Situational Report

SITREP — 23 September 2026

24 Sep 2026   /   Jamal A.

STRAIT OF HORMUZ

  • A cargo vessel was struck by an unknown projectile and left on fire and adrift. Crew evacuated, two casualties, per UKMTO.
  • Traffic through the strait has slowed to a crawl.
  • The UAE barred Bank Melli Iran from transactions to and from Iran.
  • A Mahan Air flight from Tehran landed in Guangzhou on the day the US ban on Iranian carriers took effect.
  • Pezeshkian told the UNGA Iran will not give up its nuclear programme under military or economic pressure.

YEMEN

  • As many as 169 killed in three days as Houthi and government forces fight for the Red Sea coast, per both sides.
  • Houthi officials said 118 of those died in clashes and Saudi air and artillery strikes on Taiz, al-Jawf, Marib and Saada since Sunday.

UKRAINE–RUSSIA

  • A rare daytime drone attack on Kyiv, using high-flying jet drones, ran from morning into early afternoon, killing two and injuring over 30. Four more killed in Donetsk region; at least seven nationwide.
  • Zelensky told the UNGA Ukraine will strike Russian heating and energy facilities this winter. Lavrov told the Security Council there would be no pause.
  • AFP analysis of ACLED data: 118 Russian strike incidents in Kyiv region in the first 18 days of September, more than any full month since March 2022.

AFGHANISTAN

  • An airstrike hit Kandahar city, seat of the Taliban’s supreme leader, early Thursday. Strikes on Afghan cities are rare.