about the rapid decline in the stock of Patriot missiles, along with other types of precision-guided munitions.
