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Key updates, 12 September 2026:
Hegseth and associates reportedly pressured two F-15 airmen downed over Iran to appear on ’60 Minutes’
L-R: An image posted to social media on April 5, 2026, purportedly shows an airbase in Iran used by US forces to successfully rescue a downed US F-15 WSO. (Social media, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law); a handout photo provided by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official website Sepah News on April 5, 2026, purportedly shows smoke billowing from the site of targeted and crashed US aircraft in central Iran. (Sepah)
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and political officials in the department pressured the two F-15 crewmen who were shot down over Iran in April to be interviewed on CBS’s “60 Minutes” about their experience, CNN reports, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The interview is set to air tomorrow on the weekly current affairs program.
After initially resisting due to concerns over being ordered to participate in the interview, Hegseth met privately with the rescued airmen, the sources say.
One of them, named “Bravo,” agreed in the end to appear on the show, but the other, “Alpha,” declined to be interviewed, CNN reports.
The two crew members have not been publicly identified by Washington.
According to CNN, the details of the report show how Hegseth is trying to spin a narrative over the unpopular war.
Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell tells CNN its report “is a complete lie.”
“The decision to participate in the interview was each pilot’s alone — because it is their story,” he says.
“As CNN notes, one pilot decided to participate and one did not. Additionally, the Department took great care to ensure operational security, sources, and methods were protected. To suggest otherwise is to denigrate every member of our military who participated in and supported the interview.”
After being downed during the US-Israeli war on Iran, the F-15 pilot was rescued the same day his plane crashed, but the weapons system officer in the jet was extracted by US commandos in a daring mission 36 hours later.
Israeli-made documentary about AI-assisted killing in Gaza wins Venice special jury prize
Journalist and director Rachel Szor and Israeli journalist and filmmaker Yuval Abraham attend the photocall of “Naza” presented in competition at the 83rd International Venice Film Festival, at Venice Lido on September 10, 2026. (Stefano Rellandini/AFP)
VENICE, Italy — A new documentary about Israel’s AI-assisted killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza by two Israeli directors wins a special jury prize at the Venice Film Festival.
“NAZA,” by Oscar-winning Israeli directors Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, had been tipped by some critics for the top Golden Lion prize for best film after a record-breaking 25-minute ovation at its premiere on Thursday.
The Israeli-made film “NAZA” uses conversations with 24 different Israeli military or intelligence whistleblowers who spoke on condition that their identities be protected, with interviewees describing how they felt like they worked in a killing “factory” or a lethal video game.
The Israeli military said Friday it “categorically rejects” allegations made in the new documentary.
The Israeli military on Friday criticized the use of anonymous testimonies in the film, saying the identities of the whistleblowers “cannot be verified,” including whether they served in the military or in what capacity.
Blasts heard off coast of Iran’s Qeshm Island, Iranian media reports
Traffic moves along an avenue as a commercial vessel lies anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian state media says explosions were heard off the coast of an island located in the Strait of Hormuz.
“A few minutes ago, the sound of two explosions was heard on Qeshm Island, coming from the direction of the sea,” the official IRNA news agency says.
In recent weeks, Iran has been targeting oil tankers passing through the strategic waterway as well as US bases in the Gulf countries in retaliation for the attacks carried out by the US military on Iranian targets.
The United States has also targeted ships trying to break its own counterblockade of Iranian ports.
Tech bosses Sam Altman and Elon Musk back slowing AI development
NEW YORK — OpenAI chief Sam Altman and xAI boss Elon Musk say they agree with Anthropic boss Dario Amodei on the need to tap the brakes on the development of artificial intelligence, after several worrying incidents.
“I agree with Dario,” Altman writes on X, adding that his company would follow Amodei’s lead in welcoming third-party safety evaluators.
“Dario is right,” Musk chimes in.
I agree with Dario that we need to pace the frontier. This has been a primary topic of discussions we've had at OpenAI in recent weeks.
Committing to having independent evaluators with employee-like access is a great idea, and we will do the same. We'll have more to share soon. https://t.co/1YhhIybZX7
— Sam Altman (@sama) September 12, 2026
Dario is right https://t.co/EwKgqQGaUo
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2026
Iran-Oman Hormuz deal won’t immediately reopen strait, source tells Iranian media
A floating dredging platform and commercial vessels lie anchored amid haze in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, September 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
An understanding between Iran and Oman does not provide for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz but establishes the basis on which it could reopen, an Iranian source tells the semi-official Tasnim news agency on Saturday.
The source says the arrangement would be a step toward Iran exercising sovereignty over the strait and that its reopening depended entirely on the United States meeting Tehran’s conditions.
UN: At least 76,000 have fled due to fighting in Yemen since July
Displaced Yemenis rest at a temporary shelter in the Dar Saad district of Aden, Yemen, on September 12, 2026, after fleeing Houthi attacks in the western coastal cities of al-Khokha and Mokha. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
GENEVA, Switzerland — At least 76,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since July, with the number quadrupling in the past week as fighting flared between government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the United Nations says.
“The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is warning of a rapidly worsening displacement crisis in Yemen unfolding by the hour,” the UN agency says in a statement, pointing out that “at least 76,000 people have fled their homes since July… four times last week’s total, as fighting intensifies.”
Anthropic CEO calls on AI firms to move ahead more cautiously with development
NEW YORK — Anthropic CEO and co-founder Dario Amodei calls on artificial intelligence (AI) firms to move forward more slowly and cautiously with the development of the powerful technology, saying that risk prevention is paramount.
“We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models. Progress will still seem fast, and we must make wise use of the time we gain,” Amodei writes in a blog post.
Lebanon’s Aoun vows to secure Israeli withdrawal, rebuild country’s south during surprise visit
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, center, gestures during a visit near the site where Israel captured a strategic hill earlier this month, in the city of Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, September 12, 2026. (Lebanese Presidency Press Office via AP)
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun pledges to achieve an Israeli withdrawal and rebuild the area during a surprise visit to the country’s south.
Official Lebanese media says he arrived in the city of Nabatieh unannounced and accompanied by security officials, including army chief Rodolphe Haykal.
His visit comes a day after a senior US diplomatic official said a new round of US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon, initially scheduled for next week, had been pushed back to October.
Aoun expressed solidarity with locals in Nabatieh who greeted him, according to footage broadcast by Lebanese media.
He praised staff at Nabatieh Governmental Hospital, saying they were risking their lives to provide medical services in the area, which most people have fled.
The visit is Aoun’s first to the south since Hezbollah attacked Israel in March to support its patron Iran, prompting an Israeli air and ground incursion.
“We stand by your side, and we are looking into how to provide all the necessary services so that you can remain here safely,” he says, according to a statement from the presidency.
“The withdrawal of Israel, the return of prisoners and displaced people, as well as reconstruction, are national constants that the state is committed to implementing,” Aoun says.
After Nabatieh, the president traveled to Zawtar al-Gharbiya, one of the pilot withdrawal zones agreed to with Israel, where he inspected Lebanese army units and observed nearby positions of the Israeli military, the presidency says.
A video released by the presidency showed him walking through the area and speaking with locals and soldiers.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Key Update
Israel’s Tamar Steinberg wins gold at Windsurfing World Championships
Israeli windsurfer Tamar Steinberg wins the gold medal at the iQFOiL Windsurfing World Championships in England.
Israeli competitors Sharon Kantor and Daniela Peleg place second and fourth, respectively.
Amazing ????????
Gold ????for Tamar Steinberg!
Silver???? for Sharon Kantor!
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Musto iQFOiL World Championship https://t.co/5LsXU7QFKO pic.twitter.com/NqfgMr9T5J— Anna Gechtman (@AGechtman) September 12, 2026
Al-Qaeda reportedly regrouping in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, aided by ‘permissive environment’
A quarter century after 9/11, al-Qaeda and other terror groups are regrouping in Afghanistan following the US withdrawal and return of the Taliban to power in 2021, the Washington Post reports, citing US and Western security officials and a United Nations organization.
Al-Qaeda and its offshoots have established at least eight bases in Afghanistan over the past three years, while Islamic State, al-Qaeda’s main rival, has also opened training sites in Afghanistan in recent years, the Post says.
A UN report cited by the Post says the Taliban has reintroduced “a permissive environment” that has allowed al-Qaeda “to consolidate, with the presence of safe houses and training camps across Afghanistan.”
Nonetheless, terror groups gaining a foothold in Afghanistan appear to focus more on regional conflict than worldwide jihad, and seem to be constrained by the Taliban’s reticence to invite new international intervention in the country, according to officials and counterterrorism experts cited by the Post.
3 Iranian security force members killed in deadly clashes with gunmen in restive province
TEHRAN, Iran — Three members of Iran’s security forces were killed in clashes with gunmen today, state media reports, in a region plagued by violence involving armed groups, jihadists and traffickers.
State television says four of the gunmen were also killed during the operation against what it called “terrorists” in Iran’s southeast.
“During a joint operation by the Revolutionary Guards, the General Intelligence Directorate and the police, four terrorists were killed,” it reports, citing a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The statement, which does not specify if the gunmen were affiliated with any organization, says they were planning a “terrorist operation” in the city of Saravan, which lies more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) from the capital Tehran.
Iranian forces also seized “weapons, ammunition and explosives,” the statement adds.
The operation took place in Sistan-Baluchistan province, one of Iran’s poorest regions, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Security forces regularly clash with armed groups, jihadists and traffickers in the area.
Heavy fighting between Iranian security forces and unidentified gunmen spread through residential areas of Saravan in southeastern Iran on Saturday, continuing for nearly seven hours, according to the rights group Haalvsh.
The group reported attacks on at least three security… pic.twitter.com/DN9lFEfiwv
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) September 12, 2026
Police find body of Master Sgt. Itai Parson, who went missing at Haifa beach three days ago
Master Sgt. Itai Parson. (Israel Police)
Police have found the body of a 23-year-old man who went missing after entering the sea at Haifa’s Student Beach three days ago.
He is later identified as Master Sgt. Itai Parson, a member of the Yamam police counterterrorism unit.
According to Channel 12 news, Parson was free-diving in the sea when he disappeared.
Police say forces utilized a number of methods, including drones, a helicopter, boats, jeeps, and horses, as they carried out the search for the missing man.
Iraq agrees to joint probe with Iran into drone launch sites on border used to attack Saudi oil pipeline
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi has agreed to an Iranian request for a joint investigation into the discovery of drone launch platforms near the Iraqi-Iranian border, the prime minister’s office says.
The investigation will examine the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the platforms near the border area, the statement says, after they were used to launch attacks on the Saudi Arabia East-West oil pipeline.
Key Update
Bahrain says it won’t attend any Hormuz meeting with Iran
Bahrain says it will not attend any meeting with Iran to discuss the Strait of Hormuz until diplomatic ties between the two countries are restored, according to state media.
Manama severed relations with Tehran in 2016, following Riyadh’s lead, after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were stormed by protesters demonstrating against the execution of a Shia cleric.
Bahrain has been targeted by Iranian missile and drone strikes since the beginning of the war between Iran and the US and Israel in February.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
While at odds over war, Iran’s president and UAE leader meet in New Delhi
NEW DELHI, India — Iran’s president and the crown prince of the United Arab Emirates met in New Delhi, the Iranian embassy in India says, as the countries remain at odds over the Middle East war.
The embassy says that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian “held a meeting and talks” with the senior UAE official on the sidelines of the BRICS summit, posting a photograph of the meeting with Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed on social media.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met with UAE Crown Prince Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit. pic.twitter.com/keBkQ8VIvu
— Iran in India (@Iran_in_India) September 12, 2026
Israeli behind diversity start-up Joonko pleads guilty in US to defrauding investors of $27 million
Joonko founder & CEO Ilit Raz. (Courtesy)
Israeli entrepreneur Ilit Raz admits in US court to defrauding investors of about $27 million for her start-up Joonko, which offered companies an AI-powered tool to increase diversity in hiring.
Raz, 40, knowingly sent investors false financial statements to secure the money in two funding rounds in 2021 and 2022, according to a statement from the Southern District of New York US Attorney’s Office.
She also exaggerated the number of Joonko’s customers and falsely claimed they “included some of the world’s largest companies, including a credit card company, sports apparel brand, online travel company and luxury fashion brand,” the DA’s office says.
“Her now-bankrupt company left victim investors with millions of dollars in losses,” the statement says.
Raz, who helped found Joonko in 2016 and served as its CEO, pleads guilty to a federal charge of securities fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, the office says, adding that her exact sentence will be determined in court.
BRICS nations, including Iran and UAE, call for ‘maximum restraint’ in Middle East
ndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, center, speaks during the BRICS summit in New Delhi, India, on September 12, 2026. (Indian Foreign Ministry via AP)
Members of the 11-nation BRICS group, including China, Russia, India, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, call for calm in the Middle East, in a joint statement issued Saturday at a summit meeting in New Delhi.
“We express deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in Middle East/West Asia and, recalling our respective national positions, call for exercising maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation,” the statement reads.
German security officials reportedly suspect Russian GRU agent helped plan failed Leipzig airport attack
German security officials reportedly suspect a member of Russian military intelligence helped plan an attempted “hybrid attack” involving an explosive-laden drone at an airport last month.
According to the Welt Am Sonntag newspaper, the officials believe a Russian called Oleg Le, from the GRU intelligence agency, was the logistics coordinator for the Leipzig airport plot.
The paper also says authorities have identified a second suspect, a Belarusian national named Andrei Ka.
These findings formed the basis for Berlin’s decision to blame Russia for the incident and announce measures including the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn and a Russian cultural center in Berlin, the paper says.
Russia has denied any involvement.
Investigators believe that Le arrived in Germany from Turkey and departed to Serbia from Berlin airport, and is now thought to be back in Russia, the report says.
Direct flights between Russia and Germany have been suspended since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Authorities knew at the time of his arrival that Le had links to the GRU, but he was not placed under surveillance after entering the country, the Welt says.
It says they identified the suspects from traces of DNA found at the airport.
The explosives used in the incident could have been brought to Germany hidden in trucks via Bulgaria and Serbia, the report says.
The drone was discovered late on August 4 in the secure cargo operations area at Leipzig airport, near a Ukrainian cargo plane. The airport serves as a hub for transporting military goods.
A spokeswoman for Germany’s BfV domestic intelligence agency tells AFP that she cannot comment on the report “due to the ongoing investigation.”
Germany, a key supporter of Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion, has faced a surge of sabotage, cyberattacks and other plots, with suspicion usually falling on Moscow.
Russian state nuclear corporation said planning to increase staff at Iran’s Bushehr power plant
Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom plans to increase the number of its specialists at the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran to 150 in the near future, Interfax news agency reports.
Rosatom, which is building two new units at Bushehr, evacuated hundreds of staff after the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28 in a bid to destroy the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
China’s Xi says Mideast war ‘has caused serious losses’ and doesn’t serve world’s interests
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India, September 12, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin/Pool Photo via AP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping says at the BRICS nations’ summit in New Delhi that the Middle East war has “caused serious losses” and does not serve the world’s interests, Beijing’s state media reports.
“As the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region continues to evolve, the war there has caused serious losses to people across the region,” state news agency Xinhua quotes Xi as saying at the summit attended by leaders including Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The war “does not serve the common interests of the international community,” Xi says, according to Xinhua.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Key Update
Iraq closes three border crossings with Iran after attack that shut Saudi pipeline, officials say
This handout satellite image taken by Planet Labs PBC on September 11, 2026, shows an infrastructure site after it was damaged by fire southeast of Medina, along the general route of Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline. (Handout/Planet Labs/AFP)
Iraq closed three border crossings with Iran on Saturday, an Iraqi security source and a government official tell AFP, after a drone attack on a Saudi Arabian pipeline that both Riyadh and Baghdad said was launched from Iraq.
The security source says the decision is “part of an intelligence effort to track down the perpetrators and prevent their escape… and to hinder the smuggling of drones through these crossings.”
Both sources, who speak on condition of anonymity because they are unauthorized to speak to the media, do not specify when the crossings will reopen.
The closed crossings are Shalamsheh in Basra province and al-Shib in Missan, as well as al-Mandali in the central province of Diyala. Other border crossings with Iran are still open.
The Iraqi government’s security media cell says that authorities “have started administrative and security reorganization operations at several border crossings.”
It adds that they have stepped up “intelligence activities” to determine “the breaches and violations that took place at these crossings,” without specifying which border posts. It later announces that passengers stranded for hours at two crossings are permitted to pass.
Soon after the attack on Saudi Arabia, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi dismissed the military commander in Missan province, bordering Iran, after authorities determined that the drones had been launched from there.
No group has claimed responsibility, and an alliance of powerful Tehran-backed Iraqi armed groups say they hadn’t struck the pipeline, but Riyadh has previously accused these groups of targeting its oil infrastructure.
“Accusations against the Iraqi resistance regarding the targeting of vital Saudi installations on Friday are an honor that we do not claim,” the groups operating under the umbrella of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq say in a statement.
Trump: Iran ‘probably’ responsible for attack on Saudi pipeline, Houthis don’t want US involved in Yemen
Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin, left, and US President Donald Trump during a meeting at Farmleigh House in Dublin, Ireland, on September 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
US President Donald Trump says Iran was probably responsible for an aerial attack on Saudi Arabia that shut down Riyadh’s East-West pipeline, one of the kingdom’s main routes for exporting crude while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
“I think they are, probably they are,” Trump tells reporters in Dublin when asked if Iran was responsible for the attack on the vital oil conduit.
The US president adds that he spoke with his “good friend,” Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The US president also claims Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have called his administration and indicated they did not want the United States to become directly involved in the conflict there.
The Houthis have imposed a blockade on Saudi shipping in the Red Sea, and this week wrested control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.
“They would much prefer not having us involved, and they’re letting most ships go through. There’s just one country that they’re not too happy with, and we’ll get that straightened out,” Trump says.
He also repeats his claim that the war with Iran will end after the US midterm elections in November and that “when that happens, oil prices will come tumbling down.”
Asked when the war will end, Trump says: “I think very soon. I think it’ll be probably right after the midterms. They’re trying to hold out as long as they can to complicate the election. But I think people are wise to it,” he says, adding that “Iran cannot have nuclear weapons.”
Key Update
IDF probing soldier who shot Palestinian man near Jenin in apparent breach of army protocol
The military is investigating a soldier who shot a Palestinian man in the leg in the northern West Bank earlier today, apparently in breach of army protocol.
Troops had been dispatched to the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Faqoua, near Jenin, following reports of a clash between Palestinians and Israeli settlers.
The settlers, from the newly established Zayit Bagilboa farming outpost, brought their livestock to graze on land in the area.
The Palestinian Authority’s official WAFA news agency says the land belongs to Faqoua, while Army Radio reports it is part of the settlement farm.
After the Palestinians allegedly hurled stones at the settlers during the incident, the troops who arrived at the scene “fired shots in the air and at a Palestinian,” the military says in response to a query.
Footage, however, showed that a Palestinian man was shot in the leg while not posing any threat to the soldiers or throwing stones.
“The incident is being investigated by commanders, and its findings will be forwarded for review by the relevant authorities,” the army adds.
قوات الاحتلال تطلق الرصاص على فلسطيني خلال تأمين اقتحام مستوطنين قرية فقوعة في جنين بالضفة الغربية#فيديو pic.twitter.com/39y9kYzrdt
— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) September 12, 2026
Zelesnky says he’s willing to meet with Putin at Miami G20 summit in December
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives for a welcoming ceremony during Moldova's 35th Independence Day celebrations in Chisinau, Moldova, August 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Aurel Obreja)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin at a G20 summit in December.
Asked in an interview whether he is willing to meet Putin at the December summit if both leaders are invited, Zelensky tells German broadcaster Deutsche Welle: “Yes, of course.”
“We have to come. We have to meet, to speak, and make decisions,” he says. “It’s not about words. What I will tell him or what he wants to tell me, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. Matters only result. Result matters. That’s it.”
The United States holds this year’s presidency of the Group of 20 major economies, which comprises 19 countries plus the European Union and the African Union, and culminates in a leaders’ summit in Miami in December.
Russia’s finance minister has already attended one G20 meeting, causing discomfort among some of Ukraine’s allies, and a Russian diplomat said Saturday that Moscow will also send some officials to a G20 energy meeting in Houston next week.
Washington is seeking to kick-start long-stalled negotiations to find a solution to the conflict, which is now in its fifth year and is Europe’s deadliest since World War II.
Last weekend, US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner visited Moscow and Putin and Trump also discussed the war earlier in the week in what the Kremlin termed an “extremely frank” and constructive hour-long phone call.
Trump says Hormuz ‘will work out just fine’; Pezeshkian: Mideast doesn’t need US to be a ‘policeman’
US President Donald Trump leaves after visiting Ireland’s President Catherine Connolly at Aras an Uachtarain in Dublin, Ireland, on September 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that everything would “work out just fine” when asked whether he could help move traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in light of fresh concerns about Saudi Arabia.
“Everything will work out just fine,” Trump said, speaking in Dublin after meeting Irish President Catherine Connolly.
Meanwhile, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian says the Middle East does not need the United States to be a “regional policeman” as the two countries continue vying for control of Hormuz.
“We do not need a regional policeman: the territorial integrity and security of the region can only be guaranteed by its main players and the countries that comprise it,” Pezeshkian says during a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of a BRICS summit in New Delhi.
Amid Iran’s ongoing blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, which has confounded commercial oil shipping routes, Saudi Arabia said Friday it shut down a major pipeline a day after it was attacked by drones from Iraq, as Iran-backed Houthi rebels captured the Bab el-Mandeb route from Yemen’s Saudi-backed government.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Saudi-backed Yemeni state forces say they struck Houthis in Red Sea port city seized by the rebels
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces say they have struck Iran-allied Houthi fighters in the strategic Red Sea city of Mokha.
Following a week-long offensive, the Houthis on Friday captured Yemen’s Red Sea coast, cementing their hold on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital artery for Saudi Arabian oil exports as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed amid the US-Iran war.
“The armed forces destroyed vehicles and weapons and killed members of the Houthi terrorist militia backed by the Iranian regime,” near the port of the city of Mokha, the government news agency Saba reports.
The spokesman for the Yemeni government forces, Majed Abdullah al-Nazili, says they have also struck the Houthis’ “vehicles and members” on the Mokha-Dhubab road, 11 kilometers (7 miles) from the city, according to Saba.
Nazili said Friday they had begun shelling areas in Mokha, and called on citizens not to use the Taiz-Mokha and Mokha-Dhubab roads.
The Houthis seized control of Mokha on Thursday, with their attack driving many to flee to Aden, where the internationally recognized government is based.
On Friday, Houthi media said two Saudi strikes hit Mokha’s airport, while a local official said the city’s seaport was hit by six missiles of unknown origin.
The Houthi offensive, which started last week, has killed more than 500 people, according to sources on both sides.
It has also displaced about 46,000 people, the UN migration agency said on Friday.
It is part of renewed hostilities in Yemen’s civil war that began with the group’s takeover of the capital Sanaa in 2014.
Top aide dropped from GOP senator’s campaign over SS- and Rhodesia-themed social media activity
The political director of Republican Ohio Senator Jon Husted’s reelection campaign is relieved of his duties after the Washington Post reveals the aide once used a photo of SS soldiers as a Facebook profile picture and recently created a public Spotify playlist of songs in honor of Rhodesia, the defunct African state that is often celebrated by white supremacists.
According to the Post, 25-year-old Stephen Woytek also appeared to have worn an SS uniform when he was 16 as part of a non-political historic reenactment society. He has on other occasions also reportedly portrayed a US soldier in World War II reenactments and a Union soldier in US Civil War reenactments.
Husted, who faces a tough race against Democratic former Ohio senator Sherrod Brown, parted ways with Woytek after the Post contacted the Republican’s campaign, the newspaper says.
A spokeswoman for the campaign tells the Post that Woytek “serves our country honorably as a lieutenant in the US Army” and that he studies military history and routinely reenacts historical battles.
“While he denies negative intent, his social media activity displays a complete lack of judgment and disregard for its impact on others,” the spokeswoman says. “Upon learning about the social media posts today, Sen. Husted made the immediate decision to part ways.”
Woytek, whom the campaign hired as political director in August, tells the Post in a statement that he unequivocally rejects “the racist and antisemitic ideology the SS and Nazi Germany represented.”
“I believe it is important to educate our younger generations, which is why I participate in historical reenactments,” Woytek says, adding that he should have “exercised better judgment when posting about my activities online.”
“I am utterly heartbroken, but respectfully am parting ways with his campaign,” he says.
Palestinian man shot in leg during clash with settlers, soldiers in northern West Bank
A Palestinian man was shot in the leg during a clash with settlers and IDF troops on the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Faqoua, near Jenin in the northern West Bank, according to medics and footage.
Barakat al-Omari, head of Faqoua’s local council, says residents went to the area to fend off settlers who brought livestock to graze on village land, reports WAFA, the Palestinian Authority’s official news outlet.
Footage published by Arabic media shows a man falling to the ground as shots are fired, apparently by a group of at least five armed Israelis seen farther away, including three in full military gear and two in civilian clothes.
Six men run to the wounded man and shout for a car. Arabic media reports he was evacuated in a private vehicle and transferred to an ambulance that rushed him to a hospital in Jenin.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society confirms medics in Jenin were attending to a man shot in the leg during a clash with settlers in Faqouah.
The IDF does not immediately comment.
قوات الاحتلال تطلق الرصاص على فلسطيني خلال تأمين اقتحام مستوطنين قرية فقوعة في جنين بالضفة الغربية#فيديو pic.twitter.com/39y9kYzrdt
— قناة الجزيرة (@AJArabic) September 12, 2026
Key Update
BRICS bloc to condemn all unilateral war as members seek to bridge gap between Iran, UAE — sources
Workers apply finishing touches to a BRICS sign ahead of the summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, India, September 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
The BRICS group of countries has agreed on a joint declaration that is unlikely to single out any nation but will condemn any instance of unilateral war, four sources tell Reuters.
The bloc, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, is holding its annual summit in New Delhi this weekend.
Representatives of the member nations have focused on bridging the divide between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, who are on opposite sides of the Gulf conflict, to produce a consensus declaration.
The leaders of the countries are expected to approve the declaration on Saturday, the sources say.
Chinese entities reportedly supplied Iran with satellite imagery linked to deadly attack on US base
Chinese entities provided Iran with high-quality satellite imagery of a US Air Force base in Jordan before and after the Islamic Republic carried out a deadly attack there on July 17, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials familiar with the details.
The officials, who decline to identify the entities, say the US has linked the imagery to the attack and that this was the clearest evidence yet that Chinese support for Iran during the war has contributed to the killing of US troops, according to the Journal.
Senior US officials reportedly brought up the imagery from the Muwaffiq Salti Air Base with their Chinese counterparts, but the Chinese officials rejected the allegations, the Journal cites its sources as saying.
The newspaper quotes a spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington as saying Chinese-Iranian cooperation was in line with international law, and accusing unidentified detractors of “maliciously linking and smearing other countries.”
The spokesperson does not address the specific allegations about the July 17 attack, the Journal says.
Beijing has refused to acknowledge that any Chinese firms have supplied Iran with satellite imagery to target US forces, according to the sources cited by the Journal.
The outlet adds that the US findings could deepen China-US tensions ahead of the planned September 24 White House summit meeting of US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Iran’s ballistic missile attack on the Muwaffiq Salti Air Base killed three troops. They were the first US troops killed in the Iran war since an April ceasefire. The attack came as Washington and Tehran both suspended a June interim deal.
US reduces air defense time slots for tankers sailing through Hormuz — report
The US has reduced to two daily windows the time in which it offers air defense to oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reports, citing emails sent by the US Maritime Coordination Center.
Washington has since May provided air defense for ships sailing along a route near the coast of Oman. But the air defense time slots were limited as of the start of this month after Iran stepped up attacks on ships transiting the strait at night, according to the report.
Ships are reportedly advised but not required to sail during the air defense time slots.
Iran imposed a blockade on the strait early in the war that began on February 28.
Lebanon’s Aoun confirms there are currently ‘no new talks’ with Israel
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirms “there are no new talks with Israel at the present time,” according to comments carried by local media from a trip he makes to south Lebanon’s Nabatieh with the commander of Lebanon’s armed forces.
The comments come after a US State Department official said the next round of the US-mediated talks, which was supposed to take place in Rome next week, has been pushed off until October.
Man with Palestinian flag runs on field at 9:11 in 9/11 NY ball game, is tackled and pelted with beer cans
A man runs onto the field waving a Palestinian flag during the seventh inning of a baseball game between the New York Yankees and New York Mets, at Yankee Stadium in New York on September 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
A man waving a Palestinian flag runs onto the field at New York’s Yankee Stadium at 9:11 p.m. as the Mets and the Yankees, the city’s two Major League Baseball teams, face off on the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda terror attacks.
Security tackles the man within seconds and escorts him out as the crowd jeers, erupts in chants of “USA” and then pelts him with beer cans, footage shows.
The man, who wears a jersey emblazoned with the anti-Trump motto “No Kings,” interrupts the game just as the Yankees’ Brent Headrick prepares to pitch to the Mets’ Francisco Lindor at the top of the seventh inning with the bases loaded, two outs and a 3-2 count while the Yankees lead 5-2.
Headrick tosses a few warm-up pitches during the interruption, and goes on to catch the line drive that Lindor hits when the game resumes. The Yankees go on to win 6-4.
The game begins with a 9/11 memorial ceremony featuring members of the 2001 Yankees, followed by country singer Lee Greenwood performing his patriotic anthem “God Bless the USA.” A husband and wife who each lost their father on 9/11 throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Security tackles a fan who ran onto the field at Yankee Stadium at 9:11 p.m. with a Palestinian flag.
Fans threw beer cans at him once security got him beyond the outfield wall. pic.twitter.com/bxmXAWv7DX
— Brendan Kuty ????♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) September 12, 2026
Joint List and Ra’am sign surplus-vote deal ahead of Oct. 27 elections
The Joint List of predominantly Arab factions Hadash, Ta’al and Balad has signed a surplus-vote deal with Ra’am, with the aim of maximizing their representation in the next Knesset.
The agreement allows the electoral slates to run independently while pooling their surplus votes when the final Knesset seats are allocated, increasing the chances that one of them will pick up an additional seat.
Key Update
Iraq orders closure of border crossing with Iran amid hunt for perpetrators of attack on Saudi pipeline — sources
Iraq has ordered the closure of the Shalamcheh border crossing between Iraq and Iran as a precautionary measure after the latest drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, two security sources tell Reuters.
The sources say a wide-scale operation is underway to pursue perpetrators of the attack on Saudi Arabia.
Next round of Israel-Lebanon talks delayed until October — US official
Israel's Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter, State Department Chief of Staff Daniel Holler, US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa and Lebanese Ambassador to the US Nada Hamadeh attend a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese delegations hosted by the United States at the State Department in Washington, DC, on June 3, 2026. (Oliver Contreras / AFP)
The next round of US-mediated talks between Israel and Lebanon has been pushed off until next month, a State Department official says.
The next round was supposed to take place next week in Rome but now will now be held in October, the official says, adding that the two countries’ ambassadors will still meet at the State Department to discuss implementing the framework deal meant to disarm Hezbollah and phase the IDF out of southern Lebanon.
Scheduling conflicts led to the delay, an Israeli official says, though the development suggests slowing momentum amid Israel’s upcoming elections and Hezbollah’s refusal.
A Lebanese official told The Times of Israel that “indiscriminate” IDF strikes in southern Lebanon is undermining Beirut efforts to disarm Hezbollah, while Jerusalem argues that the Lebanese Armed Forces is not yet up for the task.
Iraqi PM announces dismissal of military commander after drone attacks on Saudi Arabia
An Iraqi military commander has been dismissed after investigations confirmed the latest drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia originated from Iraq, according to a statement by Iraq’s prime minister’s office.
The commander led operations in Maysan province in southern Iraq, according to the statement.
Iran frees Jewish Iranian-American jailed for visiting Israel to attend son’s bar mitzvah, but bars him from leaving country
This undated photo provided by the Hekmati family on March 5, 2026, shows Kamran Hekmati. (Hekmati Family via AP)
A Jewish Iranian American jeweler from New York has been released from prison in Iran, but he is prohibited from leaving the country, according to his family and federal officials.
Kamran Hekmati was let out of Tehran’s notorious Evin prison on September 5 after completing about half of a two-year sentence, his family writes on a website advocating for his release.
The family says they are also “desperately afraid for his health and well-being” as he requires regular medical checkups to ensure his bladder cancer doesn’t relapse.
“The Iranian regime couldn’t care less,” the family writes of Hekmati’s medical challenges. “Much like other wrongful detention cases in Iran, Kamran appears to be caught up in Iran’s traditional approach of detaining Americans to obtain political concessions from the US.”
Representatives for the family and the federal government don’t say where Hekmati, who turned 62 in August, is currently staying in Iran.
But Shohreh Nowfar, Hekmati’s cousin in California, says that the family is “excited” and hopeful that his passport can be returned soon so he can leave the country, which has been at war with the US and Israel for more than six months now.
“We continue to hope this is a signal from the Iranian side as to their willingness to send Kamran home,” adds Kieran Ramsey, chief investigative officer at Global Reach, a US nonprofit working on Hekmati’s case.
The Iranian American owns a jewelry business in Manhattan’s Diamond District and has lived with his family for years in Great Neck Estates, on suburban Long Island.
He was arrested by Iranian authorities last July after having his passport seized while trying to fly out of the airport in Tehran that May.
Hekmati’s family says he was charged under an Iranian law that bans Iranian citizens from visiting Israel within the last 10 years. But they maintain his last trip to Israel was 13 years ago — prior to the passage of the law — for his son’s bar mitzvah.
“Mr. Hekmati did nothing wrong,” says US Representative Thomas Suozzi, a Long Island Democrat who advocated for the State Department to officially designate Hekmati as wrongfully detained earlier this year. “We cannot rest until he is reunited with his family.”
The State Department similarly calls on Iran to lift its so-called exit ban so Hekmati can return to the US. It also says the country should “immediately release” Iranian American journalist Reza Valizadeh and other Americans “unjustly detained in Iran.”
Valizadeh and Hekmati are the two Americans so far officially designated as wrongfully detained in Iran, while up to eight others who have not been publicly named are prohibited from leaving the country, according to Ramsey.
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