PDB Afternoon Bulletin | September 23rd, 2026: Iran Directed the Houthi Offensive & Hackers Claim FBI Breach
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What is the overall focus of today’s PDB Afternoon Bulletin?
It's Wednesday, the 23rd of September. Welcome to the PDB Afternoon Bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the Houthis swept down Yemen's Red Sea coast in less than 48 hours. Now, new reporting says Iranian Revolutionary Guard advisers were helping direct the offensive. Later in the show, a notorious hacking group claims it had breached the FBI and stole sensitive information on current and former bureau employees. But first, today's afternoon spotlight. Now, if you're a regular PDB listener, and I certainly hope you are, this news will not surprise you. Iranian Revolutionary Guard advisors, the IRGC, were reportedly on the ground in Yemen helping direct the Houthi offensive that swept down the Red Sea coast earlier this month.
According to a new investigation from the Associated Press, Iranian advisors helped plan tactical maneuvers, worked with frontline commanders, and assisted with communications and satellite intelligence as the Houthis advanced roughly 75 miles in less than 48 hours. One senior Houthi official told the AP that the Iranian advisors were, quote, "...present at all levels." Now, Iranian support for the Houthis is obviously nothing new. Tehran has supplied the group with weapons and training, drones, missiles, and technical support for years. The AP says it spoke with 10 officials and soldiers while reconstructing the offensive, including a senior Houthi official, regional officials, Yemeni military commanders, and a member of Yemen's ruling presidential council.
Many of those sources spoke anonymously. Iran's mission to the UN did not respond to the AP's request for comment. Well, that's shocking. But if this reporting is accurate, it gives us our clearest picture yet of just how directly Iran was involved in one of the Houthis' most successful military operations in years. And it helps explain how that offensive moved so quickly. In less than 48 hours, the Houthis advanced roughly 75 miles along Yemen's Red Sea coast.
How did Iranian Revolutionary Guard advisers help direct the Houthi Red Sea offensive?
They captured the port city of Mocha, seized strategic islands near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and sent Saudi-backed Yemeni forces into retreat. According to the AP, Iran had been steadily increasing its support well before the offensive began. Last year, Tehran reportedly expanded training and logistical assistance involving more advanced missiles, drones, and unmanned attack boats. Then, in July, something interesting happened. The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of striking the airport in Sana'a in an apparent attempt to stop an incoming flight from Tehran. Now, that aircraft eventually landed. According to the AP's sources, it was carrying additional Revolutionary Guard advisors who joined other Iranian personnel and Hezbollah advisors already operating inside Yemen.
Hezbollah, of course, is another Iranian proxy group. By early August, the Houthis were beginning to increase their attacks against government forces, and by September, the Iranian role had reportedly expanded significantly. That brings us to the battlefield. The strongest Saudi-backed force along the Red Sea coast was the National Resistance, which had roughly 30,000 fighters. Its spokesman says that in the month before the breakthrough, Houthi forces hit its position with 130 ballistic missiles and 145 suicide drones. Those numbers have not been independently verified. But the more interesting part of the AP reporting involves intelligence. The Houthis apparently penetrated the National Resistance's internal communications.
That reportedly allowed them to monitor troop movements, follow conversations between commanders, and exploit confusion inside the Saudi-backed coalition. According to the reporting, Iranian advisors were helping analyze communications and satellite intelligence, capabilities that the Houthis had previously lacked. At the same time, the forces opposing them were deeply divided. The National Resistance and another major militia, the Giants Brigade, had a long-running rivalry and there was no unified command.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the overall focus of today’s PDB Afternoon Bulletin?
0:12–2:20
2
How did Iranian Revolutionary Guard advisers help direct the Houthi Red Sea offensive?
2:20–7:38
3
Why was the Houthi advance along Yemen’s Red Sea coast so rapid and successful?
7:38–13:29
4
Where were the Saudi forces during the Houthi breakthrough and why didn’t they intervene?
13:29–14:32
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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