The Financial Times reports that Saudi Aramco’s Jizan refinery has been attacked for the second time in just over a month. The extent of the damage is still being assessed, and there are currently no reports of casualties. The reported attack comes amid a significant escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis since July. Saudi airstrikes on Houthi positions and subsequent Houthi attacks on Saudi territory have increasingly targeted energy infrastructure and maritime traffic. In July, the Houthis declared a blockade of Saudi-linked shipping in the Red Sea and have since claimed attacks against Saudi oil tankers, military targets, and energy facilities. On August 9, the group claimed responsibility for an attack on the Jizan refinery, where a fire was reported and later extinguished. The escalation has also extended into Yemen, where Saudi-backed forces and the Houthis have engaged in increasingly heavy fighting along the western coast. Recent clashes have raised concerns that the fragile 2022 ceasefire could be at risk of collapsing altogether. If confirmed, a second strike on Jizan would mark another escalation in the widening Houthi-Saudi confrontation, particularly as the group continues to target Saudi energy infrastructure and shipping.

Ukrainian special forces carried out another long-range maritime strike in the Mediterranean Sea, heavily damaging the Russian Ro-Ro cargo ship LADY MARIIA off the coast of Libya. The vessel was reportedly involved in the transport of sanctioned Iranian weapons to Russia.

Sweden has authorized the purchase of U.S.-made M142 HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems in a deal reportedly valued at approximately $729 million. The decision follows the U.S. State Department’s March approval of a potential $930 million Foreign Military Sale to Sweden covering up to 20 HIMARS launchers, GMLRS and Extended-Range GMLRS munitions, and 20 ATACMS pods. The March announcement authorized a potential sale but did not constitute a completed Swedish procurement. Sweden’s latest decision now moves the acquisition forward. The final number of HIMARS launchers and the quantity and types of ammunition included in the Swedish order appear to be below the maximum quantities approved by the United States. The exact composition of the final package has not yet been fully disclosed. The HIMARS acquisition will provide Sweden with a long-range precision-strike capability it does not currently possess, complementing its existing Archer self-propelled artillery systems.

Jared Kushner: "There is no such thing in the world as forever enemies or forever allies."

Houthi footage shows a ballistic missile strike on a gathering of Saudi-backed mobilization leaders. Three armored vehicles were destroyed.

President Donald J. Trump's Special Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Kyiv, where they met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other senior Ukrainian officials to discuss efforts to end the war with Russia. The meeting follows more than three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Saturday. The White House described those discussions as substantive, saying the sides addressed concrete plans for the next steps toward ending the conflict. The visit marks Witkoff and Kushner's first official trip to Ukraine in their roles as U.S. negotiators.

As we mentioned earlier, U.S. sanctions on Russia as a result of their invasion of Ukraine makes the rescinding of such economic coercive measures the primary precondition for the Kremlin before engaging in Russia-U.S.-Ukraine talks. Per Barak Ravid of Axios, the Head of U.S. sanctions efforts, Gene Lange, attended the three and a half hour meeting between Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev, White House Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, and White House envoy Jared Kushner.

UAE-Türkiye Dialogue Amidst U.S. “Economic D-Day” ICOD- 19:42, 09/04/2026 (General Access SITREP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan today, where they discussed efforts to resolve the ongoing regional conflict between the U.S. and Iran. This communication comes amidst the most recent rollout in the past week of U.S. Iran-related sanctions that targeted a number of Turkish and UAE Iran-linked banking networks. Since the packages were announced by the U.S. Treasury, both the UAE and Türkiye have made a point to publicly acknowledge joint support for their banking ties that have deepened significantly in the past decade. However, rather notably, the two’s immediate reaction to the announcement of U.S. sanctions differed greatly. The UAE put out a number of public comments and statements vowing to take “immediate” action to investigate the alleged Iranian-linked banking networks. Türkiye on the other hand, at least publicly, largely disregarded the announcement by the U.S., with the specific designated entity themselves, Golden Global Bank, responding by rejecting the credibility of the sanctions and promising legal action. Unlike the UAE, Türkiye has yet to put out public statements at the government-level promising, or at least previewing, corrective actions.

Second half of Martin’s post covers recent developments in Yemen, as Houthi forces have made gains against the Yemeni government, prompting what the government says were their airstrikes against Houthi forces to curb their advance. However, as noted by Martin below, the lack of some of the assets used in the strikes will likely induce Houthi retaliation against the Saudis in the near-term. We saw this happen with the ‘Yemeni government’ targeting of Sanaa Airport that induced this newest round of escalation between the Yemeni government, the Houthis, and Saudi Arabia.

Over northern Ukraine, a AAA crew captured footage of a Ukrainian Air Force F-16 engaging and shooting down a Russian drone with an AIM-9 Sidewinder.

U.S. Central Command says U.S. forces struck three Iranian crude oil tankers on Sept. 5 after the IRGC launched ballistic missiles toward two U.S. Navy warships operating in the region. CENTCOM said an aircraft carrier and guided-missile destroyer evaded multiple Iranian attacks without American casualties. The strikes disabled the M/T Downy off Kharg Island and M/T Stark 1 near Jask, while the unladen M/T Kylo, also known as the Noxen, was struck at multiple critical points and rendered inoperable after its crew was ordered to abandon ship. CENTCOM described all three tankers as part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network funding the IRGC and its regional proxies. Adm. Brad Cooper said the strikes were intended to impose an economic cost on Iran for attacking U.S. warships and warned that the U.S. could target Iran's oil fleet if necessary.

Ukrainian Magura MV11 unmanned surface vessel, armed with an 18-cell VLS for interceptor drones, seen here launching a pair while at sea.

Footage shows a ballistic missile launch from Isfahan, Iran. The target is still unknown.

The South Korean government announced yesterday that options, including military efforts, are under review to support freedom of navigation efforts in the Strait of Hormuz. While parliamentary approval is still needed, per local news outlets, committed assets could include mine detection and clearing systems, patrol aircraft, and support vessels. This comes amidst prior cancellations of joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises, the Trump administration’s public and private efforts for South Korea to get involved with the situation in the Middle East (Hormuz), and U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s public overtures to North Korea.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump has lambasted Congressional Democrat and their bases on their lacking support for operations against Iran, saying that “Radical Left Lunatics, Dumocrats, and Communists would rather have us LOSE the War in Iran, than have President Donald J. Trump WIN the War for America.”

Last month, Ukrainian FPV attack drones, launched from a USV on the Black Sea, hunted down and struck a Crimean-based Russian K-300P Bastion missile launcher used to carry out Onyx and Zircon attacks in Ukraine.

The judge presiding over the now sensational Lindsey Clancy trial has granted a stay in declaring a mistrial for 1 hour, as following 7 days of deliberations and 1 holdout juror, a verdict could not be reached. Note: The deliberating jury is made up of 9 woman and 3 men.

Ukrainian drones hit Sochi overnight, striking the Adler oil depot owned by Rosneft and an air defense unit. The depot caught fire. In nearby Sirius, drones may have hit an S-300 or S-400 battery. Russian authorities told locals not to post photos or videos of the damage.

Satellite imagery shows an impact point on Runway 13/31 at Prince Hassan Air Base, Jordan, following the Iranian ballistic missile attack on September 1. The damage was repaired on September 3.

Mazlum Abdi, former SDF leader and advisor to the Syrian president: "We are entering a new process, and we are open to criticism. It is incorrect to say that we surrendered, just as it is incorrect to say that we defeated the state. This is a mutually beneficial process for both the Kurdish people and the Syrian state. Our demands were naturally higher, but the independent political, military, and economic status we held for the last 15 years was always temporary. The priority now is a solid, permanent status within Syria. Compared to the Ba'ath era, joining this new state under a legal framework that recognizes our Kurdish identity is a massive success. By integrating into the state, we will continue to govern our own region, managing administrative and military affairs locally on behalf of the Syrian state."