September 9th, 2026: Another War Is Erupting in the Middle East & Pentagon Rethinks Middle East Posture

Iran-backed Houthi forces launched a large-scale missile and drone attack striking four Saudi cities, wounding 73 people and hitting energy facilities.

The attack is a dangerous escalation and Riyadh will take whatever measures it considers necessary to defend the kingdom.

Saudi-backed forces inside Yemen are mounting a broad new offensive against the Houthis, with commanders openly stating their goal is to retake the capital of Sanaa.

They dispute parts of the account and say they have repelled major assaults.

CNN reports that U.S. military and intelligence officials are discussing possible cuts to the number of American personnel and facilities permanently stationed across the Middle East once the war with Iran ends.

Officials inside the U.S. military and intelligence communities have been discussing possible cuts to the number of American personnel and facilities permanently stationed across the region once the war with Iran comes to an end.

The war with Iran has exposed how vulnerable U.S. infrastructure is, with Iranian drones and missiles striking American installations in Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, killing 18 American service members.

A U.S. official and a former intelligence officer told the network that a CIA outpost in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was effectively destroyed by an Iranian attack.

Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst told reporters that officials still didn't know how much it would cost to repair bases damaged in the war, in part because the Pentagon had not decided what it actually wanted to rebuild. Military officials are evaluating whether some installations should be moved underground to make them harder to target.

Mahan Air, an Iranian airline accused of moving weapons and personnel for the IRGC, is expanding its international network despite years of U.S. sanctions.

The U.S. Treasury Department first sanctioned Mahan Air in 2011, accusing it of using aircraft to transport weapons and personnel for the Quds Force.

The airline would transport weapons and IRGC officers when asked, calling it a patriotic obligation.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced 36 new Iran-related sanctions targeting the country's aviation sector, including all of Iran's remaining active airlines and foreign companies accused of helping Mahan acquire aircraft and maintain operations.

Companies doing business with Iran's remaining airlines are at risk of being cut off from the global financial system.

Military officials told CBS News that drone activity in one part of the Rio Grande Valley has dropped 75% since the U.S. military began using high-energy lasers to shoot cartel-linked drones out of the sky.

The game changer is ensuring that the drone can't be used again against you.

A recent U.S.-funded study identified 221 incidents involving armed cartel drones between 2021 and 2025, resulting in a reported 77 deaths.

Military officials must consider the possibility that a technology currently being used to watch American troops could eventually be used to attack them.