An Israeli official told Channel 12 that Houthi control of Bab-el-Mandeb is more dangerous than the current Hormuz situation, and the reason is simple geometry.

The eastern shipping channel past Perim Island is only about 3 km wide.

Ships will pass within visual range of Houthi positions.

Israeli official:

They will be able to fire at whatever they want with anti-tank missiles.

They will be able to see the ships with their own eyes.

That's the difference.

At Hormuz, Iran needs radar, surveillance systems, and anti-ship missiles to threaten traffic.

At Bab-el-Mandeb, a fighter with a basic ATGM on Perim Island can hit a tanker he can physically see.

No sophisticated targeting required. The official said this gives the Houthis "enormous power."
hters on the island.

WATCH: About 30 humanoid and quadruped robots "protested" outside Poland's Ministry of Digital Affairs in Warsaw, marching in circles, waving signs, and chanting "We want regulations" and "Defend workplaces" through loudspeakers.

Houthis Used Claude Code to Develop Missile Guidance Software: Anthropic

Anthropic says operators in northern Yemen ran parallel Claude Code instances to design guidance software, simulate trajectories, and analyze a failed rocket test.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi:

Today, India is witnessing a startup revolution.

With more than 200,000 startups and over 120 unicorns, India is becoming a hub for global solutions.

Our startups are transforming AI, education and healthcare, working on green hydrogen and batteries, and crossing new frontiers in defence and space.

Now, through BRICS, we must take these world-class innovations to global markets.

NEW: China’s Commerce Ministry warned that Beijing has the “firm resolve and sufficient means” to respond to U.S. intelligence operations targeting Chinese companies.

The warning followed CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis calling Chinese AI, semiconductor, and biotech firms “legitimate intelligence targets.”

Beijing accused Washington of turning economic competition into a national-security issue and applying a double standard on commercial espionage.

China said it could use existing laws, including its Counter-Espionage Law, to punish such activities and protect Chinese firms.

EU Pledges €6.1B More for Ukraine Defense, Including for Patriots

Brussels will release another €6.1 billion for Ukraine, waiving European procurement requirements for Patriot interceptors and some drones as Kyiv races to prepare for winter.

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Hegseth:

History was not over. It’s never over. The struggle against evil continued, and it continues now.

It will continue until Judgment Day.

Hegseth on Iran:

Our warriors have fought an Islamic theocracy that has wished us death for nearly half a century, that cheered on 9/11.

Hegseth on Iran:

We control the strait. We will finish this fight.

Trump:

We will never, ever forget.

That’s why we fight today. We don’t have a choice.

There can only be victory.

Trump:

We will always remember the victims and families of September 11th, 2001. Very famous date, unfortunately.

It started out as such a beautiful day.

Trump on Iran:

We salute the service members working right now to ensure the world’s number one sponsor of terror, the Islamic Republic of Iran, will never, ever have a nuclear weapon.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice:

The 9/11 attack came quite literally out of the blue—an assault on our cities that we had not experienced since the War of 1812.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice:

Those of us in authority on that day did not see the nature of the danger in time to prevent the attack of 9/11.

We did what we knew to do, but by definition, it was not enough.

I am grateful that there was not a follow-on attack.

Oil tanker rates have surged to record highs as escalating U.S.-Iran attacks disrupt major Middle East shipping routes.

The cost of sending a VLCC from the Gulf of Oman to China reached about $11.50 per barrel, according to Baltic Exchange data.

Source: Reuters

Russia’s Medvedev:

We have no need for mobilization.

The staffing levels of Ukrainian Armed Forces units are currently at just 20–30%.

Ukrainians are facing personnel shortages, but they are afraid to admit it.

The UK’s new sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements will apply to the occupied Golan Heights and East Jerusalem, as well as the West Bank.

The Golan Heights, Syrian territory occupied by Israel since 1967 and later annexed, is not internationally recognised as Israeli territory.

Source: MEE

Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, a key route carrying crude oil from the country’s eastern fields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, was struck by projectiles on Thursday, according to US officials.

The strikes hit pumping stations along the pipeline and triggered fires.

Satellite imagery showed damage at several locations, though it remains unclear whether the pipeline itself was seriously damaged or how long repairs could take.

One US official said drones may have originated from Iraq.

Source: CNN

The White House is considering using the Defense Production Act to expand U.S. oil-refining capacity as the Iran conflict drives fuel prices higher.

Officials are discussing federal support to expand or improve existing refineries rather than build new ones, which would take years and cost far more.

U.S. refineries are already operating near full capacity at 98%.

Source: Reuters