Iranian leader says US must decide to end war as China pushes to ease tensions

Yemen's Houthi group said on the evening of Thursday, September 24, that it had fired missiles and sent drones to attack highly sensitive targets in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, as well as facilities belonging to Aramco in Yanbu, a Red Sea port city. It marks a new round of long-range attacks amid an increasingly intense conflict with Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron said France is preparing to send military equipment to help protect Yanbu, a key industrial and energy hub on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast. In other conflicts, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said ending the war that has dragged on for seven months depends on a decision by the United States, while China is pushing all parties to reduce tensions. At the 81st regular session of the United Nations General Assembly, Xinhua News Agency reported that representatives of several countries walked out of the chamber in protest while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered his remarks during the general debate. Chinese President Xi Jinping said at the White House on Thursday, September 24, that both China and the United States have the capacity and the responsibility to develop and manage artificial intelligence technology for the benefit of humanity, and must ensure that such technology always remains under human control. Meanwhile, U.S. airlines came out against the idea of adding passenger flights between the United States and China after President Xi Jinping proposed that the two countries increase direct flights. U.S. airlines argued that adding flights would further favor Chinese carriers, since they can still use flight routes through Russian airspace. In financial markets, the yield on 10-year Japanese government bonds jumped to 3.115% today, the highest level since August 1996. And Denmark's defense intelligence service warned that Russia may carry out limited military attacks on NATO member states in the coming months, assessing that the risk has increased although it remains at a low level.

French President Emmanuel Macron has revealed that France is preparing to send military equipment to help defend Yanbu, a key industrial and energy hub on Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coast. In an interview with French television station TF1 on Thursday, September 24, he said France had reached a final agreement in talks with Saudi Arabia on sending military equipment to protect the area, including troops, radar and air defense systems. Asked about the possibility of sending Rafale fighter jets, Macron said France would consider it based on changes in the situation and necessity, noting, "We already have some fighter jets stationed in this region." The French leader said the most important thing for him was "bringing energy prices down," and also mentioned the need to release oil from reserves and restore smooth transport routes in the Middle East. Xinhua News Agency reported that Macron's remarks came after Yemen's Houthi group said on Saturday, September 19, that it had launched a large-scale attack in Saudi Arabia, targeting the Saudi capital Riyadh and the city of Yanbu, marking a major escalation of the conflict between the two sides. Earlier on Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition said its air defense systems had intercepted six Houthi ballistic missiles aimed at the Saudi cities of Taif and Yanbu, while Saudi Arabia continued its air strikes against Houthi-held areas across Yemen.

Yemen's Houthi group said on the evening of Thursday, September 24, that it had fired missiles and sent drones to attack highly sensitive targets in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, as well as a facility belonging to Aramco in Yanbu, a Red Sea port city. It marks a new round of long-range attacks amid an intensifying conflict with Saudi Arabia. A statement carried on Al-Masirah television, which is run by the Houthi group, said Yahya Saree, the group's military spokesman, announced that Houthi armed forces carried out two separate operations, one targeting an area in Riyadh and the other targeting the Aramco facility in Yanbu, using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and a number of drones, and claimed that both operations achieved their objectives. Saree, however, did not specify the target in Riyadh and gave no details on damage or the number of dead and wounded. Saree added that this round of attacks was in response to Saudi forces continuing to carry out airstrikes and fire missiles at areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen, and claimed that Saudi forces had carried out a total of 1,018 airstrikes and missile launches since the latest round of conflict began, causing civilian deaths and injuries as well as damage to infrastructure. The Houthi spokesman confirmed that the group will continue its retaliatory operations as long as Saudi military operations continue, reiterating the policy Saree described as escalating violence in response to escalation. Xinhua reported that the latest retaliatory attacks reflect the widening confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, with both sides stepping up long-range attacks in recent weeks alongside increasingly intense ground fighting in Yemen.