Insider · World Post
The Iran -backed Houthis are pushing to seize strategic heights in Yemen and cut off the Red Sea coast from remaining areas held by Saudi-backed forces. The Houthis continued with their lightning advance after US president Donald Trump reportedly called off American strikes on the group at the last minute. The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had prepared to launch airstrikes against the Houthis on Sunday, after receiving fresh pleas from the Saudi crown prince.
However, Trump called off the airstrikes at the last minute, even as troops were loading bombs onto aircraft, according to the report. Rashid al-Alimi, the Riyadh-based president of Yemen's Saudi-backed, internationally-recognised government, asked Trump by phone on Sunday for US military help, four sources told Reuters. Riyadh was apparently struck on Saturday for the first time since the escalation began, with explosions heard and smoke visible near the airport.
The Houthis said they had fired missiles at the Saudi capital; the Saudis have not commented. Meanwhile, Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian was on his way to New York for the UN General Assembly, just days after Donald Trump threatened to “blow the entire nation up”, referring to Iran. Gaza students return to schools for first time in three years Hundreds of thousands of Gaza children returned to in-person instruction on Saturday for the first time in nearly three years, gathering inside damaged buildings, makeshift structures, and tents despite severe shortages that have made basic pens, notebooks, and uniforms unaffordable.
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that 98 percent of Gaza’s schools were destroyed or damaged during the war, leaving an estimated 660,000 students without regular, face-to-face education, according to local education officials. More here. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 22 September 2026 05:40 G7 ministers call on Iran to stop arming Houthis G7 foreign ministers have called on Iran to end its arming and support of Houthis in Yemen, which they said constituted a dangerous pattern of escalation that risked undermining international trade and creating global instability.
"We condemn in the strongest terms the unacceptable continued strikes carried out by the Houthis in Yemen and against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US said in a statement. "We call on the Houthis to immediately cease all military actions, all threats and attacks against civilian shipping, and to return to the political process in good faith." Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 22 September 2026 05:10 Oil rises to $100 ahead of potential US-Iran talks Oil prices gained this morning as the market steadied after several days of declines, with investors awaiting developments on potential US-Iran talks at the United Nations General Assembly this week. The Brent crude futures November contract gained 22 cents, or 0.22 per cent, to $100.57 a barrel.
The WTI October contract, which expires on Tuesday, crept up 2 cents, or 0.02 per cent, to $95.8 a barrel. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 22 September 2026 04:55 Houthis push to seize highlands as Trump calls off strike Houthi fighters pushed to seize strategic heights in Yemen to cut off the Red Sea coast from remaining areas held by Saudi-backed forces, after a report that US president Donald Trump had called off American strikes on the group at the last minute. The New York Times reported that the Trump administration had prepared to launch airstrikes on Sunday against the Houthis after fresh pleas from the Saudi crown prince.
But the newspaper said Trump called off the airstrikes at the last minute, even as troops were loading bombs onto aircraft. Rashid al-Alimi, the Riyadh-based president of Yemen's Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government, asked Trump by phone on Sunday for US military help, four sources told Reuters. Riyadh was apparently struck on Saturday for the first time since the escalation began, with explosions heard and smoke visible near the airport.
The Houthis said they had fired missiles at the Saudi capital; the Saudis have not commented. Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 22 September 2026 04:40 Saudi Arabia kills six in Mokha strike - report Saudi Arabia's airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha killed at least six people and wounded eight others, the Houthi-backed media reported this morning. "Six civilians, including two children and a woman, were killed and eight others, including a child and a woman, were injured in Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Mokha," Saba news agency reported.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar 22 September 2026 04:23 Analysis: Why Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington is the culmination of a ‘profound shift’ in balance of world power While the Iran war will feature prominently in the talks, the main focus of the 24 September meeting is on whether the leaders will signal an extension to a trade truce struck last year that averted a major shock to the global economy. Arpan Rai reports: James Reynolds 22 September 2026 03:00 Cost of hiring a supertanker swells as Iran war drags on Hiring an oil supertanker to load in the Persian Gulf and transit the Strait of Hormuz cost as much as $1m a day earlier this month as the Iran war weighs on global shipping. That figure, shared by maritime-intelligence firm Windward, is worth around a quarter of the current value of crude oil, and goes some way towards explaining its inflated price.
With Yemen’s Houthi rebels now squeezing the Bab el-Mandeb strait, prices are likely to continue to climb, with fewer alternative routes available to bypass Hormuz. According to the Wall Street Journal , operators are now also constrained in by a shortage of oil tankers, slowing deliveries and compounding costs for consumers. Adi Imsirovic, a former energy trader and lecturer at Oxford University, told the Journal: “What matters for refiners is the delivered cost of the crude, and that includes freight.
The price at the pump includes all of it and the consumer has to pay the full price.” James Reynolds 22 September 2026 02:00 Hegseth mocked for having Jake and Logan Paul give motivational speech at the Pentagon US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been slammed for having influencers Jake and Logan Paul deliver a motivational speech at the Pentagon. The Paul brothers, who have both been linked to President Trump, spoke at the Pentagon a day before National POW/MIA Recognition Day - which honors prisoners of war and those missing in action. A spokesperson for the Defense Department touted the brothers’ visit with a video shared online, which was captioned: “Last Thursday, we welcomed Logan and Jake Paul to the Pentagon to meet with our warriors.” James Reynolds 22 September 2026 01:00 Is it safe to travel to Turkey? Foreign Office updates advice for tourists Conflict in the Middle East has raised concerns among holidaymakers with trips booked to Turkey. Turkey , a popular holiday destination, is considered by the UK Foreign Office ( FCDO ) a generally safe place for travel, yet the UK government is still warning of an “unpredictable” situation with attacks that “could resume at short notice”.
Aside from ongoing conflict in the region, there are other factors that travellers need to bear in mind when visiting. Here’s the latest: James Reynolds 22 September 2026 00:00 US government tells Americans to ‘seriously reconsider’ travel to the Middle East The US government has urged its citizens to reconsider all travel to the Middle East as tensions continue between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. In the latest conflict escalation in the Middle East, Iranian-supported Houthis, a military group in Yemen, have engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including civilian airports.
This came after the group launched a lightning offensive around the narrow Bab el-Mandeb strait, a vital waterway in the region, especially for Saudi oil exports. James Reynolds 21 September 2026 23:00
Source: The Independent
