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Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Sunday, including Saudi Arabia intercepting a Houthi ballistic missile targeting Riyadh; more than 1 billion barrels of oil transiting the Strait of Hormuz under a US military blockade; and new Israeli airstrikes hitting southern Lebanon despite a US-mediated deal.
Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile targeting the capital, according to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted the missile after it was launched by Yemen’s Houthi group toward Riyadh.
Al-Maliki said the escalation “by the terrorist Houthi militia and its persistent attempts to target civilians and civilian infrastructure in the capital Riyadh – a city inhabited by over 8 million citizens and residents – demonstrates the militia's intransigence and its deliberate, systematic targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, reflecting a hostile and terrorist pattern of behavior.”
The US military's Central Command (CENTCOM) said more than 1 billion barrels of crude oil had transited the Strait of Hormuz in recent months under an American military blockade.
“CENTCOM forces have supported more than 1 billion barrels of crude oil leaving the Gulf,” Adm. Brad Cooper said in remarks released by the command on US social media platform X.
Cooper said US forces have also assisted more than 2,000 commercial vessel transits through the strategic waterway by providing coordinated protection.
Israeli warplanes launched new airstrikes in southern Lebanon amid violations of a US-mediated framework agreement, state news agency NNA reported.
Two airstrikes hit the Old Square neighborhood in the town of Nabatieh al-Fawqa.
A third strike targeted an ambulance team as it was heading to the site of the attacks in the town.
- The US urged Americans outside the Middle East to seriously reconsider travel to and through the region, citing a complex security environment and the potential for rapid escalation.
- US President Donald Trump announced the formation of an “AI Force,” including an artificial intelligence “czar” he would appoint to oversee the initiative, as concerns grow about the rapid development of increasingly capable AI systems.
- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country is nearing the “final stretch” of its “Terror-Free Türkiye” process and has made significant progress despite attempts to derail the initiative.
- Three Palestinians, including the son of Gaza Health Ministry Director-General Munir al-Bursh, were killed by Israeli army fire in the enclave, as Tel Aviv continues its violations of a truce in place since last October, a medical source said.
- Singer Ed Sheeran addressed the controversy surrounding rapper Macklemore's removal from his US tour before performing at Lincoln Financial Field in the US state of Pennsylvania, saying his “heart has been broken” by the devastation caused by the war in the Gaza Strip.
- The US Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere carried out a lethal strike on a high-speed vessel operating along established drug-trafficking routes in the Caribbean Sea, killing four people it identified as “narco-terrorists,” the military’s Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said.
- US President Donald Trump cut short his weekend stay at Camp David and was expected to return to the White House, according to a White House pool report.
- Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the three-nation Mecca Alliance between Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan has reached an advanced stage, with efforts underway to establish a headquarters and assign personnel, describing the initiative as a "very game-changing platform."
- Israeli occupiers carried out at least 14 attacks in four provinces in the occupied West Bank, stealing around 300 sheep and cutting a main water line serving hundreds of Palestinians, according to an official Palestinian body.
- Germany's Chief of Defense Gen. Carsten Breuer has been elected as the next chair of NATO's Military Committee, according to the committee's current chair, Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone.
- A NORAD F-16 fighter jet intercepted a general aviation aircraft that entered restricted airspace above Thurmont, Maryland, while US President Donald Trump was staying nearby at Camp David.
- Dutch riot police dispersed a demonstration by far-right group Wij Zijn Het Volk in The Hague after protesters threw fireworks and objects at police, according to Dutch broadcaster NOS.
- Journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico were turned away from the White House, one day after President Donald Trump announced that the news outlets, along with the Politico website, would be barred from the property.
- The Sudanese army said it shot down a “strategic” drone belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Blue Nile state in southeastern Sudan.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had approved new long-range strikes on Russia in response to Moscow’s strikes against his country.
- The Namibian military was hit by a cyberattack when alleged military-related files appeared online.
- The Syrian Defense Ministry said 11 soldiers were killed in an explosion at an army site in the Ayyash area west of Deir ez-Zor province in the north.
- Luxembourg Airport resumed flight operations after it was temporarily closed following sightings of unauthorized drones, with Prime Minister Luc Frieden saying authorities were taking the incidents “very seriously” but had no information on their origin, according to Luxembourg-based business publication Paperjam.
- The Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games kicked off in Japan with an opening ceremony.
- The EU urged the US to reconsider its decision to deny visas to members of the Palestinian delegation ahead of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is set to visit the US for economic and trade talks, according to the Chinese Commerce Ministry.
During the visit from Saturday to Wednesday, the two sides will discuss economic and trade issues of mutual concern, it said.
He is expected to hold talks with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
The oil rig count in the US increased by 2 this week, according to the data released by oilfield services company Baker Hughes.
The number of oil rigs, an indicator of short-term production in the country, increased by 2 to 452 for the week ending Sept. 18.
The number of US oil rigs increased by 34 compared to one year ago.
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