Washington — The CIA on Friday declassified 71 intelligence reports produced in the months and years before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, offering a fresh account of what the agency warned Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush about al Qaeda and its leader, Osama bin Laden, before the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The collection includes analyst assessments written for the President’s Daily Brief, the classified intelligence summary delivered to the president and top administration officials. Released alongside ceremonies marking 25 years since the attacks, the archive contains 70 reports written before Sept. 11, 2001, and one from the following day. Two of the records had previously surfaced during the congressional 9/11 Commission investigation.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe described the disclosure as “the single largest release of CIA analysis related to 9/11 ever.”
“25 years ago, the 9/11 attacks struck a blow to our Nation, but they did not break us. Generations of CIA officers have since dedicated their careers to securing justice for our fallen Americans and ensuring al-Qa’ida would never again harm our country,” Ratcliffe said in a statement.
What’s in the new 9/11 documents?
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The newly released material underscores how extensively the CIA had tracked bin Laden and his network’s stated ambition to attack the United States before 9/11. The assessments appeared in daily intelligence briefings prepared for Clinton and Bush. Nearly every document released Friday contains redactions.
The oldest report, dated Feb. 13, 1998, said bin Laden and other Islamic extremists “met [redacted] and agreed to procure unspecified chemical, biological, and nuclear substances from open markets.” It added that bin Laden possessed “legitimate companies, business relationships, and a financial empire” that could help support his pursuit of such weapons.
Bin Laden and his fighters operated from Afghanistan under Taliban protection. Multiple reports outline the Taliban’s reasons for sheltering him while also describing his purportedly expanding influence in Afghanistan’s drug trade. An October 1999 assessment said he had “made a substantial investment in 57 narcotics laboratories associated with” Taliban leader Mullah Omar and had enlisted specialists “to develop more addictive drugs — possibly ecstasy or methamphetamine.” The 9/11 Commission later concluded, however, that there was “no reliable evidence that Bin Ladin was involved in or made his money through drug trafficking.”
A separate February 1998 report said bin Laden and others had issued a fatwa urging “all Muslims to attack US interests and civilians worldwide” until the United States “retreats” from Saudi Arabia and “Palestine.”
One particularly stark memo, dated Sept. 10, 1998, warned that extremists “may fly an explosive-packed airplane into a US city.” The assessment cautioned that the intelligence at hand “provides no conclusive information on Bin Ladin’s intentions for future attacks,” but noted that he had said his preferred course was to strike the United States “on its own soil in Washington.”
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CIA
The final report of the 9/11 Commission appeared to reference that memo. The commission concluded that the Counterterrorist Center did not go on to “analyze how an aircraft, hijacked or explosives-laden, might be used as a weapon.” Such an examination, it said, “would soon have spotlighted a critical constraint for the terrorists — finding a suicide operative able to fly large jet aircraft.”
Reports from the summer of 2001 detail murky intelligence about a potential plot to strike inside the U.S. At that point, the “system was blinking red,” as then-CIA Director George Tenet told the 9/11 Commission. One memo from July 24 said that “[redacted] indicates that an expected imminent Bin Ladin-sponsored terrorist operation has been postponed, but preparations for other near-term attacks may still be in train.”
Friday’s release included the infamous memo titled “Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US” from August 2001, which was declassified in 2004 at the request of the 9/11 Commission. The memo said that FBI information “indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.”
In its report, the 9/11 Commission said the August memo “was the 36th PDB item briefed so far that year that related to Bin Ladin or al Qaeda, and the first devoted to the possibility of an attack in the United States.” Friday’s release includes 18 items dated from the Bush administration before the attacks, meaning at least some of the PDB material from the lead-up remains secret.
A former senior intelligence official said numerous PDB items warning about the threat as far back 1996 and even earlier were not included in Friday’s disclosure, nor were a number of additional pieces from 2001.
The 9/11 Commission found that “[m]ost of the intelligence community recognized in the summer of 2001 that the number and severity of threat reports were unprecedented. Many officials told us that they knew something terrible was planned, and they were desperate to stop it.”
The final document included in the CIA’s release on Friday is dated Sept. 12, 2001, the day after planes smashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. The “situation report” described the latest intelligence surrounding bin Laden in the run-up to the attack, including details about his likely involvement.
“Mounting evidence indicates Sunni extremists in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf recently were aware Usama Bin Ladin-directed attacks were imminent,” the report said. “[Redacted] the existence of a probable operation was widely known among extremists in Afghanistan and speculated Bin Ladin may have relocated to Kabul to avoid conflict over his activities with the Taliban leadership in Kandahar.”
The memo said that bin Laden and the Taliban’s Omar “clashed over Bin Ladin’s determination to mount terrorist attacks” in August 2001.
“Bin Ladin told Mullah Omar he had operations in progress that would cause great damage to the US,” the memo said.
The report also said that “[a] Kandahar-based Arab yesterday said the attacks were the result of two years’ planning and were ‘the beginning of the wrath,’ [redacted] suggest the Capitol and the White House also may have been targets of the operations.”
The 9/11 Commission report determined that “failures of imagination, policy, capabilities, and management” contributed to the government’s inability to stop the 9/11 attacks before they happened, and that “the most important failure was one of imagination.”
Trump Signals Concern Over Midterm Losses While Insisting Outlook ‘Not as Dire’
President Donald Trump has indicated he will not devote his full energy to campaigning, appearing instead to accept the prospect of becoming a lame-duck president in 2027 and pursuing agreements with Democrats.
For observers who have followed his remarks closely, that stance may not be unexpected.
Since late last year, Trump has repeatedly pointed to the longstanding political pattern in which a president’s party loses support in the midterms, often allowing the opposition to take control of Congress.
He has said presidents rarely defy that trend and has at times questioned whether Republicans can overcome history in this election cycle.
That context made his response less surprising when Fox News host Laura Ingraham asked whether he would ‘campaign harder than you’ve ever campaigned’ this month.
‘No,’ Trump replied quickly. ‘The hardest I ever campaigned, because I had to win, was the last. I took four months, no empty days, no empty hours. I made speeches all day.’
Trump said he did not take a day off during the final 120 days of the 2024 campaign.
‘But isn’t this just as important, Mr President? I mean, your whole legacy is on the line,’ Ingraham responded, appearing taken aback by his relaxed approach.
Trump said he will not campaign as hard as possible this month, even as Republicans face weak polling and difficult odds of retaining control of Congress.
Trump sits with his eyes closed during a 9/11 ceremony at the Pentagon on Friday morning. He returned to the White House at about 3:00 a.m. local time after attending a GOP convention in Dallas.
‘It’s never as important,’ Trump contended.
As the president would explain, he will be remembered for being a president who blocked Democratic priorities in his final two years.
He would strike the occasional deal with the liberals too, he added.
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‘Look, I’m campaigning for other people. When you say my legacy, I’ll be a block. I’ll end up being a blocker. I’ll block all their bad stuff for two years,’ he said.
‘It won’t be the same, but I’ll be a blocker. What can I tell you? And probably be able to make deals with them.’
When the camera briefly cut back to the host, she had a surprised look on her face with her mouth hanging open.
Trump continued: ‘They’re going to want some stuff, and you to make deals; it’s one of those things.’
‘So, it’s not as dire,’ he said, quickly adding, ‘maybe it is?’
According to the popular prediction market Kalshi, Republicans have a 52 percent chance of retaining the Senate. Democrats need to flip four seats to do so.
Some of Trump’s allies in Congress have expressed concern about Republicans’ chances in the midterms. But the president is already seemingly resigned to that fate, talking openly about negotiating with Democrats
Meanwhile, Democrats have a commanding 86 percent chance of winning the House of Representatives.
Should Democrats win both chambers of Congress, they would be able to jam through legislation to undo the president’s agenda without Republican votes.
They would also likely begin sweeping investigations into Trump, his administration, his associates and likely his network of businesses.
Though Trump seems unconcerned now with the possibility of Democratic control of Congress, he may feel differently when his top military and Cabinet officials start getting dragged to hostile hearings on Capitol Hill and his agenda unravels.
Fox News, which hosted live coverage of Trump’s Thursday night speech at the GOP convention, only brought in an average audience of about 2.5 million for the conclusion of the event.
The outlet did not get the usual ‘Trump bump’ in ratings that occasionally comes with carrying his live remarks, but maybe some are tired of the show.
Billy Porter Updates Fans After Near-Fatal Sepsis Battle
Billy Porter says he is grateful to be back in his element.
Nearly a year after a minor infection escalated into a life-threatening sepsis crisis that left the Pose actor in a coma, Porter opened up about returning to public life and finding renewed purpose.
“I was on my death bed for three days in a coma on an ECMO machine,” Porter told E! News’ Keltie Knight in an exclusive interview during Christian Siriano’s New York Fashion Week show on Sept. 10. “Coming out of that, I’m a whole new person. I feel like I was always on the right path but even more so now.”
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Porter took a front-row seat at the presentation alongside Brandy, Evan Rachel Wood and Tiffany Haddish, making clear that he is embracing life with fresh determination.
“The things I believe in,” he explained. “How I show up, it’s even more grounded.”
While the near-fatal health emergency was frightening, Porter said the outpouring of encouragement and affection he received during his yearlong recovery was also “overwhelming.”
California Woman Fatally Shot by DoorDash Driver Who Allegedly Stalked Her for Months, DHS Says
A California woman was fatally shot outside a Panera Bread in Sacramento County on Tuesday by an illegal immigrant who had allegedly stalked her for months despite being under a restraining order, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Shalini Thakur, 38, was near her vehicle when Rohit Rohit, an illegal immigrant from India, confronted her, DHS said. When Thakur attempted to escape, Rohit allegedly chased her and shot her in the head before fleeing the scene in a car.
Police officers responding to the shooting caught up with Rohit, authorities said, but he then died by suicide with a gun.
Rohit Rohit, an illegal immigrant from India, allegedly stalked a California woman for months before fatally shooting her in a parking lot this week and taking his own life. DHS said Rohit entered the United States illegally through Arizona and was released by the Biden administration. (Department of Homeland Security; Getty Images)
“This tragedy would have been completely avoided if it weren’t for the Biden administration RELEASING this killer into our country,” a DHS spokesperson said.
“Sanctuary politicians must put an end to reckless policies that play Russian roulette with American lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family.”
Rohit had allegedly stalked Thakur for months before she obtained a restraining order. Thakur knew him as a DoorDash delivery driver who would park outside her home for hours and speak with her every day, ABC 10 reported.
FILE – Officials alleged Rohit was a DoorDash delivery driver. (CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
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The alleged stalking dated back to at least January, when Thakur discovered an Apple AirTag underneath the hood of her car.
According to the report, Rohit at one point attempted to pressure Thakur into marrying him and sought to prevent her from socializing with other people. He also allegedly threatened to shoot himself or anyone she met.
Rohit later deflated her car tires and followed her to work so he could pretend to offer her help, authorities said. At one point, Rohit allegedly obtained a copy of Thakur’s apartment key so he could enter her home while she slept.
FILE – DHS said Rohit illegally entered the United States through Arizona in August 2023 and was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol before later being released. (Gregory Bull/Associated Press)
Even after she got a restraining order against Rohit in May, he continued to stalk her as recently as July.
“She could have been saved. She told police so many times,” Thakur’s mother, Sudesh Kumari, told the news outlet. “She called them, but nobody did anything.”
Rohit illegally entered the United States through Arizona in August 2023 and was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol. He was released as part of the Biden administration’s policy to let migrants into the U.S. after they were given a court date to appear before a judge.
DoorDash did not immediately respond to News Media’s request for comment.
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Trump $1 Coin Sparks MAGA Rush for Presidential Keepsakes
President Donald Trump has become the first sitting president to appear on a U.S. $1 coin, with the newly released collectible selling out within hours.
US Treasurer Brandon Beech told the Daily Mail that the administration first considered placing Trump’s portrait on a $250 bill to coincide with America’s 250th anniversary. That plan, however, would have required new legislation.
With Congress passing relatively little legislation, officials instead turned to existing authority that allowed them to feature the president on a $1 coin.
Beech said he reached out to the White House photography team and received 12 images of Trump. Officials created coin prototypes from the photographs and presented them to the president, who chose the final design himself.
“This is what he picked,” Beech said. “It came out last week. We sold out in four hours.”
The US Mint offered the Trump $1 coins in pre-release rolls of 25 for $61 — nearly two and a half times their face value — as well as bags containing 100 coins for $154.50.
Although the coins have a gold-like shine, they contain no gold. They are made from an alloy of copper, zinc, manganese and nickel. A special run of 250,000 coins struck on July 4 features a “July 4th” privy mark.
Beech maintained that the higher price is only temporary.
US Treasurer Brandon Beech told the Daily Mail that the administration had initially hoped to feature Trump’s portrait on a $250 bill for the nation’s 250th anniversary, but found that legislation would be required.
At the convention, Trump supporters appeared largely unconcerned about the cost. Karen Love, from the Dallas area, said she had not heard of the coin before being asked about it, but called the price “fair” and said it could become “a memorial kind of thing.”
The coins were being sold as a pre-release by the Mint in rolls of 25 for $61, above their $25 face value. Beech says the dollar coin will hit banks in the US ‘within the next month’
‘You can get these at a bank in the next month. You should be able to go into a bank like you get a roll of quarters, you should be able to get a roll of Trump coins, dollar coins, and then you can go out and use them as legal tender and spend them.’
The coin is already proving controversial, with Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada calling it ‘completely contrary to America’s democratic values’ and previously introducing legislation with Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley to block living presidents from appearing on US currency.
A legal challenge has also been filed, arguing that putting a living president’s likeness on U.S. currency violates federal law.
Nine million coins were struck, with 8.75 million initially put up for sale by the Mint, while the rarer July 4-marked versions are already being offered for hundreds of dollars online, far above their $1 face value.
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And for those who want to spend rather than collect them, Beech said the coins should soon be available through banks just like rolls of quarters.
‘You should be able to go into a bank like you get a roll of quarters, you should be able to get a roll of Trump coins, dollar coins, and then you can go out and use them as legal tender and spend them.’
Asked whether it was appropriate to honor a sitting president on money while American forces were fighting a war with Iran, Beach did not hesitate.
‘No, listen, this is our 250th birthday. We’re proud to be Americans,’ he said. ‘I love this country. I’m unapologetic about loving America and being part of a great country, and we should all love this country. And we should love our president and respect our president and be happy that we got a dollar coin with his image on it.’
At the Republican convention in Dallas, where the coin was the talk of the floor, the price drew shrugs.
Actor John Schneider was the most emphatic.
‘I think it’s fantastic,’ the Dukes of Hazzard star said. ‘He’s done so much for our country, not only in our country, but globally, that I think it’s a wonderful, wonderful kind of award for him and he deserves it.’
Schneider said he saw the coins as ‘nostalgia’ and ‘honor’ rather than investment. ‘I don’t think a lot of people talk about honoring President Trump, and I don’t know why,’ he said.
Denise Hopkins, from Mandeville, Louisiana, called the coin ‘very cool’ and rattled off its uses: ‘souvenirs, keepsakes, Christmas gifts, stocking stuffers.’
Roy Parker, of Carrollton, Texas, said of Trump becoming the first living president on a U.S. dollar coin: ‘I would absolutely love that,’ citing ‘everything that he’s done for this country.’
Michael Walton, from Dallas, was more clear-eyed about the markup. ‘It’s probably going to end up being a novelty. So it’s not unexpected.’
Karen Love, from the Dallas area, had not heard of the coin until asked, but called $61 ‘fair’ and guessed it would become a ‘memorial kind of thing.’
Schneider had no ceiling at all.
‘I’d spend $90 to honor him,’ he said. ‘Why not 100? I’ll do it.’
Dad Denied 16 Weeks of Paid Leave to Care for His Newborn
A high school teacher has failed in a Fair Work bid for 16 weeks of paid parental leave after claiming he was entitled to the benefit once he became the primary carer for his newborn.
Andrew Read sought to remain at home with the child after his wife returned to work, arguing that he would then take on the role of primary caregiver.
However, the 16-week paid leave provision in his workplace agreement was not available to every parent who assumes primary caring duties.
The entitlement applied only in defined circumstances in which a person is granted parental responsibility, such as through adoption, surrogacy or a permanent care order.
As the biological father, Mr Read held parental responsibility from the time of the child’s birth and did not satisfy those requirements.
Mr Read has worked as a classroom teacher at Mordialloc College since January 2024.
He and his wife welcomed their child in 2026.
His wife first took parental leave as the baby’s primary caregiver, while Mr Read took four weeks of paid partner leave between January and March 2026.
Andrew Read, pictured, sought access to more generous leave provisions while caring for his newborn.
Fair Work Commissioner Oanh Thi Tran, pictured, recognised the benefits of fathers taking parental leave but found Mr Read could not access the entitlement under the agreement.
At the same time, he applied for the more generous entitlement known as ‘other paid parental leave’, which provides up to 16 weeks of paid leave.
Mr Read argued that he should qualify because he planned to become the child’s primary carer once his wife returned to work.
While his paid partner leave was approved by the college’s principal, she said she did not have authority to approve the additional leave and referred his follow-up request to Victoria’s Department of Education.
The department rejected the application, arguing that although Mr Read was the child’s biological father, he did not meet the eligibility criteria for the 16-week entitlement.
Fair Work Commissioner Oanh Thi Tran upheld that decision on September 4.
She found the entitlement was clearly limited to particular circumstances and did not extend to biological fathers simply because they later took over the day-to-day care of their child.
The provision applies to Victorian education employees who have been granted parental responsibility following an adoption, surrogacy arrangement, permanent care order or in other circumstances approved by the education department.
During proceedings, Mr Read argued that he did not need a formal legal order or official process to be given parental responsibility.
A Melbourne high school teacher who wanted to become his newborn baby’s primary carer while his wife returned to work has lost a Fair Work Commission battle
He said that once his wife returned to work and he took over caring for their baby, he would effectively become the child’s primary caregiver and have parental responsibility.
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The department disagreed, arguing there had been no new grant of parental responsibility because Mr Read already held that responsibility automatically as the child’s biological parent.
Commissioner Tran agreed, finding no one had ‘given, accorded, bestowed or conferred’ parental responsibility on Mr Read because he had automatically acquired it when his child was born.
While she acknowledged the benefits of fathers taking parental leave, she found the agreement did not allow Mr Read to access the entitlement he was seeking.
‘This is an admirable and appropriate thing for a father to desire,’ she wrote in her published decision.
‘I accept that it may be desirable for fathers and non-birthing parents to have entitlements to paid parental leave, particularly in circumstances where they may be the primary caregiver.’
But she found the agreement clearly limited the 16-week entitlement to specific circumstances and did not cover biological fathers in Mr Read’s position.
Mr Read had also argued that the agreement should be interpreted in a way that was not discriminatory.
A growing number of Australian employers have also moved towards gender-neutral parental leave policies, with 20 per cent offering the same leave entitlements to all parents irrespective of gender
Commissioner Tran rejected that argument.
‘I do not consider that there is any discrimination where more generous provisions have particular criteria required in order for them to be accessed,’ Commissioner Tran wrote.
‘Interpreting an agreement does not involve rewriting it to give effect to what might be regarded as a fair or just outcome.’
The case is likely to reignite debate about parental leave entitlements for fathers and other parents who become primary carers.
Currently, the Australian Government provides eligible parents with up to 26 weeks of Paid Parental Leave at the national minimum wage, while the National Employment Standards guarantee eligible employees access to unpaid parental leave.
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency reported last month that two in three employers with 100 or more staff now offer paid parental leave.
The amount of leave varies between employers and is often linked to whether an employee is classified as a primary or secondary carer.
On average, employers provide 14 weeks of paid leave to primary carers and 3.7 weeks to secondary carers.
A growing number of Australian employers have also moved towards gender-neutral parental leave policies, with 20 per cent offering the same leave entitlements to all parents irrespective of gender.
WGEA said the approach encourages a more equal sharing of caring responsibilities and helps remove gender stereotypes around parenting.
– READ MORE: Major WFH ruling in the boss’s favour shakes corporate Australia: Busy white collar dad working from the couch loses plea over kid’s daycare and wife’s medical condition
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Mel Gibson Seen With Daughter 16 Years After Infamous Rant
Mel Gibson was seen taking his 16-year-old daughter, Lucia, to an upscale restaurant in the Los Angeles suburbs this week.
The 70-year-old actor shares Lucia with Russian musician Oksana Grigorieva, 56. The pair dated from 2009 until their highly publicized split in 2010.
Following their breakup, Grigorieva accused Gibson of domestic violence, setting off a lengthy legal dispute that ended with him entering a no-contest plea to misdemeanor battery.
His Hollywood career was severely damaged after audio recordings emerged in which he made a racist remark during a telephone conversation with Grigorieva.
Despite that history, Gibson appeared to share a close relationship with Lucia, the youngest of his nine children, as he took her out for Italian food on Thursday.
Lucia, who now nearly matches her father’s 5ft 10in height, was photographed alongside him as they arrived at Mediterraneo, a farm-to-table restaurant in Westlake Village.
The Daily Mail has contacted Gibson’s representatives for comment.
Mel Gibson was spotted taking his 16-year-old daughter Lucia to an upscale restaurant in the Los Angeles suburbs this week
Gibson, who has nine children, appeared to enjoy a warm outing with his youngest daughter as they headed out for Italian food on Thursday
Lucia, who now nearly matches Gibson’s 5ft 10in height, was seen arriving with him at the farm-to-table restaurant Mediterraneo in Westlake Village
Gibson has returned to America after he finished directing the Italian shoot of the sequel to his 2004 self-produced blockbuster The Passion of the Christ.
Entitled The Resurrection of the Christ, the two-part follow-up is slated for release over the next two years and features Finnish actor Jaakko Ohtonen as Jesus, a role played in the original picture by Sound of Freedom star Jim Caviezel.
Gibson struck up his romance with Lucia’s mother while he was separated from his wife Robyn Moore, the mother of his seven oldest children.
Moore and Gibson married in 1980, the year after he catapulted to stardom in Mad Max, and split in 2009 before finalizing their divorce in 2011.
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In 2010, the Braveheart star’s relationship with Grigorieva disintegrated into a bruising custody battle over Lucia that eventually grew so rancorous that both parents at one point held restraining orders against each other.
Gibson confessed in legal documents to having slapped Grigorieva once ‘with an open hand’ during a dispute over Lucia, who was then two months old.
He maintained in his court filing that Grigorieva had flown into a ‘hysterical’ state and he struck her in an attempt to make her stop ‘shaking Lucia back and forth,’ as he was worried the newborn would develop ‘shaken baby syndrome.’
They ultimately reached an agreement on joint custody in August 2011, as Gibson’s showbiz career lay in ruins over the ‘pack of n*****s’ recording.
The 70-year-old actor welcomed Lucia with Russian musician Oksana Grigorieva, whom he was involved with from 2009 until their explosive 2010 split. Above, in Paris in 2010
Grigorieva accused Gibson of domestic violence, triggering a rancorous legal drama. Above, in 2009
In 2014, Gibson started dating Rosalind Ross, 36, with whom he welcomed a son called Lars, nine, before their split last year. Above, the couple in 2019
Gibson bringing his two youngest children Lucia and Lars to a 2024 screening of his horror movie Monster Summer at the Directors Guild of America
Defended at the time by his friends Jodie Foster and Whoopi Goldberg, he worked at a gradual comeback that flowered by 2017 into a best picture Oscar nod for Hacksaw Ridge, the World War II drama he directed with Andrew Garfield in the lead.
From 2014 until last year, Gibson was dating equestrian vaulter turned screenwriter Rosalind Ross, 36, with whom he welcomed his now nine-year-old son Lars.
The year he began his relationship with Ross, Gibson rhapsodized to Mario Lopez about the experience of raising Lucia, who at that stage was his youngest child.
‘She’s so cool. It’s amazing. It’s full of wonder… and I’m not a youngster any more. It’s my second daughter. I’m getting a chance to do it better,’ he said on Extra.
His principal piece of advice on fatherhood was for parents to ‘listen,’ he remarked, quipping that his own children ‘actually tell me what to do.’
Saudi Arabia Urges Trump: Act as Iran-Backed Houthis Advance
Houthi rebels reportedly seize strategic Yemeni port as trade concerns mount
Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen joined Brian Kilmeade to examine reports that Yemen’s Houthis had seized a strategic Red Sea port. Thiessen warned that nuclear-armed Iran remains a persistent threat and discussed President Trump’s previous decisions on airstrikes. Their conversation centered on U.S. national security and the wider Middle East conflict.
Saudi Arabia is pressing Washington to launch direct military action against the Iran-backed Houthis after the group captured critical positions near Yemen’s Bab al-Mandab Strait on Friday, News Media learned.
The Houthis’ swift expansion along Yemen’s coast places them near one of the world’s most vital shipping choke points. The narrow Bab al-Mandab passage connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and has served as an alternative route while the Iran war continues to heavily disrupt shipping — particularly oil traffic — through the Strait of Hormuz.
Friday’s advance prompted urgent high-level talks in Riyadh and Washington. A source familiar with the matter told News Media that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged President Donald Trump to take military action against the Houthis.
Houthi supporters rally in solidarity with Iran during a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran in Sanaa, Yemen, April 10, 2026. (Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)
Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters on Friday that the Houthis moved onto the strategic island of Mayyun, also known as Perim, after government forces withdrew. The group also seized the mainland coastal town of Dhubab.
News Media independently confirmed key details of an Axios report through a source familiar with the matter. The source said bin Salman spoke with Trump several times during the previous 24 hours as the crisis in Yemen intensified.
The United States does not currently intend to take direct military action, according to the source. Trump, however, told bin Salman that Washington would provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence and targeting assistance.
The source also confirmed that U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper traveled to Saudi Arabia for coordination discussions.
The White House did not respond to News Media’s request for comment on the calls or on whether further U.S. military action is being considered.
U.S. President Donald Trump walks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during an official state arrival ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court on May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The convergence raises the prospect of simultaneous pressure on two of the world’s most consequential maritime arteries: Iran disrupting traffic through Hormuz while its Houthi allies strengthen their position around Bab al-Mandab.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told News Media that the shift reflects Tehran’s effort to recover leverage as pressure around Hormuz changes.
“Trump’s success in pushing back on Iran’s maritime threat in the Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf has made the regime lose the maritime leverage it had, and now it is looking to double down on the Houthis who have proven to be able to impact Red Sea shipping and the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the past,” Ben Taleblu said.
“As Tehran loses leverage in the Strait of Hormuz, it is trying to wield a knife and a handshake at once: diplomacy with Arab states and a knife in the back via the Houthi offensive,” he added.
Satellite imagery shows Bab al-Mandab Strait, a key shipping waterway and the gateway to the Red Sea, as Iran threatens using Yemen’s Houthi allies to shut the Bab al-Mandab gateway to the Red Sea, in this handout picture dated July 12, 2026. (Nasa Worldview/Handout via Reuters)
The latest advance follows the Houthis’ capture Thursday of the strategic Red Sea port of Mocha, which was previously held by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
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Former U.S. special envoy for Yemen Timothy Lenderking said Friday that the Houthis had spent the years since the 2022 U.N.-brokered truce rebuilding their military strength and are now exploiting the broader Iran conflict to increase pressure on Saudi Arabia.
Speaking during an on-the-record Middle East Institute virtual briefing, Lenderking said the April 2022 truce largely put Yemen’s civil war on pause but also “did allow the Houthis to regroup, retrain, refit, restock.”
“They’re extremely entrepreneurial. They use every opportunity to build their capability, to test their capabilities, such that they are now the most lethal non-state actor in the entire Middle East,” Lenderking said.
Lenderking traced the latest round of escalation in part to Iranian Mahan Air flights into Sanaa earlier this summer, which he said brought personnel and equipment intended to support the Houthi war effort, adding that the personnel were from Iran and were “probably IRGC members.”
Members of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces fire a tank during what they say to be clashes with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in a location given as near Al-Hazm, Yemen, in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released September 9, 2026. (Media Centre Of The Yemeni Armed Forces/Handout via Reuters)
Lenderking said the Houthis are now taking advantage of the wider conflict with Iran to increase their leverage over Riyadh.
“They’ve seized this opportunity, bringing these various lines of effort together, to put a great deal of pressure on the Yemen government and the Saudis specifically,” he said.
On Thursday, a senior Trump administration official told News Media: “The United States is focused on protecting our core national security interests — such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea — while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges. We are in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen Government regarding regional stability.”
The stakes extend well beyond Yemen.
The Bab al-Mandab is only about 18 miles wide at its narrowest point and serves as the southern gateway to the Suez Canal. About 7% of global oil output passed through the strait in June, according to Kpler data cited by Reuters. Disruption can force ships to reroute around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, adding significant time and cost to voyages.
Reuters reported Friday that only seven vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, compared with a prewar daily average of 125, underscoring the pressure already facing the region’s other critical maritime choke point.
A vehicle burns after being attacked by Houthis during fighting with Saudi-backed forces at a location given as Al Jawf, Yemen, in this still image taken from a handout video released September 9, 2026. (Al Masirah/Handout via Reuters)
Ben Taleblu said the speed of the Houthi advance exposed vulnerabilities in the Saudi-led effort to contain the group.
“The U.S. should help the Saudis stymie the Houthi advance,” he said. “The inability of the Saudis to prevent the Houthis from taking the strategic port city of Mocha, for example, does not bode well for what may come.”
Hisham Al-Omeisy, senior Yemen adviser at the European Institute of Peace, told News Media on Thursday that the danger extends beyond the territory captured. Retreating government forces, he said, left behind military equipment that could strengthen the Houthis on other fronts.
“People are focused on taking Mocha and those outposts on the Red Sea,” Al-Omeisy said. “But the military side is terrible, particularly the equipment, the munitions, the vehicles, the drones that were at those military camps, which they can now, in turn, use against the government forces elsewhere.”
The developments mark a dramatic reversal from the relative calm that followed the 2022 truce and leave Washington and its regional allies confronting a growing question: whether the Houthi advance can be contained without opening another direct U.S. military front as American forces remain focused on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.