Wednesday, September 16, 2026 – Saudi Arabia claims Ansarallah launched drone toward Mecca; group calls claim a “worn-out lie.” Ansarallah says it struck Saudi Aramco in Yanbu, targeted Khamis Mushait airbase, and downed F-15 fighter jet. U.S. urges travelers to reconsider Saudi Arabia travel over missile and drone threat. Ansarallah told U.S. it would limit attacks to Saudi ships, uphold ceasefire with Washington, Reuters reports. Iran claims it downed 52nd U.S. MQ-9 Reaper. U.S. spent $33.4 billion on Iran war in first four months, Pentagon watchdog says. U.S. diesel prices hit record high above $6.30 a gallon. Twenty-one Palestinians killed as Israeli-damaged building collapses in Gaza; dozens remain under rubble. Israeli attacks kill six Palestinians, including two children, in Gaza on Tuesday. Israeli forces demolish homes as settlers burn property, destroy water supplies across occupied West Bank. Trump administration approves $2.8 billion Israel arms package including 40,000 bombs. Israeli forces blow up homes, abduct man in southern Lebanon amid “ceasefire.” Lebanon seeks new international force for south after UN peacekeepers leave. House again votes to end U.S. war in Iran. Aaron Guckian wins Republican nomination for governor of Rhode Island. U.S. says FBI prevented Russian plot to kill dissidents. Ed Sheeran’s supporting acts quit tour after Macklemore removed over pro-Palestine remarks. EU proposes making Canada the bloc’s first “associate member.” India summons Pakistan’s top diplomat after naval collision in Arabian Sea. At least 67 killed in collapse at gold mine in Sudan. Ukraine launches new offensive north of key Donetsk fortress belt. China warns U.S. deployment of weapons in orbit could fuel a space arms race.
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Yemen
Saudi Arabia claims Ansarallah launched drone toward Mecca; group calls claim a “worn-out lie”: Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Ansarallah south of Mecca at 6:50 p.m. Tuesday, before it entered the prohibited airspace around the city, Saudi-led coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said.
Al-Maliki described it as the second attempted attack on Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, citing a ballistic missile launch in July 2017.
Ansarallah political bureau member Hizam Al-Assad rejected the Saudi account, calling the claim that the group targeted Mecca “a worn-out lie that has been used before.”
Ansarallah says it struck Saudi Aramco in Yanbu, targeted Khamis Mushait airbase: Yemen’s Ansarallah said Wednesday that its forces launched dozens of ballistic missiles and drones at Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu, claiming “direct and precise hits” that caused major fires and widespread destruction.
In a second operation, the group said it targeted the Khamis Mushait airbase with several ballistic missiles.
Earlier, Ansarallah military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Yemen’s Marib governorate. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities.
Ansarallah said the attacks were in response to more than 450 Saudi airstrikes across Yemen over the past week and vowed to continue operations “deep inside Saudi territory.”
U.S. urges travelers to reconsider Saudi Arabia travel over missile and drone threat: The U.S. State Department placed Saudi Arabia under a Level 3 “Reconsider Travel” advisory on Wednesday, citing the threat of Iranian and Ansarallah missile and drone attacks.
The Yemen border remains under the highest Level 4 “Do Not Travel” warning, while U.S. government employees face additional travel restrictions near the border and in Qatif, Jizan, Asir and Najran.
Ansarallah told U.S. it would limit attacks to Saudi ships, uphold ceasefire with Washington, Reuters reports: U.S. officials met representatives of Yemen’s Ansarallah at the U.S. Embassy in Muscat on Sunday, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the meeting. Oman reportedly helped organize the talks.
According to Reuters, Ansarallah told U.S. officials it remained committed to the 2025 ceasefire and would not attack American or Israeli ships, or other commercial vessels, except those belonging to Saudi Arabia.
The Trump administration designated Ansarallah a “foreign terrorist organization” in March 2025, but later negotiated a ceasefire with the group in May after two months of U.S. bombing.
Senior Ansarallah official Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti had earlier rejected Trump administration claims of direct talks, telling Sky News that any communication with Washington is conducted through Oman.
U.S.-Ansarallah ceasefire remains intact despite Saudi-Yemen fighting, Huckabee says: U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said the ceasefire between Washington and Yemen’s Ansarallah remains in place despite the escalating fighting between Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
“The U.S. and the Houthis still have a ceasefire. That’s a good thing,” Huckabee told Newsmax, adding that the fighting has “not really gone across the region.”
U.S. approves potential $5 billion bomb sale to Saudi Arabia: The Trump administration notified Congress of a proposed arms sale to Saudi Arabia that includes more than 10,000 2,000-pound and 500-pound bombs and 10,004 extended-range JDAM guidance kits, which convert unguided bombs into precision-guided weapons.
Boeing would serve as the principal contractor for the proposed transfer, which comes amid renewed Saudi airstrikes in Yemen.
It is not yet a finalized contract. Congress has a 30-day review period following the September 4 notification.
Iran
Iran claims it downed 52nd US MQ-9 Reaper: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it intercepted and destroyed another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper over Qeshm Island Wednesday morning, claiming it was the 52nd such drone downed.
An MQ-9 costs roughly $30 million or more depending on its configuration and equipment. Reports have put the U.S. Air Force’s operational MQ-9 inventory at around 135 aircraft after falling by more than 25%.
China says it is willing to “safeguard” Iran’s rights amid mediation efforts: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing is willing to “safeguard Iran’s legitimate rights and interests” during talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Beijing on Wednesday, as China seeks to mediate the Iran-U.S. war.
“We urge Washington and Tehran to engage in substantive consultations on outstanding issues,” Wang said, calling on both sides to rebuild a negotiating framework based on the consensus reached since the Islamabad memorandum of understanding. Both countries should “act rationally and with restraint,” Wang added.
The meeting comes a week before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to travel to Washington for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump.
U.S. spent $33.4 billion on Iran war in first four months, Pentagon watchdog says: The U.S. spent an estimated $33.4 billion on Operation Epic Fury through June 29, including $22.3 billion in expended munitions and $3.7 billion in equipment losses, according to a Pentagon Inspector General report to Congress.
The figure does not include the cost of repairing U.S. military infrastructure damaged by Iranian strikes, which damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at American bases across eight countries. The report also says dozens of U.S. aircraft were damaged or destroyed.
Separately, the Congressional Budget office estimated that the Iran war has cost more than $38 billion, projecting it to cost an additional $2 to $3 billion monthly. The budget office projected inflation will be 0.5 percentage points higher than expected heading into 2027 due to the war.
U.S. diesel prices hit record high above $6.30 a gallon: Average U.S. diesel prices rose to a record $6.31 per gallon on Wednesday, according to the American Automobile Association, surpassing Tuesday’s record of $6.27 and the previous historic high of about $5.82 set in 2022.
Diesel averaged below $3.50 a gallon at the start of last year but has surged alongside global oil prices.
Palestine
Killed and wounded in Gaza: Over the past 24 hours, six Palestinians were killed and 71 injured in Israeli attacks across Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 has risen to 73,795 killed, with 174,869 injured. Since October 11, the first full day of the so-called ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 1,381 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded 4,757, while 831 bodies have been recovered from under the rubble.
Twenty-one Palestinians killed as Israeli-damaged building collapses in Gaza; dozens remain under the rubble: At least 21 Palestinians, including 12 children, were killed and 14 others injured after a residential building damaged by Israeli attacks and sheltering displaced families collapsed overnight in Gaza City, the Strip’s Health Ministry told Drop Site.
More than 100 people, including 50 children, are estimated to have been sheltering in the building, with rescuers struggling to reach survivors amid a severe shortage of specialized machinery due to Israeli restrictions. “We can still hear the voices of people alive beneath the rubble,” Gaza’s rescue chief said.
Rescue crews warned that more than 2,000 damaged buildings across Gaza are at risk of collapse while still housing large numbers of displaced Palestinians. At least 50 people have been killed in collapses of buildings damaged during Israel’s attacks on the Gaza Strip. Israel has refused to allow reconstruction materials into Gaza despite signing a ceasefire agreement nearly a year ago.
Israeli attacks kill six Palestinians, including two children, in Gaza on Tuesday: Israeli forces killed a 15-year-old Palestinian boy and a Civil Defense paramedic in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood on Tuesday, according to Healthcare Workers Watch.
The group said an Israeli drone first struck a man, then fired a second missile as the paramedic attempted to rescue the wounded person. Footage shows the boy rushing to help the wounded paramedic when the second strike killed them both.
In Khan Younis, Israeli forces carried out three strikes on tents sheltering displaced families in Al-Mawasi, killing two Palestinians, including a child, and wounding 14 others.
Israeli forces demolish homes as settlers burn property, destroy water supplies across occupied West Bank:
Hebron: Israeli forces demolished a two-story home south of Yatta housing eight people, most of them children, on Wednesday, WAFA reported. In Al-Tuwani, Masafer Yatta, armed settlers under Israeli military protection burned a home and agricultural room and spray-painted racist slogans. Israeli forces also closed the Ibrahimi Mosque to Palestinians until Thursday evening and imposed restrictions that halted classes at one nearby school and disrupted another.
Jericho: Israeli forces demolished five homes and a prayer space in Al-Jiftlik, north of Jericho.
Ramallah: Settlers continued bulldozing Palestinian land west of Ni‘lin for a third day, digging and carving roads. Israeli forces also raided several homes and field-interrogated the deputy mayor and two municipal workers.
Tubas: Settlers cut water lines, emptied a water well used by residents, and destroyed crops in northern Yarza. In Tammun, Israeli forces detained seven members of one family, including two children, and beat family members in an effort to pressure another son to surrender.
Salfit: Israeli forces began demolishing a pastoral community west of Deir Ballut, home to more than 20 Palestinians for over 20 years.
“It was an execution”: Israeli forces kill Palestinian man during West Bank home raid: Israeli forces shot and killed 54-year-old Ziad Jaber during a predawn raid on his family’s home in Al-Bireh in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday.
His brother Ramadan told Drop Site contributor Mutasem Sqf ElHait that soldiers blew open the family’s door and, about a minute later, he heard Ziad scream. The family was prevented from reaching him for around an hour and a half.
“The only thing we saw was the blood,” Ramadan said. The Palestinian Prisoners’ Society said Jaber was struck by two bullets in a “field execution.”
Watch the dispatch from Sqf ElHait here.
Journalist Naqaa Hamed arrested by Israel: Palestinian-American journalist and Drop Site News contributor Naqaa Hamed was arrested by Israeli authorities at a checkpoint on Tuesday as she was returning from a reporting assignment in the occupied West Bank for Turkish broadcaster TRT, according to her colleagues and family. She spent the night in Israeli custody and is being interrogated about her journalistic work, a lawyer who spoke to Hamed on the phone told the family.
Over the past several weeks, Israeli settlers have targeted Hamed with a wave of incitement on Telegram channels and in Hebrew media following her coverage of an Israeli siege on families in the village of Qusra, according to her colleagues.
Hamed is from the village of Beitin, northeast of Ramallah, holds American citizenship, and is married with three young children. Hamed’s family contacted the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem about her arrest but has yet to hear back. Read more about her arrest here.
Trump administration approves $2.8 billion Israel arms package including 40,000 bombs: The Trump administration has approved a $2.8 billion arms package for Israel that includes 40,000 bombs, the New York Times reported.
The package includes 20,000 2,000-pound Mk84 bombs and 20,000 BLU-117 general-purpose bombs. Congress has been informally notified of the pending sale.
Most of the package would be paid for through U.S. foreign military financing, meaning American taxpayer funds provided to Israel would be used to purchase the weapons from the United States.
Malaysia detains Israel-bound shipments: Malaysian authorities detained three containers headed for Israel at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas on August 19 as authorities investigated their cargo, Bloomberg reported, less than two weeks after another Israel-linked shipment was stopped at the same port.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wrote in a post on X Tuesday that Malaysia would not allow the country to “be used as a conduit for any shipment that supports or contributes to Israel’s military capabilities and its atrocities against Palestinians and other innocent lives,” adding that suspicious shipments would be investigated and “decisive action” taken where violations are found.
Madrid festival suspends Allianz sponsorship after celebrities announce boycott over Israel ties: Madrid’s Festival of Ideas suspended its sponsorship agreement with German insurance giant Allianz after celebrities said they would boycott the event over the company’s financial ties to Israel, the Times of Israel reported.
“Allianz is today the world’s largest buyer of Israeli state bonds and, therefore, an essential financial backer of the ongoing genocide,” the signatories said, demanding the festival reject funding from companies that “collaborate with the State of Israel in the destruction of the Palestinian people.”
Organizers said the festival and Allianz agreed to suspend the sponsorship.
Lebanon
Israeli forces blow up homes, abduct man in southern Lebanon amid “ceasefire”:
Tyre (Sour): Israeli forces carried out powerful explosions in Mansouri, south of Tyre, on Wednesday, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
Hasbaya: Israeli forces raided Halta, blew up a home, and abducted a resident before withdrawing from the town. The area was also hit by three Israeli artillery shells.
Lebanon seeks new international force for south after UN peacekeepers leave: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for a temporary international force to prevent a security vacuum in southern Lebanon after UN peacekeepers’ mandate expires at the end of the year.
“What matters is that there is no vacuum,” Aoun told AFP, saying the force could be European, American, Arab, Asian or another UN mission until the Lebanese army can deploy.
Aoun departed for Paris on Wednesday and will join French President Emmanuel Macron and Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Thursday to open a preparatory meeting for an international conference supporting the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces.
Aoun also called for a security agreement with Israel to “end the state of hostility,” saying negotiations were the only alternative to war. He reiterated that Hezbollah’s disarmament was “neither negotiable nor open to discussion,” but said it should be achieved without confrontation or “a new civil war.”
More than 80% of Bint Jbeil destroyed by Israeli attacks, municipality report finds: More than 80% of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon has been completely destroyed by Israeli attacks between 2023 and 2026, according to a new municipal report based on aerial imagery, field surveys, and residents’ testimonies, Al-Akhbar reported.
More than 2,000 buildings—at least 5,000 housing units—were leveled, including over 500 buildings in the city center alone, according to the report.
The municipality also documented the complete destruction of 11 of the city’s 14 educational institutions, more than 500 shops, electricity and water networks, and extensive damage to hospitals and medical facilities. More than 70% of the agricultural sector was directly damaged.
U.S. News
House again votes to end U.S. war in Iran: The U.S. House of Representatives for the third time voted to direct President Donald Trump to end the U.S. war in Iran. Democrats were joined by seven Republicans: Reps. Tom Barrett (Mich.), Warren Davidson (Ohio), Brian Fitzpatrick (Penn.), Thomas Massie (Ky.), Nancy Mace (S.C.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (Iowa), and Zach Nunn (Iowa).
Aaron Guckian wins Republican nomination for governor of Rhode Island: Aaron Guckian, former head of the Rhode Island Dental Association, defeated Elaine Pelino, a former model, in a close primary for the Republican nomination, the AP reported. Guckian will face Helena Foulkes, a former CVS executive who defeated Gov. Dan McKee in the Democratic primary last week.
U.S. says FBI prevented Russian plot to kill dissidents: Five people were charged in New York with plotting to assassinate a Russian dissident who was living in Washington, D.C., the AP reported. James Barnacle Jr., head of New York’s FBI office, said the network of Russian intelligence operatives “conspired to intimidate, threaten, or murder people on U.S. soil and around the world.”
Ed Sheeran’s supporting acts quit tour after Macklemore removed over pro-Palestine remarks: All of Ed Sheeran’s scheduled supporting acts quit his Loop tour after Macklemore was removed for declaring “Free Palestine” and condemning Israel’s genocide.
Finneas, Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham, and Beoga withdrew, citing the silencing of artists speaking for Palestine. Finneas said, “Artists must not be silenced when they speak up for the oppressed.”
Sheeran claims he is “not complicit,” saying promoters and stadiums removed Macklemore. Macklemore said billionaire Robert Kraft rallied venue owners to threaten the tour with cancellation if he remained.
📥 Have a tip on Capitol Hill? Email DC Correspondent Julian Andreone at Julian@dropsitenews.com
Other International News
EU proposes making Canada the bloc’s first “associate member”: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a public statement the European Union would pursue associate EU membership for Canada, as both sides seek closer economic and security ties amid worsening relations with the United States and growing competition with China.
The status does not currently exist in EU law and its meaning remains undefined, but von der Leyen said cooperation could include defense-industrial integration, technology, manufacturing, critical raw materials, supply chains and the Arctic.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said Ottawa is seeking a “unique alliance” with Europe rather than full EU membership. More detailed discussions are expected at an EU-Canada summit in Montreal next month.
India summons Pakistan’s top diplomat after naval collision in Arabian Sea: India summoned Pakistan’s top diplomat after Pakistani naval units collided with an Indian naval vessel in international waters in the northern Arabian Sea on Tuesday.
No major damage was reported, but New Delhi called the incident “unacceptable and unprofessional” and urged Pakistan to follow existing bilateral agreements meant to prevent dangerous military encounters.
Pakistan has not yet publicly commented on the naval collision.
At least 67 killed in collapse at gold mine in Sudan: At least 67 miners were killed after a series of adjoining shafts collapsed at the al-Zara gold mine in West Kordofan, with more than 70 people reported dead or missing and some miners potentially still trapped underground.
Local monitoring groups said no specialized rescue teams had reached the remote site, leaving residents to dig with basic tools despite unstable sandy ground. A survivor who emerged two days after the collapse reportedly said others were still alive below ground.
The Sudan Doctors Network, a medical group tracking the war in Sudan, provided the death toll and said it could increase as rescuers continued to search for people trapped under the rubble.
Ukraine launches new offensive north of key Donetsk fortress belt: Ukrainian forces have begun a new offensive operation in northern Donetsk aimed at pushing Russian troops back from the core of Ukraine’s remaining defensive line in the region.
A senior Ukrainian commander claimed the operation had already cleared Russian infiltration groups from around 75 square kilometers, recaptured additional territory and restored control over several villages, though independent monitors have not been able to confirm these figures.
Bank of Japan set to raise rates to a 31-year high over inflation pressures: The Bank of Japan is expected to raise its interest rate from 1% to 1.25% this week, the highest level since the mid-1990s, as Japan continues moving away from decades of ultra-low interest rates.
The expected hike reflects persistent inflation pressures from high oil prices, a weak yen and rising import costs, and would follow tightening by other major central banks. The BOJ ended its long-running stimulus program in 2024 and has raised rates several times since.
Officials are believed to see room for additional increases and the bank is trying to avoid either weakening the yen following pressures on energy prices from the Iran War.
China warns U.S. deployment of weapons in orbit could fuel a space arms race: Beijing called on Washington to halt its military buildup in space one day after U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the United States has “on-orbit space control weapons” capable of defending U.S. forces against hostile action.
China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Beijing opposes the weaponization of space and warned that U.S. deployments could undermine strategic stability.
The U.S. has long developed counter-space systems, but Meink’s statement suggested the deployment of weapons directly in orbit rather than relying only on ground-based systems or defensive measures.
Former Philippines leaderDuterte appears at ICC ahead of crimes against humanity trial: Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeared in person at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for the first time in more than a year, as judges prepared for the expected November start of his trial on charges of murder and attempted murder tied to his prosecution of a “war on drugs.”
Prosecutors allege Duterte was involved in dozens of killings carried out by police and government-linked death squads during his years as mayor of Davao and later as president. Duterte denies the charges.
Duterte was arrested in the Philippines and transferred to The Hague in March 2025. His lawyers unsuccessfully sought to have the case halted on medical grounds and challenged the ICC’s jurisdiction after the Philippines withdrew from the court in 2019.
🎥 WATCH Top Yemeni Journalist: Saudi Arabia Could Lose Territory to Ansarallah
📖 READ U.S. Makes, Israel Takes: The Real Story of U.S.-Israeli Military Cooperation
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📖 READ Mahmoud Khalil Sues Columbia University Over Persistent Anti-Palestinian Discrimination
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