September 9th, 2026: Another War Is Erupting in the Middle East & Pentagon Rethinks Middle East Posture
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What’s driving the sudden surge in Yemen’s civil war and the Houthi attacks on Saudi cities?
It's Wednesday, the ninth of September. Welcome to the President's Daily Brief. I'm Mike Baker, your eyes and ears on the World stage. All right, let's get briefed. First up, the civil war in Yemen is heating up. Iran-backed Houthis have struck four Saudi cities, while Saudi backed forces launch a major offensive and vow to retake the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, because apparently 2026 just didn't have sufficient conflict. Later in the show we'll take a look at a new report that says the US military is considered A smaller footprint in the Middle East once the war with Iran ends. Plus, an Iranian airline accused of moving weapons and cash and personnel for the Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, is growing despite years of U.S.
sanctions. Oh, they're adding routes. I wonder if they're adding any direct flights to Hron to Orlando. And in today's back of the brief, the U.S. military says suspicious draft. Drone activity along the U.S. southern border has decreased dramatically after troops began using a high energy laser weapon to target drones. But first, today's PDB spotlight. A war that had been quiet for years may now be roaring back to life in Yemen. Iran-backed Houthi forces have launched one of their largest attacks on Saudi Arabia in years, striking four cities in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia, hitting energy facilities and wounding seventy-three people. At the same time, Saudi backed forces inside Yemen are mounting a broad new offensive against the Houtis.
Openly saying their goal is to retake the capital of Sana'a. Although a twenty twenty two truce dramatically reduced the fighting, Yemen's civil war never truly ended. Ended, but direct attacks between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia became far less frequent. Now that uneasy quiet is breaking down. The latest escalation began early Tuesday when the Houthis launched what they described as a large-scale missile and drone attack against targets across southern Saudi Arabia. Four cities were hit, and Saudi authorities say seventy-three people were wounded, including women and children. Facilities were also struck, forcing some operations to temporarily shut down as emergency crews battled fires and assessed the damage.
The Iran-backed Houthis say they used dozens of ballistic missiles and drones in the operation and targeted several major sites, including Aramco facilities and King Khalid Air Base.
How are Saudi‑backed forces planning to retake Sana’a and what does it mean for the conflict?
Saudi officials are calling the overall attack a dangerous escalation and warning that Riyadh will take one. whatever measures it considers necessary to defend the kingdom. And there are already signs that the response may be underway. Hoti controlled media reported Saudi airstrikes inside Yemen on Tuesday, including several attacks east of Sana'a. Forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government have launched new attacks against Houthi positions across several provinces, including Taiz, Al Baida, Al Jaf, Marib and Hodaida. And government commanders are claiming advances in some of those areas. The Houthis dispute parts of that account and say they have repelled major assaults. And as is typical in these conflicts, independent confirmation from the battlefield remains limited.
But one thing is clear, the government side is talking about objectives that we haven't heard in years. Yemen's deputy defense minister, Major General Samir Saubri, says the goal of the Goal is to retake Sana'a. Now that would be an enormous undertaking. The Houthis seized the capital in twenty fourteen, setting off the civil war that eventually drew in Saudi Arabia, Iran, and a long list of regional powers. Since then, Sana'a has remained the political center of Houtis controlled Yemen. So when government commanders say they intend to recapture it, they're not talking about a small tactical adjustment to the front line. They're talking about reversing the central outcome of a war that's lasted more than a decade.
Some of the fighting now underway is taking place in areas that could matter to any future push toward the capital. Al Jalf sits northeast of Sana and connects towards Ada, the Huti's historic stronghold.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What’s driving the sudden surge in Yemen’s civil war and the Houthi attacks on Saudi cities?
0:12–2:42
2
How are Saudi‑backed forces planning to retake Sana’a and what does it mean for the conflict?
2:42–6:56
3
Why is the U.S. military reconsidering a smaller permanent footprint in the Middle East after the Iran war?
6:56–14:30
4
What historical U.S. presence has existed in the Middle East and how might it change post‑Iran war?
14:30–22:39
Speakers
1 identifiedMore from The President's Daily Brief
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