Bab Al Mandeb

Iran's nuclear chief was barred from the IAEA General Conference in Vienna after Austria revoked his visa, drawing protests from Tehran and a US statement opposing his attendance. Israeli strikes continued across southern Lebanon, where Prime Minister Netanyahu pledged to keep destroying Hezbollah infrastructure, and the IDF chief ordered legal action over the NAZA film. Protests spread across Syria over fuel price hikes, while Houthi forces seized additional Red Sea islands.

Saudi Arabia shut its East-West oil pipeline after drones launched from Iraq struck the system, with Baghdad firing a military commander and ordering an investigation. The Houthis completed their seizure of Yemen's Red Sea coast, capturing Perim Island and halving ship traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Israel-Lebanon talks scheduled for Rome next week were postponed to October, with ambassadors to meet in Washington instead. US officials linked Chinese satellite imagery to Iran's July attack on a US base in Jordan that killed three American troops.

Saudi Arabia shut its East-West oil pipeline after drones launched from Iraq struck the system, with Baghdad ordering an investigation. The Houthis continued their advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast, seizing Perim Island and consolidating control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, while the UN reported 46,000 displaced. Israel pressed demolitions and airstrikes across southern Lebanon after destroying a major Hezbollah underground complex.

The IDF destroyed more than two kilometers of Hezbollah underground infrastructure beneath Ali al-Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon, identifying it as the central command complex for Hezbollah's Badr Unit, before withdrawing troops toward Beaufort. Houthi forces captured the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands, completing their control of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the entire Yemeni Red Sea coast, while declaring Red Sea shipping safe except for Saudi vessels. Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri said the framework agreement has fallen, and President Trump admitted the Iran war is taking longer than expected.

Houthi forces captured the strategic island of Perim (Mayyun) in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, completing their control of the waterway after seizing the entire Yemeni Red Sea coastline. President Trump declined Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's request for direct US strikes on the Houthis, offering intelligence support instead. The IDF and Shin Bet killed Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade commander Muhammad Yazouri in an overnight strike in southern Gaza.

Houthi rebels killed six crew members and wounded ten in a double-tap missile strike on a cargo ship in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, marking the first fatal attack on shipping since the Iran war began. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council chief reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz will only fully reopen when the US accepts Tehran’s conditions, as Pakistan’s interior minister visited Tehran for mediation talks. The IDF condemned settler takeovers of Palestinian homes in the West Bank but did not evacuate them, while Israel and Venezuela agreed to renew consular ties after a 17-year break.