Image depicts a destroyed Saudi pipeline pumping station.
If last week has had a geopolitical main character, it was Ansarallah in Yemen. In under 24 hours, they managed to seize a very large amount of territory to their west from Saudi-backed mercenary groups. Tens of thousands of enemy soldiers fled, thousands more were captured, and hundreds of combat vehicles and all sorts of military equipment and ammunition are now in Ansarallah’s hands. The entire Red Sea coast of Yemen is now under their control, as well as some of the islands in and around the Bab el-Mandab, which is the narrow strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, which then goes on to connect to the Arabian Sea.
While Ansarallah had a pretty good grip on the Red Sea beforehand and could blockade it to the extent that traffic through the Red Sea plummeted in 2024 and 2025 and remain subdued to this day, it is now capable of much more direct control. And the strait is considerably narrower than Hormuz, meaning there is little hope for any covert operations like those of which the US regularly tries and fails to do over there. The only alternatives for the enemies of Ansarallah both now and in the future are the route all the way around Africa, which becomes even less attractive than usual as fuel prices rise into daily record highs, or the newly inaugurated Northern Sea Route under the firm control of Russia.
While Ansarallah is likely to continue their territorial acquisitions to an extent - with Marib looking like an obvious target - how things will continue from this point seems likely to be increasingly diplomatic. Yemen was once divided between North Yemen (which is, really, western Yemen) and South Yemen (which is, really, eastern Yemen), and this division reflects several genuine historical differences between the populations. Ansarallah has repeatedly stated that they have no intention to militarily occupy the south, and indeed, they ended this most recent offensive at approximately the historical border. Nonetheless, the government in once-South Yemen’s capital of Aden is considered the sole internationally recognized government of Yemen, which doesn’t sound sustainable for the future, so we’ll just have to see how the situation develops geopolitically from here, even if it’s unlikely to be militarily in the case of the southern and eastern territories.
While all this has been going on, Ansarallah was additionally applying major pressure on Saudi Arabia itself, by bombing their military airfields and, even more critically, their oil transportation and production facilities. These strikes were mostly limited to the port facilities in e.g. Yanbu and Jazan, and the Western air interceptor famine has meant that these strikes were mostly unopposed and caused substantial losses. However, Ansarallah has now destroyed some pumping stations for the East-West pipeline that spans Saudi Arabia, bypassing Hormuz for some (but not all) of Saudi Arabia’s oil production to the tune of around 4 million barrels per day, which is, in a happy numerical coincidence, about 4% of pre-2026 oil production. I’ve seen several wildly varying estimates for how long it might take to repair the stations, with some saying a few days and others stating at least a month; the damage does look pretty gnarly on the images. Of course, it might not really matter, because Ansarallah can easily just fire another missile at a station once it’s repaired, unless and until the Saudis give in to Ansarallah’s demands and end the war.
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The Zionist Entity's Genocide of Palestine
Sources on the fighting in Palestine against the temporary Zionist entity. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:
UNRWA reports on the Zionists’ destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.
English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.
Mirrors of Telegram channels that have been erased by Zionist censorship.
Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict
Sources:
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don’t want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it’s just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists’ side.
Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.
Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:
Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.
https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR’s former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR’s forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster’s telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a ‘propaganda tax’, if you don’t believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.
Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:
Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.
After 3 years of genocide, the killing of over 100,000 people in Gaza, and the attacks on Iran, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen — Morocco has decided to exchange ambassadors with Israel and open an Israeli embassy, as well as reinstate direct flights to and from Tel Aviv
- Middle East Spectator
: “‘Iran is the most evil country in the entire world. You can ask anyone. And they have been evil for a long time. We control the Strait of Hormuz very strongly. Iran is in a state of total collapse. We are going to win very soon. In fact, we’re already winning — but we’re going to win. ‘Iran wants to make a deal very badly.”- Middle East Spectator
Today, the United States officially withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council Cited reasons include alleged bias against Israel, hypocrisy, and ‘support for terror regimes’ like Iran. The U.S. has granted visas for President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, and other Iranian officials to attend the UN General Assembly in New York
- Middle East Spectator
The U.S. military has begun its withdrawal from Iraqi Kurdistan, as part of the final withdrawal that will see Iraq free from U.S. occupation forces on September 30th, after a deployment that lasted more than 23 years
- Middle East Spectator
Article
A Datafolha survey released this Thursday (17) indicates that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) remains numerically ahead of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) in a possible second round for the Presidency of the Republic, configuring a scenario of stability and a technical tie within the margin of error of two percentage points.
The survey, commissioned by Globo and the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper , shows Lula with 46% of voting intentions in a direct confrontation, while Flávio Bolsonaro registers 44%. The numbers repeat the exact scenario of the institute’s previous survey, released on September 11. As the survey’s margin of error is two percentage points, the candidates remain technically tied.
In the simulated first-round scenario, Datafolha also indicated stability compared to the previous round. Lula remained at 39%, and Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) advanced one percentage point, within the margin of error, to 36%.
Voting intentions remained unchanged: Augusto Cury (Avante), with 6%; Ronaldo Caiado (PSD), 4%; Renan Santos (Missão), 3%; Romeu Zema (Novo), 2%; Samara Martins (UP), 1%; Rui Costa Pimenta (PCO), 1%.
Edmilson Costa (PCB) and Clariana Barão (DC) did not score in this poll, after registering 1% in the previous one. Hertz Dias (PSTU) and Wilson Grassi (Democrat) did not score.
Blank, null, and none votes remained stable at 6%, and undecided voters fell from 4% to 3%.
The survey polled 2,002 people aged 16 or older between September 15th and 16th. The survey is registered with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) under number BR-04029/2026.
To those who care about numbers:
First Round:
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Lula: 39%
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Bolsonaro: 36%
Runoff:
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Lula: 46%
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Bolsonaro: 44%
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Zé Trovão (Joe Thunder - Liberal Party - Far-Right) wanted the 15% increase suspended and called for the annulment of Lula’s candidacy.
Article
After the announcement of the 15% readjustment in Bolsa Família by the federal government , federal deputy Zé Tovão (PL-SC) , an ally of senator and presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ), filed a lawsuit with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) this Thursday (17) against the increase. Drawn for the case, minister André Mendonça, however, rejected the action.
The minister did not rule on the merits of the case, arguing that a candidate for federal deputy does not have standing to bring this type of action against a candidate for President of the Republic, as they are contests in different electoral districts.
“I emphasize that the recognition of the lack of standing to sue does not imply a pronouncement on the legality or constitutionality of the readjustment of the Bolsa Família Program, nor on its possible subsumption under Article 73, § 10, of Law No. 9,504/1997,” Mendonça wrote in the decision.
In the lawsuit, the congressman had requested that the readjustment be suspended, stating that “the intervention of the Electoral Court was necessary” to prevent the administrative structure and public resources from being used in a way that would “compromise equal opportunities among candidates.”
The Ministry of Finance reported that the Bolsa Família adjustment only compensates for inflationary losses in recent years, which would not equate to an increase in the social benefit. The projected fiscal impact is R$ 5.8 billion for this year and R$ 22 billion in 2027.
With the adjustment, the minimum benefit increases from R$ 600 to R$ 691, and the average benefit increases from R$ 675 to R$ 777. The Bolsa Família program was implemented in 2003 by Lula and, after a period suspended by former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), was resumed at the end of 2020, during the pandemic.
On the eve of the 2022 elections, Bolsonaro created a package of benefits, nicknamed the Kamikaze Amendment, exceeding the spending cap by R$ 41.2 billion. Among the measures were the trucker voucher, with a monthly allowance of R$ 1,000 for self-employed truckers , an increase in the gas voucher from R$ 53 to R$ 120, compensation to the transport sector to accommodate free public transport for elderly passengers, a subsidy to the ethanol supply chain, and a benefit for taxi drivers.
Furthermore, in August 2022, while running for reelection, Bolsonaro readjusted the Auxílio Brasil program, created to replace Bolsa Família, by 50%, increasing it from R$ 400 to R$ 600. In other words, the higher amount was in effect before the first round of elections.
In announcing the adjustment, the Minister of Economy, Dario Durigan, highlighted the difference between the two programs. “We are doing this in a very responsible way and very differently from what has been seen in the country before. In other times, a Kamikaze Constitutional Amendment was implemented, extraordinary credit was granted beyond what was foreseen in the Budget,” he stated during the announcement ceremony, referring to actions taken by the Bolsonaro government.
More great news for Europe. EU leaders aren’t even acknowledging there is a problem. Usually they will at least pretend they are doing something.
Oil giant Saudi Aramco has been looking to secure thousands of tons of diesel in the Mediterranean after a series of attacks on its energy facilities over the past few weeks. The pickup in activity predates attacks last week on a pipeline that feeds oil refineries on the kingdom’s Red Sea coast, but coincide with reported incidents involving the fuel-making plants over the past few months. Sometimes companies will buy replacement cargoes if their normal source of supply isn’t available.
Liu Shaoshan (director of Embodied AI at the Shenzhen Institute of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics for Society) made a great statement regarding “AI”:
Liu, who previously worked with Amodei, told the Global Times on Sunday that in the short term, tech companies have strong incentives to portray AI as more powerful, mysterious, and even dangerous than it actually is.
“Once AI is portrayed as a technology that will determine national competition, national security, and even the future of civilization, an AI company is no longer seen as an ordinary tech company, but as ‘strategic infrastructure.’ This directly increases its policy importance, raises industry barriers, and boosts its valuation,” Liu noted.
Poland’s Tusk warns of possible Russian strikes on Ukraine’s allies
Tusk also said Russian attacks were causing heavy Ukrainian casualties, citing information from Ukrainian partners that he said indicated monthly losses of about 27,000 killed and wounded.
He said the figures represented the highest levels of casualties in the war.
Russian forces struck a Palantir-linked data center in Kiev today:
Besides being used to store “vast amounts of intelligence data to support the operations of Ukraine’s military” and drawn upon by Palantir, the massive data center served several other functions, including waging “information-psychological warfare on the Russian population” using local platforms.
With the facility destroyed or significantly damaged, “the whole process” of compiling intel “has to start from scratch…This represents a massive puncture in the [kill chain’s] logistics and information support for strikes against Russian territory and Russian troops,” Matviychuk emphasized.
Iranian air defenses shot down another US MQ-9 drone over Qeshm Island:
The IRGC Aerospace Force intercepted and destroyed the unmanned aircraft at 10:12 a.m. local time on Thursday over Qeshm Island, using a new advanced air-defense system under the control of Iran’s integrated air-defense network.
The MQ-9 is the 53rd US drone to have been destroyed by Iranian forces. The total number of enemy drones destroyed by Iran’s armed forces since the beginning of the war has reached several hundred, according to the IRGC.
A Texas Air National Guard F-16 crashed in northern Michigan after a bird strike. I hope the bird is okay.
Clashes have broken out in Marib city between Saudi-backed Islah forces and the Ubaydah tribe [Al-Mu’aily Tribe]. The clashes erupted after Al-Islah (Saudi-backed Islamist and tribal forces) shelled the home of tribal leader Sheikh Naji Muhsin Mu’ayli, which was full of women and children.
Tldr: Saudi-backed Islamist and tribal alliance ‘Al-Islah’ (part of the PLC) is engaging in clashes with other tribes in Marib. The Houthis are not currently involved in this, but it makes the situation more tense and vulnerable for the PLC.
- Middle East Spectator
The U.S. State Department has approved a potential $24.3 billion sale of 48 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, marking the kingdom’s first purchase of the advanced aircraft. The package includes 48 F-35s, 49 Pratt & Whitney engines, communications equipment, spare parts, and additional support. The State Department has formally notified Congress of the proposed sale.
- Middle East Spectator
King Charles warns of ‘existential danger’ of AI falling into wrong hands: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c65ymj7njvl7o
“Those who have created these technologies are now increasingly warning that AI risks developing darker capacities - perhaps even to take life,” the King told the executives.
That’s not a hypothetical Charlie your Ukrainian mates have already done it, https://arstechnica.com/ai/2026/06/ukraines-one-time-test-used-fully-autonomous-drones-to-kill-russian-soldiers/
