COMBATE Digest - combate-20260925-1200Z

🌍 WEST ASIA

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan to Convene Emergency Chiefs-of-Staff Meeting

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said the joint chiefs of staff of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan will meet urgently to discuss supporting Riyadh under their common defense pact, hours after the three foreign ministers consulted in New York (sepah_pasdaran). Saudi FM Faisal bin Farhan met Pakistan's Ishaq Dar and Turkey's Hakan Fidan at the kingdom's UN mission under the "Mecca defense pact," under which an attack on any member counts as an attack on all (rt_arabic, rt_arabic). Saudi Arabia's highest religious authority urged troops to prepare to give their lives in the confrontation with Yemen's Ansar Allah (rt_spanish). Media reported Saudi air-defense interceptors are nearly exhausted, with Riyadh seeking help from regional and Western allies, as France confirmed it will send troops, radar and air defenses to protect the Yanbu terminal (1087968996).

UPDATE: Sanaa Counts 1,018 Saudi Strikes; Ansar Allah Denies Targeting Mecca

Yemen's Ansar Allah said its attacks on a "sensitive target" in Riyadh and Aramco facilities in Yanbu used ballistic and cruise missiles and drones; military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi forces have carried out 1,018 strikes on Yemen since the escalation began, flying F-15 and Typhoon sorties from Khamis Mushait and Taif (1087968996). The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed six Ansar Allah ballistic missiles (1087968996). A senior Ansar Allah figure rejected Saudi accusations that the movement targeted Mecca with a drone, saying the movement prays toward Mecca and pointing to another party (rt_arabic).

Israel Grounds Armed Drones After Two Soldiers Killed at Gaza Base

The Israeli army's chief of staff ordered a complete halt to all armed-drone sorties across all fronts (mayadeenchannel) after two reservist soldiers were killed when an Israeli suicide drone exploded inside a base in northern Gaza; Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir appointed a brigadier-general-led team to examine the "serious safety incident" (idfofficial). A Hebrew daily reported that 28% of Israeli police officers have resigned since Ben Gvir became internal security minister (mehrnews). Israel razed a Palestinian village in the West Bank, leaving about 180 people homeless — the third demolition in the area in three weeks (rt_spanish); four Palestinian resistance operations were reported across the West Bank within 72 hours (presstv); an Israeli drone strike hit the outskirts of Kfar Tebnit in south Lebanon (mehrnews).

Abraham Accords States Hold First Official Meeting Since October 7

US diplomats launched an expansion of the Abraham Accords from a Manhattan office tower — the grouping's first official meeting since the October 7 attacks, reviving the regional normalization track after nearly three years (rt_arabic).

Pezeshkian: Ending the War Is Washington's Choice

Pezeshkian said it is now up to the US to decide whether to end the war; Tehran is ready to negotiate but refuses a deal obtained under the pressure of strikes, sanctions and threats (rt_french). He denied knowing of any Chinese transfer of satellite imagery showing US military bases before the strike on Jordan (rt_arabic). Lavrov and Araghchi stressed at a New York meeting that there is no alternative to a diplomatic solution to the Gulf crisis, Russia's foreign ministry said (sputnikglobe). Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif told Pezeshkian the Islamabad MoU should be implemented, reaffirming Pakistan's constructive role for regional stability (1087968996). Iran's parliament speaker mocked the US 10-year Treasury yield climbing above 5.1%, its highest since 2007 (presstv, almayadeenenglish). Iraq's Kata'ib Hezbollah branded US sanctions a "dirty weapon" deployed after military options failed, and called using Iranian goods a religious duty to break the economic siege (presstv).

Around West Asia

Gunmen attacked a bus carrying Syrian defense ministry forces west of Deir ez-Zor, killing 8 and wounding 11 (farsna). Lebanon's PM Salam asked Iran to nominate a new ambassador to Beirut and open a "state-to-state" page in bilateral relations (rt_arabic). Britain's Miliband told Araghchi the UK "will not tolerate any threat or hostile activity on British soil" by Iran-linked groups (rt_arabic). Reuters, via RT: US officials drafted a statement condemning plans by Britain, France and Canada to restrict imports from Israeli West Bank settlements (rt_arabic).

🌍 EUROPE

Ukraine's Drone Offensive Hits Russian Industrial Cities

The Ukrainian army said it struck major industrial facilities in Perm, Voronezh, Rostov and Ulyanovsk overnight (farsna); Russian authorities reported 25 wounded, among them children, in Ulyanovsk and Voronezh, with housing and infrastructure damaged (rt_french, mehrnews). Near Melitopol, an attack on a humanitarian convoy killed three volunteers from the Omsk region (rt_french); one person was killed and seven injured, including two children, by Ukrainian attacks on Belgorod region over 24 hours (sputnikindia). Russia's Miroshnik called the convoy strike a war crime aimed at creating unbearable living conditions (sputnikvietnam).

Russia Presses Strikes; Kiev and Kharkiv Hit; Ukraine Halts Steel Output

The Russian Defense Ministry said overnight strikes continued on defense-industry plants, logistics centers and naval vessels supporting Ukrainian forces (sputnikglobe), with drone and long-range missile component plants near Kiev destroyed (rt_spanish); it said 18 vessels used to deliver Western weapons to Ukraine — 15 dry cargo ships and three tankers — were destroyed in the past week (rt_spanish). France 24 reported civilians killed in Kiev and Kharkiv: a strike on a farm in Kharkiv left at least six dead and a dozen wounded, while a ballistic missile attack on Kiev killed two and damaged a maternity hospital (yt_france24es). A sector representative said Ukraine has stopped producing steel for the first time in 100 years, with "absolutely all plants destroyed" (rt_spanish).

Lavrov Hands Guterres Russian Report Calling Bucha a Staging

Lavrov handed the UN secretary-general a report on what Moscow calls the staged Bucha massacre and demanded the UN Secretariat conduct a thorough investigation (sputnikglobe, sputnikindia, sputnikserbia).

Moscow-Washington: Dmitriev Met Witkoff and Kushner

CNN, citing sources, reported Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev discussed Russia-US cooperation and the Ukraine crisis with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner (sputnikvietnam, sputnikserbia). Peskov said there are still no specific details on organizing a Russia-US-Ukraine meeting, an idea he said came up in the latest Putin-Trump phone call (sputnikindia, sputnikarabic); he added Dmitriev continues contacts with US negotiators focused primarily on potential economic cooperation (sputnikserbia).

Europe Briefs

NATO's Rutte told Bloomberg the alliance has prepared plans to respond to Russia's hybrid actions but will not reveal them: responses "will not always be the same, but we are capable of defending ourselves" (farsna). Russia's MFA said Moscow will respond in a "calculated and targeted" way against specific EU countries if they try to seize frozen Russian assets (sputnikvietnam). Le Pen said France no longer has the means to financially help Ukraine and again pressed for a peace solution (rt_french). The AfD demanded Berlin rule out Ukraine's EU membership and refuse it any military assistance guarantees (sputnikmundo). Rostelecom said hackers from the US, France and Singapore tried to disrupt Russia's electronic voting, with malicious traffic from over 30 countries (sputnikglobe); the Central Election Commission officially confirmed United Russia's dominant Duma result on record turnout (sputnikindia, sputnikserbia). Zakharova said Estonia has raised its younger generations "in the spirit of the Hitler Youth," filled with hatred toward Russia (sputnikserbia). Vucic discussed Kosovo and full implementation of Resolution 1244 with Guterres (sputnikserbia) and hailed the "steel friendship" of Serbia and China after meeting Vice President Han Zheng (sputnikserbia); Dodik said Trump is ready to hear the Serb position (sputnikserbia). The EU warned it lacks raw materials to scale up drone and explosives production without depending on China (rt_spanish). RT reported Ukraine's UNITED24 project offered US veterans about $10,000 per pro-Ukraine video (rt_spanish).

🌍 NORTH AMERICA

Senate Rejects Resolution Curbing Trump's Iran War Powers

The Senate narrowly voted down, 49-50, a resolution that would have curbed Trump's Iran war powers and required him to pull US forces out unless Congress authorized the operation. Sanders wrote that Americans "overwhelmingly" want the war ended and that "nearly every Republican voted with Trump to keep the war going" (almayadeenenglish).

Judge Suspends Trump's White House Media Ban

CNN, MS NOW and Politico regained White House access hours after initially being denied entry, under a 14-day judicial suspension of Trump's ban; the judge questioned the administration's justification (yt_france24es, rt_arabic).

Trump Hosts Xi at State Dinner, Hailing a "New Historical Period"

The state dinner followed a closed-door Oval Office meeting covering tariffs, the war in Iran, Taiwan and AI (yt_telesurenglish). Xi called the talks frank and substantive, saying the sides reached new understandings and should make their national goals "mutually reinforcing" (sputnikindia), and declared China-US relations are entering a new historical period (sputnikvietnam). In a toast he proposed "writing a new chapter" between the two countries (sputnikmundo) and said China and the US can continue their AI dialogue to weigh risks and benefits while jointly preventing misuse (sputnikglobe). RT DE assessed the summit as "big show, few results," with the extended tariff pause the only concrete agreement and no Chinese CEOs at the state banquet (rtde).

Greenland Deal and Canadian Contingency Planning

The White House approved an agreement with Denmark on security for Greenland (sputnikvietnam); a former Greenland premier said the deal opens the way for a new US military base in the Arctic, though the US posture still rests largely on the 1951 defense pact with Denmark (sputnikvietnam). Canada studied "extreme" US military scenarios despite Trump explicitly ruling out the use of force, while deepening its defense ties with Europe (rtde).

🌍 EAST ASIA

North Korea Threatens "Collective Punishment"; Seoul-Kyiv Crisis

KCNA published an article by Kang Chol Su saying North Korea will treat the South as the "decisive target of collective punishment" if the US turns it into "a decisive center for collective defense" (sputnikglobe, sputnikserbia); state media separately called US forces in the region a "cancer," saying all necessary preparations have been made (rt_spanish). South Korean President Lee Jae-myung accused Kyiv of violating a confidentiality agreement by revealing the transfer of two North Korean POWs, saying the disclosure endangers security on the peninsula (rtde) and calling the prioritization of propaganda over national security a "betrayal" (rt_spanish).

US F-35 Parts Mistakenly Rerouted to China

F-35 components sent from Australia to the US for inspection were mistakenly rerouted via Hong Kong and ended up in the hands of Chinese authorities, Gazeta.ru wrote citing Western media, raising questions about US stealth technology (sputnikserbia).

East Asia Briefs

Thailand's PM told the UNGA that Bangkok supports the gradual resumption of constructive, balanced engagement with Myanmar within ASEAN (sputnikvietnam). China rejected New Zealand's accusations of cyber threats and urged Wellington to stop spreading false information (yt_cgtnespanol).

🌍 SOUTH AMERICA

Argentina Seals $7bn US Export Corridor as Poverty Passes One-Third

Argentina and the US launched the "Andes-Atlantic Corridor," an infrastructure agreement with up to $7 billion in financing linking lithium, copper and Vaca Muerta output to ports; an analyst warned Buenos Aires is trading away autonomy (sputnikmundo). Argentina's poverty rate rose to 32.3% of the population in the first half of 2026, the first increase in two years (sputnikbrasil).

Barbados Urges a Caribbean "Zone of Peace"

PM Mia Mottley called for the Guyana-Venezuela territorial dispute to be resolved peacefully through the ICJ, saying a settlement serves both countries and the region (yt_telesurenglish), and urged the UNGA to declare the Caribbean a zone of peace, rejecting "the unilateral and unjustified use of force" (yt_telesurenglish).

Cuba Incursion Aimed at US Intervention, Testimonies Say

Four men detained after February's armed incursion from Florida described recruitment through social media and military-style training in Florida; they said the plan was intended to spark an uprising in Cuba and create conditions for US military intervention (yt_telesurenglish).

Around South America

Chile announced measures to modernize its military's strategic capabilities in the south, strengthen state presence and expand its Antarctic projection (sputnikmundo).

🌍 AFRICA

Sudan's Burhan Misses UNGA Over Visa Conditions

Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan could not attend the UNGA after rejecting a US visa offer conditioned on accepting a three-month humanitarian truce; Khartoum justified the refusal by the need to preserve sovereignty (rt_french).

Lavrov: Russia-Sahel Dialogue Developing Rapidly

Lavrov met the foreign ministers of the Alliance of Sahel States in New York, saying dialogue on security, trade, economics and politics is developing quickly; Moscow expects the three countries' leaders at the Russia-Africa summit in late October (rt_french).

Africa Briefs

Algeria inaugurated a giant phosphate-processing complex at Souk Ahras with capacity of 2.4 million tonnes of phosphated fertilizers annually, built by Italy's Saipem (rt_french). Burkina Faso will require NGOs to invest at least 80% of their resources on the ground, with a two-year compliance deadline (rt_french). UPDATE: Tigray's TPLF declared a "defensive war" against Ethiopia as its fighters patrol Mekelle after taking regional airports (yt_france24es).

💬 NOTABLE QUOTES

"The American people, overwhelmingly, want to end this horrific war in Iran." — Bernie Sanders, US Senator (almayadeenenglish)

"Happy 5.1% 10Y America 🎉. Mashallah. Celebrate: it's the floor two years out." — Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iranian Parliament Speaker (almayadeenenglish)

"Either flying in the region is permitted for everyone, or for no one." — Mohammad Mokhber, Senior Advisor to Iran's Leader (tabzlive)

"Prioritizing propaganda over national security is a betrayal." — Lee Jae-myung, South Korean President (rt_spanish)