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Iran DEVASTATES Trump's Strike Plan, Israel Prepares Total War | KJ Noh
Danny Haiphong
Streamed live 116 minutes ago #iranwar #trump #israel

Iran jusst foiled Trump's strike plan as Israel prepares for total war amid hysteria that a surprise attack is coming to Tel Aviv. KJ Noh joins to break down the myth from the reality in this must-watch show.



Transcript

Chapter 1: Escalation in West Asia Welcome back to the show everyone. Danny Hiong here. As you can see, I am joined by geopolitical analyst and commentator KJ know to go over the latest developments. KJ, I wanted to begin with this. So, uh the United States according to uh Iranian media has asked Iran for permission to strike Pickax Mountain uh without retaliation which Iran uh outright rejected. This

is according to IRIB media and Iran says that they are preparing for war within . Although uh Iran also has plans that could really hinder this in the in the next several days. Iran does plan to conduct an operation that will push the United States Navy further than the 500 kilometers away where they sit now as the USS Theodore Roosevelt is going to join the George W. B HW Bush and the

USS George Washington in the Arabian Sea in the coming days. Now, Israel has been very busy uh sounding the alarm. It's on high alert right now for what they fear is a preemptive strike from Iran. And they've kept their military at the highest readiness on all fronts and have actually deployed bomb shelters throughout the entity in Tel Aviv and Ashdod as it braces for what they think are going to be a

massive volley of missiles should this war restart. Now Iran is continuing to enforce its control over the straight of form as it has hit now ships near Saudi Arabia. This comes after hitting ports uh ships ported at the UAE as well as near Qatar in recent days. And the UK MTO has said that ships are no longer reporting that they are getting hit and that the numbers of ships hit in the

last uh several weeks to a month have probably been doubled in what we've heard. KJ, there's a lot going on uh in this part of the world and it is having impact on all parts of the world including increasing pressure on South Korea to extend a deployment of its forces usually stationed in the Gulf of Aden to the uh Gulf of Oman near the straight of Hormuz. What do you make of

what's happening right now as we sit on the scenes of the brink of uh major escalation? Well, to be blindingly obvious, certainly there's massive Chapter 2: US and Iranian positions escalation going on. Uh, as I've always said, and I will continue to say, Iran holds the upper hand. And the conditions that we have that are relatively stable. They're not, that is to say, they're not outright uh catastrophic war right now is

because of Iran's restraint. But it can certainly release some of that restraint as we're seeing with the increased attacks on the tankers. Not simply, you know, uh warning shots, but 3 minutesnow, you know, literally uh hitting them and sinking them. And so we've seen the ma largest number of uh tankers hit in the past few days, uh since, you know, the the start of the war. Uh the US is is uh

without good moves. Uh, as I've said before, it cannot do boots on the ground. It simply doesn't have the manpower and it would take at least a year to stage that manpower and to do a meaningful incursion. If it's talking about special forces, what could they do? That remains to be seen. But even that is very very challenging. uh if it wants to do some kind of symbolic stri strike on pickaxe

mountain uh I mean you can do a big you know fireworks display it's not going to make any difference and at this point Iran is signaling that it doesn't really have patience for these games anymore if you recall in the previous years the US would strike Iran would do a minimal response uh US got to claim that it was all powerful and that was the end of the story that story ended

uh in in the Ramadan war when Iran took off its gloves and showed that we can stand and we can hit back. We can fight back hard and the person who comes out the worst for that is the United States. So the US has retreated. Its ships, its bases have been wiped out. The strategic radars have been wiped out. It is no longer capable of doing the sorties that it is accustomed

to doing when it usually engages in air sea battle or airland battle against its opponents. So the US is in a difficult state. Uh yes it seems to be moving aircraft carriers into the region but again it's an unknown quantity. aircraft carriers. Uh all if there were all three aircraft carriers, they would be bringing about 180 200 uh planes uh to the frey. But even that is much much less than the

usual air power that the US is uh used to uh exercising that is uh to have total air dominance over space and it's an unknown quantity but you know Iran has signal that it is capable of hitting those aircraft carriers. So if the US were thinking carefully and understanding things from a strategic standpoint, it would be moving those aircraft carriers as far out of theater as possible. As for the Israeli response

and this language around preemptive strike, I don't think that uh Iran is in, you know, in in a mood for a preemptive strike. If a strike happens, it will be because Israel has attacked it. So all of this is uh simply more hysteria. We have an election coming up. Uh certainly it's in the interests of Liood and Netanyahu to restart active kinetic war to use that to rally uh its voters. Uh

and I think this notion of preemptive strike is is is both uh the a psychological operation and in preparation for a false flag as are the bomb shelters which largely serve as a visible and demonstrative uh scop. So all of this is to say that you know things are not looking good. As we discussed before South Korea had refused President Trump's demands to send troops to Iran. And this is traditionally where

the United States gets its cannon foder. It gets its cannon foders from proxies, but primarily South Korea has been a key provider of cannon foder. Uh during the Vietnam war, it sent uh 325,000 troops. The second largest deployment. During the Iraq war, uh it sent the second largest deployment. And this time once again it looked like the US was going to make the demand and South Korea would acquies. The current president

of progressive Ejyong has responded with an overt no. But we also know that South Korea already has troops in the United Arab Emirates, special warfare forces in the United Arab Emirates. And it also has the Chungh brigade which is a 4,400 ton destroyer along with planes and uh probably uh several companies size uh detachment and they have signaled that they could move its domain of uh of operations from the Gulf of

Aiden uh Chapter 3: Global reach and alliances into uh towards the Persian Gulf into the Gulf of Oman. So essentially it would be getting involved. Now this is actually against the South Korean constitution. You need co you need legislative approval to expand the scope of military operations overseas. But uh 8 minutesthey may be trying to uh you know look for a loophole and this kind of slow mission creep may be their

way of acquiescing to uh the US demand. So we'll see what happens. Yeah. Well, this was a report in the Cradle about it citing uh Kyongyang Shimmun newspaper talking about exactly what you just said. The Chiangghe antipiriracy unit which has been deployed in the Gulf of Aden since 2009 could expand and include the Gulf of Oman uh if uh this all goes through. But also KJ, you know, it's interesting to watch

the United States right now as Iran reportedly rejected a a permit. Imagine this, the United States asking permission uh to Iran to strike uh Pickax Mountain. This is very reminiscent of the 12-day war at the very end where there were suspicions and some reports although I don't think Iran ever confirmed this that the Trump administration had asked Iran also to stand down during the uh operation midnight hammer. But now we have

Pakistani waters uh serving the US Navy which uh has led some uh to question. Of course, Pakistan has tried to play a neutral role in the mediation, but nevertheless, the United States Navy is stationed there right now. Some believe to uh be part of a coming attack and that, you know, is I think indicative of something. KJ, what do you think it's indicative of? Again, this is having global ramifications and I

think what people thought they knew about how things were going are uh uh is is getting challenged right now uh as the United States tries to figure out what the hell to do here. Well, you know, again, to be obvious, it's a signal of desperation. Uh US going to Pakistan and trying to get their, you know, support. Pakistan, you know, will probably give partial support, but it's always been a kind of

a um it has always been um an unreliable ally. Uh the US has worked hard to pull Pakistan into its orbit because it's an important part of the global south. It is a strong or was a strong ally with China. Uh but remember, Imran Khan was deposed. is still rotting in prison and the current current administration is clearly balancing and on occasion supporting the United States. But at the end of the

day, I don't think it will make much of a difference. Certainly didn't make much of a difference in previous wars uh in in you know in West Asia. Uh and I think more than anything else this is really a sign of desperation. the US asking all around going around, you know, with its cup in hand, you know, my kingdom for a horse. They're looking for support anywhere they can get it. Yeah.

And to continue on um with desperation, the theme of desperation, it says right now the Israeli Air Force, according to Wet, Chapter 4: Military readiness and tactics Israeli media is on standby for immediate response, but again to potential Iranian attack. The IDF is advising Netanyahu not to strike for now as the defense industry, this is interesting, continues to produce more interceptors, munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles for the next conflict. This doesn't really

make any sense. Neither did those images of the bomb shelters. KJ, what could a bomb shelter do again? I mean, I guess if you're underground, you you'll be okay, but uh I I imagine a a missile could destroy those things. How how do you get out of it is the question. What's your thoughts on this? It did seem like a calculated scoff in my opinion just looking at those things. Well, they

I think they're essentially like large portaotties, you know. I mean, I don't think they're going to make uh any difference. Uh and they're probably about as effective as a portaotty. I've seen, you know, reinforced portaotties that look stronger than those quote unquote bomb shelters. I mean the thing is the key thing about uh sheltering uh is that it has to be in the ground or underground. You don't put a bomb shelter

on the street. That is just a publicity stunt. Uh I mean I suppose essentially it's better than lying flat on the ground. I mean, they're called mobile bomb shelters, too, which means you're not underground because you're you can be moved uh you can move these from one place to another, which doesn't seem to make any sense, but it it doesn't make any sense. But the the part that does make sense. I

mean, um once again, let's emphasize that Iran is not in the business of uh aggressive preemptive attacks. It it has not done that to date, although it would have every reason to do that. If it responds it will be because it has been attacked. Uh but again you know this is you know the use of a false flag to trigger war to uh you know shift the political uh uh atmosphere towards

the liquid party. I think that's what's going on right now. But the the truth here in that little report is that interceptors and the militaryindustrial uh uh backbone is severely weakened all across uh the US uh imperial uh uh empire and its vassels. And so the the lack of interceptors, the lack of hardware is probably a real issue that they are dealing with. And that's why there may be some, you know,

conflicting messages. Um interceptors uh we know were already severely depleted during the Ramadan war. Uh we certainly know that the US does not have the industrial capacity to build these back rapidly. It's even harder not only simply because the US has gutted out its own industrial base but also because uh many of these uh interceptors and precision missiles require rare earth elements which China is most certainly withholding. So it's a difficult

position for them but they too want some kind of theatrical demonstrative uh performative war so that they can uh achieve uh short-term political gains and I don't think Iran is going to oblige them on that you no and uh I you know Iran's definition of preemptive strike appears to be that if they get a sniff that an operation is underway they're going to strike first. But that but that still is defensive

in the sense that they are striking where that operation is going to originate from like they did uh uh last month when uh the you know when the bases in Jordan were struck first. So that appears to be what Iran will do. It's not going to just launch missiles at Israel because the world wants it to. Chapter 5: Economic impacts of the war So, and Danny that, you know, once war breaks

out, hitting military bases is completely legitimate. You don't we don't even have to classify that under preeemption. The US started a war, it had these bases uh and it gets and once you've started a war and you are a party to the war, your bases can be hit in war. Yeah. Yeah. And there this war is still very active. I mean there's not a theou has been torn up uh by Trump

himself. So that's there is nothing on paper that says uh this can't happen now. But KJ, I wanted to get your comments on this because I wanted to move a little bit into the economic consequences of all of what's been happening not just in West Asia but worldwide. This is a report. So the UK MTO uh released a report saying that they're struggling to accurately report true number of attacks with the

majority of vessels attacked refusing to report. So that means KJ that over 50% likely are not reporting at all what's what's going on in the straight of Hormuz and therefore the numbers that we're getting even though they are quite striking over 30 in the last two weeks are likely much smaller and we know that inflation is very high and Donald Trump is taking some pretty extreme measures for the US empire to

mitigate this economic concern and economic problems. We saw the diesel deal with Russia, but now he's easing sanctions on Russia and also mulling easing pressure on so-called Iranian shadow fleets uh amid this crisis. And this is part of that Lindsey Graham bill that has already been uh pushed through that saw like 500% tariffs on Russia and something ridiculous like that. So there's a lot of desperation here on the economic front. what

your comments on this, the economic front of all of this and and why it seems like this economic D-Day, this uh attempt to strike Iran and the world at the heart of the problem uh the Iranian economy seems to have just exploded into a global crisis. Well, I mean this was anticipated, right? I mean once you hit the global artery once you create a conflration in the global artery of uh hydrocarbons

you're going to get these results and once again let's emphasize it's not simply diesel or natural gas or petrol it's everything else that's related to the hydrocarbon industry ura ammonia sulfur uh napa etc all of these things create the essential structure of a modern capitalist society without them we can't function. So the pain and more pain is still yet to come. But the simple fact that for example, President 18 minutesTrump lifted

the Lindsey Graham sanctions shows how extraordinarily desperate the US is. I mean this will release anywhere between 3 to 11 days worth of diesel. But uh they'll take three today, 3 days or 11 days, whatever it is, they still need it. They need as much as possible. Of course, uh, you know, this boils back to, you know, the simple fact that when you in an electoral year, you're looking at the economy.

Everybody knows that it is the economy, stupid. And so, uh, the US is trying to do what it can. President Trump is trying to do what he can, but the desperation really signals extraordinary weakness of the US that it the extraordinary weak hand that it it has right now. uh and the fact that they're also trying to manipulate the market. Clearly, that is one part of the equation. The fact that ships

are refusing to report attacks again that shows that they are trying to cover their rear as well. But certainly, yeah, there more than 30 vessels that have been attacked. Uh and uh they're trying to keep, you know, it's like you're trying to keep your insurance rates low and you don't want to scare off uh customers. So they certainly have an incentive to not report the full picture. But the full picture we

get uh is we get it downstream. When we look at diesel prices, we look at uh inflation. When we go to the supermarket, we see the cost of everything has skyrocketed. And all of this is reversible if the US were simply to back down and back out. And it is not doing that because it is so deeply tied to its notion of hegemony and so deeply tied to its idea that it

has to control the global economy, the hydrocarbon flows and the financial structures that are undergurtded by the petro dollar. Chapter 6: Crisis in Saudi Arabia Yeah. And speaking of the petro dollar, while the United States and Israel are having a hard time figuring out when to strike Iran and what the consequences will be, Saudi Arabia is facing a major crisis. Yemen onsella hit the so-called presidential compound of the puppet government, I

believe in a den, and that has caused the massive death. And then the oil prices spiked yesterday and now we're getting reports that it did so likely because Saudi oil was being hit yesterday in the last two days quite hard. This is another problem for uh the United States hegemony. This is the petro dollar and KJ uh Saudi Arabia is now lashing out at Iran, China and Russia. It has blamed Iran

for breaking the normalization agreement brokered by China in 2023 because they're saying it's anala getting supplied by Iran and they're also pointing the finger at China too saying that uh Ansarala has been able to build a lot of its capacity because of Chinese assistance. Your your thoughts on this? It seems like a full circle kind of moment. It is a full circle but Saudi Arabia has nobody to blame but itself. the

fact that it is a quizzling of the United States and it took uh US direction to attack the airport on Sana and then uh unleash the war all over again. I mean it has nobody to blame but itself and its poor judgment and its quizzling obeisance to the United States. Uh I mean this was predictable and it is you know you have the two arteries of the global hydrocarbon flow the uh

you know the Babel Mandeb and the straight of Hormuz. Uh and when the straight of Hormuz essentially was closed down, South Korea was shifting its hydrocarbon flows through the east west pipeline uh 22 minutestowards uh the Red Sea. Uh and at the same time, this is the utter foolishness of it. It attacked uh Yemen uh the the Ansar Allah uh uh uh Ansar Allah group returning from Iran after the funeral of

the supreme leader. And so by reigniting the war, they put themselves uh into this uh quandry uh quagmire that they have no way getting out of. And of course, if you're fighting a war with a bunch of mercenaries, uh you are not going to prevail. I mean, essentially, when push comes to shove, uh motivated uh uh national military fighting against uh colonizing force, which is what Saudi Arabia is in Yemen, is

going to prevail. And so not only does uh Yemen not only has Yemen shown its military metal, it's shown its military uh strategic uh acumen and it has also shown its capacity to uh to to put tremendous pain on Saudi Arabia. on simply, you know, the attack on the presidential compound as well as, you know, the beating back along the coastline, but also the fact that it has, you know, shut down

the East West pipeline. It's attacked it multiple times. Uh, and we also know that it is capable of shutting down the Red Sea completely. In particular, if the Babel Mandeb is is shut down, Saudi Arabia will try and send oil through uh tankers can't go through the Sewish Canal, but they're trying to get uh oil out through terminals into the Mediterranean and then they'll do another four-week trip around the Horn, etc.

even that has been shown to be extremely vulnerable and I think those uh those targets uh will be knocked out and completely uh destroyed if Saudi Arabia continues to escalate. It will not if it doesn't come to the table and negotiate rapidly with Yemen. Saudi Arabia is in a very very bad place. Uh it is on the verge of collapse. uh the house of Saud which has been a US quizzling for

decades uh is no longer viable. Uh and I think the sooner they realize this, the sooner they come to grips with the reality, uh I think the better it will be for the rest of the world. In the meantime, Yemen controls uh the Babel Mandab, it controls the left artery, Iran controls the right artery. It's a very very uh you know it's a zukswang for the Saudis and they can lash out

all they want. They can lash out against China, against Iran, against the United States even. It's not going to make any difference. Uh geopolitical, geoeconomic, geo uh strategic realities make it so that Saudi Arabia does not have any good options left at this point. Chapter 7: China and Russia's role Yeah. Well, uh uh the I find it very interesting that the longer that these wars go on now, both uh in West

Asia, the war in Iran and the war against Sansar, which is being both of which are facing big problems. KJ, um I find it very interesting that China, Russia, they're getting lumped in, they're getting pulled back into the narrative by the empire and its various uh uh you know um attendant forces. Like for example, the UK. Look at I mean this unrepentant racism like putting this they put up this picture to

try to make Ensural look like they're some kind of uh hysterical uh you know uh aggressive force uh with the zoomed-in picture. But essentially, Telegraph is reporting here that China is supporting the Iranbacked Houthis on as a way to pressure the United States saying that the militant group is seeking a medium-range ballistic missile, the Kyber Shakan missile that Iran has uh which would be made with Chinese components, saying that a ship

last year that was intercepted um and off the Red Sea had uh Chinese components in it that could build uh that could build this missile. What what do you make of this? Because what we see I think is the United States in terms of its actual policy and the collective west uh uh very much very disjointed now on Russia and China in terms of how it looks apparently. The Trump administration meeting

with she uh easing economic sanctions on Russia seemingly all because this is necessary for for the moment. But at the same time, the combined west, the collective west has not at at all as a whole uh dialed back at all. Now they're actually trying to include China and Russia in some kind of cold war fantasy in West Asia. So your thoughts on this, KJ? What 27 minutesdo you make of these reports

that China is aiding and abetting on Sarala? I think much of the world will think that's cool, but what do you make of the uh the actual reality of it? I mean, we don't know. We don't know the exact dimension. Certainly, you know, China has been supporting Iran, certainly Iran's sovereignty, uh certainly with uh certain types of intelligence. The actual details further than that, we don't know. But as you point out,

it's probably what most of the world would support as well as you know the support of Ansar Allah. What we do know is that Ansurah's missile technology comes with comes from North Korea. uh and so you know North Korea and Ansar Allah have um and Yemen uh initially South Yemen but including you know the uh the resistance now uh they are uh strongly supported by North Korean technology and North Korean strategy.

This is the entire you know uh geographic uh dispersion and uh tunnel warfare that both Iran and Yemen and Allah have been using. uh it does look disjointed because the US is trying to see if it can work uh with its enemies because it's trying to deal with the immediate pressures of the war that it triggered in West Asia. Uh and for them ultimately these wars are interconnected. Essentially they're interconnected in

the sense that these are all decolonial wars. their wars where countries are trying to regain uh national sovereignty. They're trying to liberate themselves from the global US empire. And so in in that sense they're uh they are connected and from the standpoint of the US of course from the standpoint of the hgeimon uh they want to repress any uh you know counter uh counterhmonic movements. So certainly they want to blame. I

wouldn't put much uh you know trust in the telegraph. They they are a tabloid. They say anything that comes to mind. Uh they are you know utter and shameless uh propagandists. Uh the the Chapter 8: US control over South Korea the the more dangerous propagandists are the ones that seem plausible and uh people think oh yeah that sounds about right. And they go for that. So anything that you see in the

telegraph you can you know toss it in in the waste bin it doesn't mean anything but it is true that you know there is a core uh strength of the multipolar world which is the cranks you know it's China Russia Iran and North Korea and they form the kind of hard uh forceful backbone which can hit back if necessary and certainly they may be giving certainly moral support if not other support

to other uh liberation movements around the global south. Yeah. Well uh great points KJ. Now uh you know maybe you can talk more about the I know you wrote a recent piece in counter punch on the US uh controlling South Korea's military uh operational controller opcon. And maybe you can elaborate on this. It seems like the overall the United States is really trying to rely on those forces in the world that

it still has I guess you could say both formally with this case of South Korea uh but also informally in other countries as well like operational control trying its hardest to rely on these forces in order to achieve objectives uh against Iran and then of course in the bigger scene Russia and China, but lots of problems are emerging. Are are problems emerging in this case too with South Korea, KJ? What um

maybe you can talk more about that and how it reflects the broader world situation that we find ourselves in. Yeah, there they there there have always been problems about this issue and it's a kind of a mind-boggling thing if you really stop and think about it. But the United States controls South Korea's military and that is an abrogation of sovereignty which is unheard of in modern history that uh quote unquote a

sovereign state has its military its entire military 500,000 troops plus 3.1 million troops 3.6 million troops are controlled by the United States. It's like one of those things where people think I can't believe it. You know, it's it's does this still exist in the current uh modern age. The answer is yes. And the reason for it is uh 76 years ago uh the US took control of South Korea's military during the

Korean War, which uh most informed historians think was triggered by South Korea. But anyway, it still controls South Korea's military to this day. And this is just mind-boggling because it's known that militaries will try and create a unified command. If there are multiple militaries fighting together, they will create a unified command and they'll do that by uh transferring opcon. Uh but that is done very very rapidly and then once war ends

it is released back to the sovereign country because you know you don't want to hold on to another country's military forever. In Korea, it's lasted over, as I said, over 76 years. And South Korea's asked for its opcon back repeatedly. This is the thing that tells you that South Korea is a US vassel because it's asked over and over and over again. It's been over three decades since it's asked for it

back. And the US has always delayed, filibustered, waffled, and moved the goal points goalpost. So most recently the US signaled that there's going to be more delay and Javier Brunson who is the USFK commander, CNC commander, CFC commander essentially the person who controls South Korean troops has said security conditions have changed and we cannot return opcon on a timeline. It has to be conditions bound and those conditions have changed which the

South Korean uh government has taken to mean that that means never. So anyway, samyong when he came to power the current president said that OBON needed to be returned to him before the end of his term in 2030. Uh and Bernson has said there can be no timeline. In other words, 76 years is not enough uh is never good enough for you. South Korea originally set deadlines for the return of Opcon.

Uh in 2003, the US agreed it would return by 2012. And then in 2010, suddenly there was this massive escalation on the peninsula. Uh uh Korean ship was sunk and all of a sudden Opcon became, you know, you couldn't transfer Opcon anymore. And then they said uh in 2014 2017 we will return them on a conditionsbased uh uh if certain conditions are met and those conditions are essentially can South Korea defend

itself does it have interoperability etc. All of the answer to all of those questions is yes. It's yes yesterday. But there's a third clause which essentially says are the conditions stable enough for opcon transfer. And this is the catch 22. This is the thing that's designed to undermine the transfer or the return of opcon because if you say that there has to be a conducive security environment that is to say literally

the security environment on the Korean peninsula and in the broader region i.e. China must be stable and conducive to a safe uninterrupted transfer. That's the catch 22. So you know they say it's conditionsbased. we say you have to pass certain tests but if conditions are stable then they won't do the tests uh because these are tied to field exercises that they don't that they deescalate when they don't feel they don't need

them but if they do and the conditions are escalated North Korea responds very badly to field war games then you know the tensions have been increased and then the security conditions are not met it's not safe to transfer so this is a formula for ensuring Opcon is never transferred. But I really want to highlight that it does not take 20, 30 years to transfer opcon in wartime. Opcon is simply signed over

rapidly and it's returned rapidly. That's what it that's what should happen. But it's not being returned because the US requires or wants South Korean troops to wage war against China. 3.6 six million troops is a lot of cannon foder and they do not want to give that up and that is the key reason why the United States is holding on to opcon for DI. It's trying to create these kind of weird

Rube Goldberg structures where it's trying to have parallel and a horizontal command and it's trying to do these Rub Goldberg carveouts and there is already a Rube Goldberg carveout because um they say that well you know we don't really control South Korean opcon we only have wartime opcon that's actually a nonsense statement Because operational control means operations are warfighting. So essentially they're saying we only have wartime war fighting control. That's a

tautology. It's a pleonazm. The only time control of the military matters is during fighting just as the only time you know control of a car matters is when you're steering it and it's moving. So this notion that they have returned peace time. They say they returned in 1994. They returned peacetime opcon to South Korea. This is a booby prize. It's like one of those toy steering wheels that you stick on the

dashboard for children so they can pretend they're steering while somebody actually drives. You know, it's a political toy. So, it gives the illusion of control, but it means nothing. And the simple fact is that the US will not transfer OPCON because it doesn't share command. When you say joint control, shared command, the US never shares control, will not share control with a South Korean general. So, you know, essentially, uh, it's a

fraud. And you also know it's a fraud because the US gets to decide when is peace time and when is wartime, right? If you if you decide when the car is driven and who gets to drive it, it's your car and only you can drive it. If that's the case, then it's not it's it's it's that person's car and anybody who, you know, spends time around it when it's still in the

garage, they are the maintenance crew. It's essentially if one party decides who gets control when it has control, then it's they have control. And so this notion that it only has wartime opcon is a red herring. You know, you slice the cake, you decide which portion to take, and you decide when to eat it. It's your bloody cake. So the US is holding on to OPCON. It needs control over Korean troops

because it's planning for war with China in the Pacific. It wants the cannon fodder, 3.6 million troops. South Korea is one of the most powerful the most advanced militaries in the world the fifth most powerful in the milit in the world and it also has unlike many other countries it has the defense industrial base to sustain it and on top of that South Koreans have always fought in US wars more military-aged

men saw fighting in Vietnam than Americans as a portion of the population and it was the third largest deployment to Iraq so The US avoids a draft because South Korea has one. Uh, and this notion that it doesn't control OPCON is just a political stunt. It really has to do with the embarrassment when South Korean troops massacred civilians in Guangju in 1980 and since then or before then and since then they've

been involved in multiple military coups and coup attempts. The US 40 minuteswants that kind of, you know, plausible deniability at the same time that it still wants to control South Korea's military as a proxy for war. So you get this crazy quilt of parallel unified command structures, multiple command authorities, phased operating assessments, and you have this Frankenstein cobbled leadership structure, but essentially they want their cake and to eat it too. and

they're assisted by farright factions uh in South Korea who have lashed themselves to the US empire and they see any loss of uh US control as loss of their own power and status and so there's a vast nexus of quizzlings and subcontractors to US empire that are used as the pretext where they say oh well South Korea wants to wants to keep us there it's like all goes every time the US

says you know we are in a certain country because they want us to be there that's absolute nonsense the same thing with those who claim that South Korea wants the US to you know maintain opcon that the Koreans don't want to US to give up opcon that's a kind of a nonsense colonial propaganda but uh the real risk here is that US is using its proxies it does not want to give

out its proxies and that signals that the US has not given up any of its ambitions for war with China and so uh it is a very very dangerous situation. Ibach is trying hard to reclaim OPCON. Let's hope he does that in a real substantive fashion. But if he doesn't, it will be catastrophic because it means that US has a license and a kind of you know moral hazard uh that it

will use to escalate to war against China. What's uh so striking about this KJ, we've in this show so far, we've talked about, you know, strike plans against Iran, Ansarala, a really disastrous war there, and now we're talking about the United States uh empire uh having a difficult time utilize or or at least achieving anything uh through its proxies, but still wanting that control so so deep into the game of trying

to control uh its proxies that it even tries to treat Iran as a proxy and say, "Oh, let us strike uh let us strike you." It's so I feel like we've come to the point where there's just so much desperation and also the thirst for power and of course uh the longer that failures kind of mount uh the more uh intense this push uh for dominance and control becomes not least because

the the opposite is just completely intolerable. And now there are consequences that I that we don't often get to talk about, but maybe we can on the economic front. We often talk about runaway inflation. We often talk Chapter 9: Unrest in France about the oil crisis and the price of oil and all of this, but really those are just the symptoms of a massive problem uh with an the economic foundations of

this empire. And uh we have massive protests in France which uh are engulfing the country. We have Emanuel Mcronone commenting today on these saying there's no room for violence on our republic. Those who have broken and attacked prefectures business looted our town halls will be prosecuted and punished to law enforcement forces. Guarantees of the right to demon guaranters of the right to demonstrate. I express the support of the nation. We will

stand against the sers of chaos who seek to bring down our institutions and prevent those who peacefully express their demands from doing so. Referencing the student uh protests that are happening there. KJ, Time magazine, I didn't even want to read this because Time magazine is a is a rag for the neocons. But why is France burning? Why is it that there is this revolt in France, KJ? And what does it say

about the overall foundations of this empire? because it's the United States at the head, but it's a it's a system that encompasses the West and they're supposed to be driving it toward uh their aims and objectives and the consequences of it economically almost entirely focus on things like inflation and the oil crisis, but it's much deeper than that. And so I want please uh help us understand what's going on here and

what does it reflect? Well, inflation and collapse of living standards are surface phenomena of the deep contradictions of capitalism. But most uh notably in the case of France, it's the neoliberal austerity that the government is trying to force on the people. Uh it has to, you know, cough up uh somewhere in the range. It it wants to cut about uh 48 billion dollars uh from social services from uh a system that

is already cut to the bone which you see for example in French schools where one out of 10 teachers is missing uh you know the classrooms are falling to pieces students are being warehoused their toilets are overflowing and the rats and uh rats are running around and there's you know no air conditioning in the summer and no heat in the winter. So all of this is uh these are legitimate claims for

the students to protest. And in the past, for example, in the 1990s when they came out with these legitimate demands, the government would actually make reasonable accommodation. They cannot do that anymore because they are firmly set on this road of austerity because they are dealing with massive war costs. uh France has already committed $23 billion to Ukraine and those costs are going to continue to increase at the same time that it

is 112% uh you know national debt. So it cannot balance the books and essentially it is cutting things to the bone and the French people are not going to take it. Most certainly the students are expressing what they feel is legitimate in quote unquote a democracy. But the bigger and deeper picture of it is not simply that the war is draining the coffers of all European states because the US has demanded

that they spend 5% of GDP on on the military. That's that's a target that they cannot meet. For decades they were unable to meet 2%. How are they going to meet 5% targets? And at the same time, you see as the multipolar world is arising and it is completing the process of decolonization, France is no longer able to do the kind of one-sided unfair colonial extraction that it was capable of doing.

Remember, France controlled about a third of Africa. Its wealth came from colonies in Africa and Southeast Asia, etc. you know Michelin you know the Michelin the tire company those were those were you know rubber plantations essentially slave plantations in Southeast Asia etc. So French culture and French power and French wealth is built on colonial extraction. And now that the process of decolonization is happening in concrete ways in the African countries for

example, France is struggling and is facing a severe crisis in economic conditions is I would say it's facing an existential crisis. And so add to that the internal contradictions where it can no longer uh sustain the conditions of living that it used to pay off a labor aristocracy then you are going to get those contradictions bubbling to the four in terms of mass protest. Now when Macron says there is no room

for violence, he's lying through his teeth because we know that uh what he's imposing on the vast majority of peaceful protesters is mass police violence. The sers of chaos are actually the police. But he's doubling down on this fascistic violence because essentially uh France is reverting to its fascistic roots. Anybody who spent time in France knows that there is a deep uh strain of right-wing fascism inside the French body politic and

he's tapping right back into that and he's using quote unquote the forces of orders where you know these uh fascistic tendencies are concentrated and using them to see if he can bash enough heads uh so that the French will uh you know uh will you know will will submit well you France asumse has said no we will not submit these are reasonable demands uh we need to claim back our country uh

and the students are uh students not simply now the high school students but also some university students are joining uh they're also being joined by the yellow vest you know which is a worker uh rebellion or worker resistance and so I think Macron has a very very dangerous powder keg on his hands is he going to double down further on this militaristic uh violence and repression. It's very possible. I think most

European countries have reverted to greater or lesser degrees, I would say greater degrees of fascism in tamping down their terminal contradictions. I mean, fascism is simply capitalism in decline. Uh but I think uh things are going to get much much worse both for Macron but also unfortunately for the French people. Well, there are some scenes coming out right now we can take a look at. Here is some of the videos coming

out of uh Chapter 10: Terminal decline and activism protesters and uh what some are calling rioters uh um attacking the police essentially because as you said uh the police have been attacking them. I mean that there is a long history of that you can simply see. And then there's also uh supposedly protesters are marching toward the presidential palace uh in France right now. Um many declaring that mcronism as it's been called.

Uh disastrous dastardly word in my opinion, but mcronism is is essentially over. But it seems like it's been that way for a while. KJ, the what this reflects to me it seems is something that's happening across the Combined West and even the United States. the legitimacy of these governments are is not just waning but essentially collapsing to zero. And uh it's so interesting to see these scenes that are reminiscent of what

they uh you know the neocons imperialists they try to paint onto Iran, China, uh Russia. They try to say oh there these countries are so unstable and they repress their own populations. The scenes coming out of France seem to indicate that that is more true for the combined west itself and we know what the US does when there are massive protests here. Your uh your thoughts on this the uh the scenes

coming out are are only going to get worse it seems as uh you know France there's a history here. France tends to uh at least in the west uh people there tend to really uh uh move fast and hard when uh things like this emerge. Your thoughts? Well, you know, as I've you know, as we know, France has a history of revolution and revolt. In 1789, in May 1968, the uh coalition

of workers and students actually brought down the government. Uh so France has a history of rebellion and resistance. uh but uh in this this time round I think that it is not going to be as easy as it was in 1968 or in uh 1995 or other periods where uh you know protests were able to protesters were able to get real uh concessions or even substantive you know uh change in the

structure of the political economy. I think the key thing to remember is in 2008 Nicholas Sarosi was the president uh and he said one of the few accurate things that he uh that he ever uttered was he said capitalism is finished and he understood that because when the global economy financial system collapsed in 2008 he understood that was the deathnell of capitalism and that's when everybody should have been pivoting towards a

different type of political economy. Instead, they doubled down on neoliberal austerity. And we've had just a series, a succession of neoliberal reforms in France where things are simply getting paired closer and closer to the bone. The muscle and the senu have been shaved off and now we're scraping marrow. And the French can't go on that way indefinitely. It's also tied to the fact the loss of the imperial extraction, the unfair uh

you know uh extraction from the colonies. All of this have created uh chaos and deep fundamental 54 minutescontradictions in France metropol, you know, the the the center of uh colonial France. Uh and it's also been aggravated by this war against Russia. Now originally the war against Russia was actually another type of imperial expansion. They would you know uh destroy Russia and then they would carve it out and it would be another

you know colonial uh uh uh uh boondoggle or windfall. Uh Russia has fought back. They are losing the war against Russia this proxy war using Ukraine. And so conditions are simply getting harder and harder. And so you know you know just the symbolism of plus dulla publique where the revolution itself uh was declared uh I think that is important but the French uh system is heading towards terminal collapse as are the

systems of most of the European 55 minutescountries not just France Spain UK Germany uh all of them are facing critical structural crisis uh and there's no good way out of it. And instead of fundamentally transforming their political economy, uh they've lashed themselves down to further neoliberal austerity, further destruction of their social welfare net, and further uh doubling down on war. That is, they're going to put, you know, billions uh uh billions

into the war, billions into Ukraine. uh and they're not going to and they're going to defund uh most of their uh education and other services. This is an act of madness. But this is what the ruling imperial class want. This is how they think. Uh the simple fact is that you know it's it's like being addicted to a drug. Hegemany is one hell of a drug and they simply cannot let go

of it. They will rather destroy everything uh than let go of their uh addiction to power. Well, KJ, it's been a great show today. I think uh that might be a good place to end it. Uh everyone should hit the like button before you go. That helps boost the show in the algorithm. Uh KJ, do you have any final words before we head out? Uh any anything we didn't get to hit

on? Well, um I just want to do just another plug for the taxpayer uprising that Code Pink is leading in November 10, November 10th to November 12th in Washington DC. This 3 days of peaceful protest and resistance. So essentially they're saying, you know, we have a $1.5 trillion war budget, probably closer to 1.3 uh 2.3 trillion, but at least on paper, $ 1.5 trillion war budget. And that is gutting our society.

Just as it's gutting France and Europe, it is also gutting our society. We feel it. All we have to do is look around in our environment. We see the incredible imiseration, hopelessness, homelessness. You know, uh over 1.5% of the US population lives in absolute poverty. 40% do not have $500 to their name. 60% do not have $1,000 to their name. The miseration is getting worse and worse. And a large part of

it is because we are endlessly manufacturing enemies uh Iran, China, Russia and endlessly spending our national wealth on wars. And so this is a demand that uh uh CodePink is making to put pressure on Congress as is our democratic right to the extent that it still exists is to you know put pressure on the incoming Congress and put the politicians of both parties including the Democrats on notice that they have to

turn around this war making greed-driven echocidal ship around. uh and uh and I think that this is really really important. It's gone, you know, it's supported by most of the major uh peace uh and social justice organizations. Uh and you can go to code pink uh and look for the taxpayer uprising and give your support to It's one of the concrete things that we can do in this terrible terrible moment where

everything is hitting the fan and we are confused as to what to do. This is one very very concrete action that everybody can take right and um I published this link in the video description below uh which you can find which will describe what it is what KJ just described here a campaign that's very important uh we should all support it um you could go you know you could sign up you

could donate you could volunteer participate online whatever you want to do but the link in the video description is below after the show so hit the like button everybody that helps boost the show in YouTube's algorithm. And also, I'll find all the place to support this channel in the video description below, too. Patreon, substack, and much more. Tomorrow, I'll be back 1 p.m. Eastern time with Professor Muhammad Morandi. I'll see you

all then, 1:00 p.m. Eastern time. Until next time.

UNSEEN YEMEN | Inside The World's Most Dangerous Country | 4K Travel Documentary
Hider Planet and Hider Planeta - ES
6mo ago UNITED STATES



Transcript

Introduction Yemen, a land where radiant beauty and extreme suffering are separated by only a single breath. Hidden among deep canyons, this place stands as one of the impossible places, defying every rule of the modern world. [music] It is a realm where mudbrick skyscrapers rise like eternal sand [music] castles from the heart of the scorching desert. or where golden sunlight pours over ancient fortresses perched precariously upon jagged [music]

cliffs. [music] But behind this splendor [music] lies the heavy pulse of a nation isolated by the shadows of conflict and [music] peril. Today, join Haida [music] Planet as we cross the threshold and touch the soul History - Geography & Culture of Yemen, the land of unforgettable wonders. This is a place that has witnessed the birth of legendary kingdoms and is one of the most prominent civilizations. Founded around the 10th century BC, Saba was one of the greatest nations of ancient Arabia. Famous for its intricate irrigation systems built in the middle of a barren desert. They constructed the Maharam Bilkis temple where towering columns still [music] stand as evidence of a once great civilization. [music] By the 7th century, Islam began to spread into Yemen and the city of Saha became an important religious and cultural center. It was here that the Islamic dynasties formed,

particularly the Zidi branch of Shia Islam, which ruled northern Yemen for many centuries. [music] They not [music] only built temples but also created a unique culture, arts and sciences. [music] When it comes to Yemen's geography, you can't help but be amazed by the [music] diversity of landscapes located at the gateway to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Arden with a coastline stretching approximately 1,200 km. [music] But if you only focus

on the beaches, you won't see the full beauty of Yemen. It is a multi-dimensional painting from arid [music] deserts to majestic mountain ranges. [music] [music] To the west of Yemen lies the Sowat mountain range, where towering peaks and ancient villages cling to steep cliffs, creating a stunning yet dangerous landscape. Heading [music] towards the Rubalci desert in the east, Yemen gradually transforms into vast stretches of [music] golden sand where nature truly tests

human resilience. This is not only a challenge for [music] the people but also the reason why the people of Yemen had to develop unique survival techniques as a Muslim country with the majority of its population following Islam, particularly the Zadi Shia branch in northern Yemen which has been present in Yemen since the 9th century [music] and has become become an integral part of the nation. Religion not only influences spiritual life but

also serves as the foundation for social rules, ethics and art. Notably, the Sana Arran Mosque is believed to house the oldest Quran manuscripts, serving as a testament to the significance of religion in Yemen's culture. This mosque [music] is not only a religious structure but also a cultural heritage connecting Yemen to the vast Islamic world. Along with the influence of ancient civilizations, Yemen's architecture stands out, especially with its mud brick buildings, structures

made of mud and stone. This ancient architectural style can be found in cities like Shibbam where mud brick buildings rise 7 to nine stories high enduring for centuries withstanding the harsh desert heat. These structures not only provide excellent protection but also showcase the creative and masterful building techniques of the ancient Yemenes. Decorative arts are also highly developed in Yemen, especially in the decoration of plaster and tile, featuring beautiful patterns that reflect

a fine blend of folk art. Yemenes are renowned for their hospitality and will always welcome guests from all over the world, especially during gatherings, feasts, and festivals. Although the country is facing significant challenges, Yemen's culture still retains its beauty and resilience. It is not only attractive for its pristine nature, but also for its inspiring cultural stories always waiting for you to explore. The ancient city of Sana'a The ancient city of Saha,

located in the heart of Yemen, is one of the oldest cities in the world and has maintained its pristine beauty [music] despite having witnessed thousands of years of history with its unique architecture and tranquil landscape. Sana feels like a precious gem in the midst of the arid [music] desert land. The distinctive gingerbread houses built from [music] stone and plaster are adorned with intricate patterns and stained glass windows creating a striking [music]

and distinct atmosphere. This city is recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site, not only as a [music] place that preserves historical values, but also as a bustling cultural center [music] where every street and every corner holds a story from the past. What is most special about Sana is the perfect blend of the ancient and the modern. Respecting the past while meeting the needs of future development despite enduring turmoil, wars and hardships for thousands of years. The city has preserved its original beauty. The ancient houses are built on top of each other, creating towering rows, particularly with structures like the great mosque of Sana, home to some of the oldest Quran manuscripts in the world. Each step taken through the old streets of Sana is a journey through time, taking you back to the legendary stories of this land. The most prominent [music] feature

of Sana is its gingerbread architecture. These houses are built from stone, plaster, and mud bricks with facades decorated with intricate designs, stained glass, and traditional motifs. [music] This unique architecture not only gives the city a special beauty, but also helps protect the inhabitants from the [music] intense desert heat and harsh natural elements. The houses are stacked on top of each other in layers, forming a harmonious and striking picture, making the old

town of Sara a place that cannot be found anywhere else. Once you set foot in Sana, you will experience a vibrant atmosphere, a space where the past and the present blend together, [music] creating a beautiful picture of a city that will never fade in the flow of time. Socotra Island Leaving the ancient city of Sana, I continued my journey to Sakatra Island. Located about 155 mi off the coast of Yemen, Satra

is one of the world's most exotic and unique islands, often described as an other planet. [music] It's not only a unique tourist destination, but also one of the world's most important places for the conservation of rare plant [music] and animal species. [music] Coming here, I understood why it's called the [music] island of paradise for life. With approximately 800 species of plants and animals, many of which are found only here. Furthermore, it's

impossible not to mention the pristine beaches like Shawab, where you can see schools of dolphins swimming close to shore, creating a stunning and captivating spectacle. The fine white sand, crystal clear water, and fresh air [music] create a perfect natural setting where you can enjoy absolute peace and relaxation. [music] Another great thing about Satra is its isolation. The island is far from the mainland, making it a timeless island untouched by the development

of the modern world. It retains its unspoiled mysterious beauty largely unaffected by human influence creating a completely different atmosphere where you can find tranquility, peace and experience the wonder of nature. Although Satra is recognized by UNESCO as a world natural heritage site, the island has retained its pristine beauty despite the increase in tourism in recent years. [music] [music] Believe it or not, it is becoming an attractive destination [music] for researchers, nature

lovers, and travelers seeking a unique [music] experience. Its unspoiled beauty and complete isolation make Satra one of the most ideal tourist [music] destinations for those seeking peace and the discovery of natural wonders [music] untouched by the modern world. So what are you waiting for? Come and experience Satra, an other planet where time seems to [music] stand still and natural values are absolutely preserved. The journey is far from over. Leaving Sakatra Island

behind, I continue my Haid Al-Jazil journey to hide Al Jazzil, a strange and unique village where humans have lived in harmony with nature for centuries. Unlike other villages, Hyde Alazil is built on a massive rock rising among the towering mountains, [music] completely isolated from the outside world. This village is not only home to the locals, but also a living testament [music] to the adaptability and resilience of humans in the face of

nature's harsh challenges. Constructed using natural materials like stone [music] and mud bricks, it utilizes simple yet incredibly durable building [music] techniques. These structures are designed to withstand the harsh desert climate. With thick walls and arched roofs, they help keep the interior cool in summer and warm in winter. [music] The combination of skillful construction and the natural environment has allowed this place to survive for centuries. [music] Largely unaffected by the outside world.

Perched on the edge of a cliff, it is nearly inaccessible by conventional means of transportation. To reach here, one must traverse rugged roads, [music] making the journey a formidable challenge. [music] However, the difficulty in accessing Hyde al Jazzil has helped it preserve its pristine beauty and tranquility, creating a truly unique space. Not only a place of residence, Hyde al Jazzil also serves as a cultural and religious center for the people of

Yemen. The locals here still maintain ancient customs and traditions. You may not [music] believe it, but the stone and mudouses of Hyde Al Jazzil are a prime example of human ingenuity and creativity in building a sustainable community in such a harsh environment. The rough stone walls are not just homes, but also keep the stories of perseverance and the strength of the Yemen community alive. Completely isolated from the modern world, Hyde Al

Jazil holds a simple and peaceful beauty that those searching for tranquility and purity will find difficult to find elsewhere. So, have you ever heard of Hyde Al Jazzil? And what are your thoughts about [music] this village? Please leave a comment below and let Hide Planet know. Continuing on, there is an ancient city located in the Hadramut Desert of Yemen Shibam known as the Manhattan of the desert due to its [music] system of multi-story mud buildings. One of the most unique architectural wonders in the world. Built over 500 years ago, Shibbam stands as a testament to the creative ability and engineering skills of the Yemeni people that have stood the test of time. The mud buildings rise from 7 to nine stories stacked in a stepped formation creating an impressive landscape [music] that also reflects the resilience and adaptability of the people living in such harsh

desert conditions. Unlike modern cities, this one is built entirely of mud bricks, a material easily found in the desert, but with the [music] unique ability to keep warm during the winter and cool during the summer. These mud buildings are designed with small windows to protect from the sand and strong [music] desert winds while still maintaining an airy and comfortable [music] atmosphere inside. Each building in Shibbam features a large rooftop where residents

can relax and enjoy the open space which also serves as a place of safety for families protecting them from conflicts and external attacks. One of the standout features of Shibam is the construction technique used where the buildings are not held together with mortar but rather with tightly pressed mud bricks forming a solid block. This traditional building technique has helped Shabbam endure through the centuries surviving the challenges [music] of time and the

harsh desert environment and has become a symbol of resilience. Not only is it famous for its unique architectural structures, but it also preserves rich historical stories. This city was once the commercial and administrative center of the Hadramount region, a thriving trading hub for many centuries. Oh, the narrow streets, the towering mudbrick [music] buildings, and the cozy living spaces. Shibbam offers a sense of traveling back in time where it feels like time

itself has stood still. It is one of the oldest [music] and most unique cities in Yemen, a testament to the creative architecture and sustainable construction practices of the Yemeni people in the harsh desert conditions. A perfect destination for those who love exploring history, architecture, and the unique culture of a land that once was the crossroads of many civilizations. After exploring the ancient beauty and [music] unique architecture of Shabbam, we continue our

journey to one of Barhout Well Yemen's most mysterious and legendary places, the Bahoot Well, [music] also known as the gate to hell. If Shabbam is a symbol of resilience in construction, [music] then Barhat presents a mystical space filled with eerie tales [music] and unsolved mysteries. It is located deep in the desert, far from any settlements hidden among the vast sand dunes of the Hadramut region. Believed to be one of the most

mysterious places in Yemen, this well is thought to have an infinite depth and is capable of emitting strange sounds similar [music] to a roaring noise coming from the depths, creating an atmosphere of terror and mystery. Local people believe that this is a place that houses spirits or even the dwelling of supernatural beings, making it [music] an incredibly mysterious destination. Although no one has fully explored its depths, this well has become an

inseparable part of Yemen's legendary tales. With its strange sounds [music] and eerie atmosphere, Barout still retains its allure for those who enjoy exploring unsolved [music] mysteries. Barout Well is also one of the most dangerous [music] places with few daring to approach. Not only does it harbor chilling stories, but the surrounding environment is also extremely harsh. The sand [music] dunes and shifting sandbanks make accessing the well difficult and challenging. However, this only

adds to the mystique [music] and appeal of Bahoot, making it a mustsee on a journey to explore Yemen. It is not only a mysterious tourist destination, [music] but also a symbol of the inexplicable and unexplainable, representing [music] the power of nature and the silent stories within Yemen's folklore. Those brave enough to face the challenge will experience a completely different Yemen, where mysteries and legends live on through time. If you are looking

for a place with a dark and enigmatic atmosphere, Bahhat Well will undoubtedly be an essential part of your Yemen exploration journey, where legends and [music] mystery will forever remain alive beneath the earth. After exploring the legendary mysteries of the Barout well, my journey continues Marib, Yemen to one of the most significant sites in ancient Yemen history. Maribb, [music] the capital of the legendary Saba Kingdom, MIB is not only a city [music]

with great historical importance in Yemen, but it also houses ancient ruins that reflect a glorious era when the Saba Kingdom dominated the region. We must [music] also mention the local people. Resilient and determined. Despite [music] numerous upheavalss, the community of Maribb has maintained their way of life, preserving their cultural traditions for [music] centuries. This is the site of some of Yemen's most important historical landmarks, especially the Maharam Bilkis Temple, a magnificent

structure [music] believed to be the place where Queen Sheba was worshiped in legend. Marib is also famous for the Marib Dam, [music] one of the most remarkable irrigation projects of the ancient world. Built in [music] the 8th century B.CE., [clears throat] The dam helped supply water to the desert region [music] and played a key role in the development of the Saba Kingdom. However, after floods and the decline of the kingdom, the

Marib Dam was severely damaged and almost completely destroyed. [music] Despite this, the ruins of the dam still stand as a testament to the creativity and resource management of the ancient Sabber people. Today, although Marib still faces challenges due to war and devastation, the city remains significant [music] in the hearts of the Yemeni people. The ancient ruins and structures are a source of pride for the people of Yemen, serving as proof [music]

of a mighty kingdom that once existed and contributed greatly to the development of the regional civilization. Along [music] with this hospitality, not only is it a tradition, but it is also a special quality that reflects the identity of a strong community [music] closely bonded together. They also place great emphasis on maintaining a humble yet [music] fulfilling life where family and community values are prioritized and the village unites to help each other

during difficult times. The people of Maribb remain resilient, living and protecting their homeland, preserving unique cultural values that the outside world rarely encounters. [music] Maribb is not just a historical [music] destination but a symbol of strength and endurance of the Yemeni people [music] throughout the ages. [music] Finally on my journey exploring Yemen, I Dar Al-Hajar arrived at a stunning architectural masterpiece nestled [music] amidst majestic Rocky Mountains, Darl Hajar, also known as

the Rock Palace. [music] Located in Wadidar near the capital Saha, Dar Al-Hajar is not only a beautiful architectural structure but also a symbol of Yemen ingenuity and construction talent. This palace [music] is built directly on a massive rock pillar creating an impressive and unique landscape unlike [music] anywhere else in the world. [music] With its sturdy walls and stacked [music] levels, all constructed from stone and mud bricks, it reflects the skill and

high technical expertise required in building in the harsh desert environment. This palace not only possesses the beauty of a magnificent structure but also reflects the harmony between nature and architecture as the entire structure seems to blend seamlessly into its surroundings. One of the things that surprised me most about Dar Al- Hajar was the perfect blend of classical Arabian architecture and influences from other cultures. The intricate patterns on the walls, the arched

windows and [music] the expansive balconies are all testaments to the creativity and timeless vision of the architects of that era. From above, you can [music] see the entire Wadidar Valley with its surrounding mountains and gentle breeze creating [music] a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. Today, Darl Hajar is not only a popular tourist [music] destination, but also an important cultural symbol of Yemen. Despite the upheavalss [music] of history and political changes, the palace

stands firm, a testament to the resilience of the Yemeni people. Preserving Daral Hajar helps maintain an important part of Yemen's heritage while conveying a message about the power of nature and [music] human creativity in building structures. It is these seemingly simple things that make Yemen a country both mysterious and resilient, showing us that its unique cultural and natural values will forever endure and live on in the hearts of every person. The ancient city of Saha, located in the heart of Yemen, is one of the oldest cities in the world and has maintained its pristine beauty despite having witnessed thousands of years of history. With its unique architecture and tranquil landscape, Sana feels like a precious [music] gem in the midst of the arid desert land. The distinctive gingerbread houses built from stone and plaster are adorned with intricate patterns and stained glass windows creating a

striking [music] and distinct atmosphere. This city is recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site, not only as a place that preserves historical values, [music] but also as a bustling cultural center where every street and every corner holds a story from the past. What is most special about Sana is the [music] perfect blend of the ancient and the modern. Respecting the past while meeting the needs of future development. Despite enduring turmoil, wars and hardships for thousands of years, the city has preserved its original beauty. The ancient houses are built on top of each other, creating [music] towering rows, particularly with structures like the great mosque of Sana, home to some of the oldest Quran manuscripts in the world. Each step taken through the old streets of Sahara is a journey through time, taking you back to the legendary stories of this land. The most

prominent feature of Sana is its gingerbread architecture. These houses are built from stone, plaster, and mud bricks with facades decorated with intricate designs, stained glass, and traditional [music] motifs. This unique architecture not only gives the city a special beauty but also [music] helps protect the inhabitants from the intense desert heat and harsh natural elements. The houses are stacked on top of each other in layers forming a harmonious and striking picture making

the old town of Sara a place that cannot be found anywhere else. Once you set foot in Sana, you will experience a vibrant atmosphere, a space where the past and the present blend together, creating a beautiful picture of a city that will never fade in the flow of time. Leaving the ancient city of Sana, I continued my journey to Sakatra Island. Located about 155 mi off the coast of Yemen, Satra is

one of the world's most exotic and unique islands, often described as an other planet. It's not only a unique tourist destination, but also one of the world's most important places for the conservation of rare plant and animal species. [music] Coming here, I understood why it's called [music] the island of paradise for life. With approximately 800 species of plants and animals, many of which are found only here. [music] Furthermore, it's impossible not

to mention the pristine beaches like Shawab, where you can see schools of dolphins swimming close to shore, creating a stunning and captivating spectacle. The fine white sand, crystal clear water, and fresh air create a perfect natural setting where you can enjoy absolute peace and relaxation. Another great thing about Satra is its isolation. The island is far from the mainland, making it a timeless island untouched by the development of the modern world.

[music] It retains its unspoiled mysterious beauty largely unaffected by human influence creating a completely different atmosphere where you can find tranquility, peace and experience the wonder of nature. Although Satra is recognized by UNESCO as a world natural heritage site, the island has retained its pristine beauty despite the increase in tourism in recent years. [music] [music] Believe it or not, it is becoming an attractive destination for researchers, nature lovers, and travelers seeking

a unique experience. Its unspoiled beauty and complete isolation makes Satra one of the most ideal tourist destinations for those seeking peace [music] and the discovery of natural wonders untouched by the modern world. So what are you waiting for? Come and experience Satra, an other planet [music] where time seems to stand still and natural values are absolutely preserved. The journey is far from over. Leaving Sakatra Island behind, I continue my journey to

hide Al Jazil, a strange and unique village where humans have lived in harmony with nature for centuries. Unlike other villages, Hyde Alazil is built on a massive rock rising among the towering mountains, completely isolated from the outside world. This village is not only home to the locals, but also a living testament to the adaptability and resilience of humans in the face of nature's harsh challenges. Constructed [music] using natural materials like stone

and mud bricks, it utilizes simple yet incredibly durable building techniques. [music] These structures are designed to withstand the harsh desert climate. With thick walls and arched roofs, they help keep the interior [music] cool in summer and warm in winter. The combination of skillful construction and the natural environment has allowed this place to survive for centuries. Largely unaffected by the outside world. Perched on the edge of a cliff, it is nearly inaccessible

by conventional means of transportation. To reach here, one must traverse [music] rugged roads, making the journey a formidable challenge. [music] However, the difficulty in accessing Hyde al Jazzil has helped it preserve its pristine beauty and tranquility, creating a truly unique space. Not only a place of residence, Hyde al Jazzil also serves as a cultural and religious center for the people of Yemen. The locals here still maintain ancient customs and traditions. [music]

You may not believe it, but the stone and mudhouses of Hyde Aljazil are a prime example of human ingenuity and creativity [music] in building a sustainable community in such a harsh environment. The rough stone walls are not just homes, but [music] also keep the stories of perseverance and the strength of the Yemen community alive. Completely isolated from the modern world, Hyde Al Jazzil holds a simple and peaceful beauty that those searching

for tranquility and purity will find difficult to find elsewhere. So, have you ever heard of Hyde Al Jazzil? And what are your thoughts about this village? Please leave a comment below and let Haidider planet know. Continuing on, there is an ancient city located in the Hadramut desert of Yemen known as the Manhattan of the desert due to its system of multi-story mud buildings. One of the most unique architectural wonders in the world. Built over 500 years ago, Shibbam stands as a testament to the creative ability and engineering skills of the Yemeni people that have stood the test of time. The mud buildings rise [music] from 7 to nine stories stacked in a stepped formation creating an impressive landscape that also reflects the resilience and adaptability of the people living in such harsh desert conditions. Unlike modern cities, this one is built entirely of mud bricks,

a material easily found in the desert, but with the unique ability to keep warm during the winter and cool [music] during the summer. These mud buildings are designed with small windows [music] to protect from the sand and strong desert winds while still maintaining an airy and [music] comfortable atmosphere inside. Each building in Shibam features a large rooftop where residents [music] can relax and enjoy the open space which also serves as a

place of safety for families protecting them from conflicts and external [music] attacks. One of the standout features of Shibam is the construction technique used where the buildings are not held together with mortar but rather with tightly [music] pressed mud bricks forming a solid block. This traditional building technique has helped Shabbam endure through the centuries surviving [music] the challenges of time and the harsh desert environment and has become a symbol of resilience.

Not only is it famous for [music] its unique architectural structures, but it also preserves rich historical stories. This city was once the commercial and administrative center of the Hadramount region, a thriving trading [music] hub for many centuries. Oh, the narrow streets, the towering mudbrick buildings, and the cozy living spaces. Shibbam offers a sense of traveling back in time where it feels like time itself has stood [music] still. It is one of

the oldest and most unique cities in Yemen, a testament to the creative architecture and sustainable construction practices of the Yemeni people in the harsh desert conditions. A perfect destination for those who love exploring history, architecture, and the unique culture of a land that once was the crossroads of many civilizations. After exploring the ancient beauty and unique architecture of Shabbam, we continue our journey to one of Yemen's most mysterious [music] and legendary

places, the Barahoot Well, also known as the gate to hell. If Shabbam is a symbol of resilience in [music] construction, then Bar presents a mystical space filled with eerie tales and unsolved mysteries. It is located deep in the desert far from any settlements hidden among the vast sand dunes of the Hadramut region. Believed to be one of the most mysterious places [music] in Yemen, this well is thought to have an infinite

depth and is capable of emitting strange sounds similar to a roaring noise coming from the depths, creating an atmosphere of terror and mystery. Local people believe that this is a place that houses spirits or even the dwelling of supernatural beings, making it [music] an incredibly mysterious destination. Although no one has fully explored its depths, this well has become an inseparable part of Yemen's legendary tales. With its strange sounds and eerie atmosphere,

Barout still retains its allure for those who enjoy exploring unsolved mysteries. Barout Well is also one of the most dangerous places with few daring to approach. Not only does it harbor chilling stories, [music] but the surrounding environment is also extremely harsh. The sand dunes and shifting sandbanks make accessing the well difficult and challenging. However, this only adds to the mystique [music] and appeal of Bahoot, making it a mustsee on a journey

to explore Yemen. It is not only a mysterious tourist destination, but also a symbol of the inexplicable and unexplainable, representing the power of nature and the silent stories within Yemen's folklore. Those brave enough to face the challenge will experience a completely different Yemen, where mysteries and legends live on through time. If you are looking for a place with a dark and enigmatic atmosphere, Bahhat Well will undoubtedly be an essential part of

your Yemen exploration journey, where legends and mystery [music] will forever remain alive beneath the earth. After exploring the legendary mysteries of the Barout Well, my journey continues to one of the most significant sites [music] in ancient Yemen history. Maribb, the capital of the legendary Saba Kingdom, Maribb is not only a city with great historical importance in Yemen, but it also houses ancient ruins that reflect a glorious era when the Saba Kingdom

dominated the region. We must also mention the local people, resilient and determined. Despite numerous upheavalss, the community of Maribb has maintained their way of life, preserving their cultural traditions [music] for centuries. This is the site of some of Yemen's most important historical landmarks, especially the Maharam Bilkis Temple, a magnificent structure believed to be the place where Queen Sheba was woripped in legend. Marib is also famous for the Marib Dam, one of

the most remarkable irrigation projects of the ancient world. Built in the 8th [music] century B.C.E., The dam helped supply water to the desert region and played a key role in the development of the Saba Kingdom. [music] However, after floods and the decline of the kingdom, the Marib Dam was severely damaged and almost completely destroyed. Despite this, the ruins of the dam still stand as a testament to the creativity and resource management

of the ancient Sabber people. Today, although Marib still faces challenges due to war and devastation, the city remains significant in the hearts of the Yemen people. The ancient ruins and structures are a source of pride for the people of Yemen, serving as proof of a mighty kingdom that once existed [music] and contributed greatly to the development of the regional civilization. [music] Along with this hospitality, [music] not only is it a tradition,

but it is also a special quality that reflects the identity of a strong community closely bonded together. [music] They also place great emphasis on maintaining a humble yet fulfilling [music] life where family and community values are prioritized and the village unites to help each other during [music] difficult times. [music] The people of MIB remain resilient, living and protecting their homeland, preserving unique cultural values that the outside world rarely encounters. MIB is

not just a historical destination but a symbol of strength and endurance of the Yemen people throughout [music] the ages. Finally on my journey exploring Yemen, I arrived at a stunning architectural masterpiece nestled amidst majestic Rocky Mountains, Darl Hajar, also known as the Rock [music] Palace located in Wadidar near the capital Saha. Dar Alhajar is not only a beautiful architectural structure but also a symbol of Yemen ingenuity and construction talent. This palace

[music] is built directly on a massive rock pillar creating an impressive and unique landscape unlike anywhere [music] else in the world. With its sturdy walls and stacked levels, all constructed from stone and mud bricks, it reflects the skill and high technical expertise required in building in the harsh desert environment. This palace not only possesses the beauty of a magnificent structure but also reflects the harmony between nature [music] and architecture as the

entire structure seems to blend seamlessly into its surroundings. One of the things that surprised me [music] most about Daral Hajar was the perfect blend of classical Arabian architecture and influences from other cultures. The intricate patterns on the walls, the arched windows and the expansive balconies are all testaments to the creativity and timeless vision of the architects of that era. From above, you can see the entire Wadidar Valley with its surrounding mountains

and gentle breeze creating a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. Today, Darl Hajar is not only a popular [music] tourist destination, but also an important cultural symbol of Yemen. Despite the upheavalss of history and political changes, the palace stands firm, a testament to the resilience of the Yemeni people. Preserving Daral Hajar helps maintain an important part of Yemen's heritage while conveying a message about the power of nature and human creativity [music] in building

structures. It is these seemingly simple things that make Yemen a country both mysterious and resilient, showing us that its unique [music] cultural and natural values will forever endure and live on in the hearts of every person. The ancient city of Saha, located in the heart of Yemen, is one of the oldest cities in the world and has maintained its pristine beauty despite having witnessed thousands of years of history. With its unique

architecture and tranquil landscape, Sana feels like a precious gem in the midst of the arid [music] desert land. The distinctive gingerbread houses built from stone and plaster are adorned with intricate patterns and [music] stained glass windows creating a striking and distinct atmosphere. This city is recognized by UNESCO [music] as a world heritage site, not only as a place that preserves historical values, but also as a bustling cultural center where every street

and [music] every corner holds a story from the past. What is most special about Sana is the perfect blend of the ancient and the modern. Respecting the past while meeting the needs of future development despite enduring turmoil, wars and hardships for thousands of years. The city has preserved its original beauty. The ancient houses are built on top of each other creating [music] towering rows particularly with structures like the great mosque of

Sana home to some of the oldest Quran manuscripts in the world. Each step taken through the old streets of Sana is a journey through time taking you back to the legendary stories of this land. The most prominent feature of Sana is its gingerbread architecture. These houses are built [music] from stone, plaster, and mud bricks with facades decorated [music] with intricate designs, stained glass, and traditional motifs. This unique architecture not only gives

the city a special beauty but also helps protect the inhabitants [music] from the intense desert heat and harsh natural elements. The houses are stacked on top of each other in layers forming a harmonious and striking picture making the old town of Sa a place that cannot be found anywhere else. Once you set foot in Sana, you will experience a vibrant atmosphere, [music] a space where the past and the present blend together,

creating a beautiful picture of a city that will never fade in the flow of time. Leaving the ancient city of Sana, I continued my journey to Sakatra Island. Located about 155 mi off the coast of Yemen, Satra is one of the world's most exotic and unique islands, often described as an other planet. [music] It's not only a unique tourist destination, but also one of the world's most important places for the conservation

of rare plant and animal species. Coming here, I understood why it's called the [music] island of paradise for life. With approximately 800 species of plants and animals, many of which are found only here. Furthermore, it's impossible not to mention the pristine beaches like Shawab, where you can see schools of dolphins swimming close to shore, creating a stunning and captivating spectacle. [music] The fine white sand, crystal clear water, and fresh air create

a perfect natural setting where you can enjoy absolute peace and relaxation. Another great thing about Satra is its isolation. The island is far from the mainland, making it a timeless island untouched by the development of the modern world. It retains its unspoiled mysterious beauty largely unaffected by human influence creating a completely different atmosphere where you can find tranquility, peace and experience the wonder of nature. Although Satra is recognized by UNESCO as

a world natural heritage site, the island has retained [music] its pristine beauty despite the increase in tourism in recent years. Believe it or not, it is becoming an attractive [music] destination for researchers, nature lovers, and travelers seeking a unique experience. Its unspoiled beauty and complete isolation make Satra one of the most ideal tourist destinations for those seeking peace and the discovery of natural wonders [music] untouched by the modern world. So what

are you waiting for? Come and experience Satra, an other planet where time seems to stand [music] still and natural values are absolutely preserved.

YEMEN : An Extraterrestrial Land on Earth | 4K Travel Documentary
TRUE GLOBE
Sep 13, 2025 #traveldocumentary #documentary #trueglobe
YEMEN : An Extraterrestrial Land on Earth | 4K Travel Documentary

There’s a country where war headlines have buried something older than the pyramid.
A place where skyscrapers are made of mud, yet they survived empires of steel. Where time doesn’t run forward, it runs in circles, like prayer beads in the hands of the wind.
This is Yemen. Not the Yemen of breaking news. But the Yemen of stories no one dared to tell.
In a village you’ve never heard of, women still sing to the moon in a language no outsider understands. In a market that hasn’t changed in eight centuries, the scent of dried roses and camel milk soap weaves through corridors of shadow and light.
Welcome to Yemen, a place far from everything you thought it would be.



Transcript

Chapter 1: Introduction to Yemen [Music] There's a country where warhead lines have buried something older than the pyramid. A place where skyscrapers are made of mud, yet they survived empires of steel. Where time doesn't run forward, it runs in circles like prayer beads in the hands of the wind. [Music] This is Yemen. Not the Yemen

of breaking news, but the Yemen of stories no one dared to tell. In a village you've never heard of, women still sing to the moon in a language no outsider understands. In a market that hasn't changed in 8 centuries, the scent of dried roses and camel milk soap weaves through corridors of shadow and light. Welcome to Yemen, a place far from everything you thought it would be. [Music] Chapter 2: The mud

skyscrapers of Shibam Shabbam is often called the Manhattan of the desert, but not because of glass towers or steel frames. [Music] Here, the skyscrapers are made of mud. Built over 500 years ago, Shibbum's mud brick towers rise up to eight stories tall, making it one of the earliest examples of vertical city planning in the world. The entire city is surrounded by thick defensive walls built to protect it from floods, invaders, and

the harsh desert winds. Each building is constructed from clay water and straw, then sundried. The thick walls act as natural insulation. Cool during the scorching day, warm at night. Small windows help keep out sand and regulate heat and light. This smart, sustainable design has allowed the city to endure for centuries. [Music] Located along the ancient incense route, Shabbam was once a thriving trade stop where caravans passed through carrying frankincense myrr and

spices. Despite being isolated in the middle of the desert, its strategic location helped it prosper. [Music] Today, Shbam stands like an open air museum, a testament to the ingenuity of its builders. Narrow alleys weave through the dense cluster of the towers. [Music] Many homes are inherited through generations, maintained using traditional techniques. In some places, wooden beams connect upper floors between buildings, allowing neighbors to share food or speak without stepping outside. Chapter

3: Cliffside villages of Hadramawt High above the Hadramat plateau, the land folds inward like a prayer, dry golden ancient. There, clinging to the bones of the cliffs are villages that have watched centuries pass in silence. [Music] Alhajarine clings to the cliff as if grown from it not built. The houses stacked like forgotten scriptures face a sun that offers no mercy. There are no rivers here, no green, only stone. Yet life persists.

Farther along, the Wii Alazil appears like a vision. A village suspended midbreath. Its stone homes perch on ledges carved by time 100 ft above the valley floor. From below they seem unreal. From above, inevitable. Children play in the shade of granite goats walk the sky. [Music] Both villages speak in the language of adaptation. Thick walls keep in the cool. Rooms are narrow and dim, not out of poverty, but purpose. Flat roofs

double as pantries, beds, temples. To reach them is to leave the present. The road coils like scripture along the mountains. No noise here, only the hush of dust. The echo of wind brushing against stone. The soft footfall of a traveler arriving late to an ancient conversation. [Music] Chapter 4: Jabal Sabir's terrace farming Leaving the cliffside villages behind and heading higher into the mountains, we arrive at Jabal Sabir. A place that feels

alive in a different way. Located near the city of Tai, Jabal Sabir is one of the highest peaks in Yemen, reaching over 3,000 m at its summit. [Music] But height is not what makes it special. It's the life that clings to every slope. Terrace farms carved into the mountainside more than 2,000 years ago cover the hills like green staircases. [Music] These terraces are still in use today, supporting crops like coffee barley

and cart. Water is channeled through handdug aqueducts and stored in stone tanks. Despite limited rainfall, the locals have made agriculture work at altitudes where few would try. [Music] 7 minutesJabal Sabir is also home to a rare and revered animal, the Arabian leopard. It is one of the most endangered big cats in the world. It's smaller and lighter than its African cousin with a pale yellow coat covered in dark rosettes. In Yemen,

only a handful are believed to survive in the wild. Yet, despite its rarity, the leopard holds deep cultural and spiritual significance. In local folklore, it is seen as the protector of the mountain, an invisible presence that watches over the land and its people. Sightings are considered profound, even mystical. Elders tell stories of those who've crossed paths with the leopard being chosen or spiritually marked. Conservation efforts are minimal due to the country's

conflict, but the reverence for the animal among local communities may be one of its last hopes. [Music] In a country so often defined by conflict, Jabal Sabir quietly exists like a world apart where history, nature, and spirit converge. Heading [Music] Chapter 5: Fortress village of Al-Hajera southwest from Jabal Sabir, we reach Al-Hajara, a village that feels was carved with intention. Built directly into a steep rock face in the Haraz Mountains, Al-Hajera

is both fortress and home. The buildings here are made entirely from local stone stacked with care to follow the natural slope. They are built in vertical layers with each floor serving a different function. The bottom floor typically houses livestock providing warmth that rises through the house. The middle floor is used for storage grains, tools, and preserved foods. The top floor, open to light and air, is where families live and gather. This

layout maximizes space while using natural insulation to regulate temperature year round. The narrow alleys of Al-Hajara weave like a maze through the village. Staircases connect homes and rooftops serve as both patios and meeting spaces. From a distance, Alhajara appears to grow out of the rock. The houses blend into the cliffs so well that it is difficult to distinguish between man-made and naturales. The villagers value their traditions, their stone homes, and the

mountain that shelters them. [Music] Chapter 6: Taiz and Al-Qahira Citadel Just east of Al-Hajara lies Taes, one of Yemen's most important and densely populated cities. Overlooking the city is Al Cahira Citadel, a massive fortress perched on a rocky hill. Built centuries ago, the Citadel was once the administrative and military heart of southern Yemen. Its thick stone walls, watchtowers, and arched gates tell a story of power and resilience. The citadel's location is

strategic. From its height, you can see the entire city below. An advantage that once helped rulers defend against invasion. Inside, there were once armories, storage rooms, and living quarters for guards and commanders. Over time, it also became a place of governance and ceremony. [Music] Taze itself is a city of layers. Its streets wind along the hills filled with markets, mosques, and schools. The people here are known for their education and activism,

and the city has long been a center of intellectual and political life in Yemen. [Music] Visiting Alahara gives a different perspective. Walking through the fortress, you can feel the weight of history in the stone underfoot. From the top, the view is breathtaking rooftops stretching across the valley with the mountains framing the horizon. The fortress isn't just a relic. It's part of the city's identity. [Music] Chapter 7: Ancient city of Marib Far

from the chaos of the present, hidden in the silence of the desert, the city of Maribb, once the glorious capital of the ancient Serbian kingdom, this city, dating back nearly 3,000 years, is closely tied to the legendary Queen of Sheba. her. It was here, according to ancient texts and oral traditions, that she ruled over a thriving civilization known for its wealth, diplomacy, and devotion to the sun god. [Music] The most remarkable

achievement of this era is the great dam of Marib. Built in the first millennium before common era, this massive structure wasn't just a dam. It was a symbol of human ingenuity in the face of nature. [Music] Stretching nearly 600 m long and rising to more than 15 m in height, the dam redirected monsoon rains into a sophisticated irrigation network that supported agriculture for thousands of people. But over time, the dam suffered

damage and eventually collapsed. The loss marked the decline of the kingdom and is even referenced in Islamic texts as a turning point in Arabian history. Yet the spirit of the Sheba kingdom lives on in the ruins from temple remains with suncarved inscriptions that once supported massive. [Music] Chapter 8: Jabal Bura's baboons Heading west, we arrive at one of Yemen's rare green gems, Jabal Bura. In a country known for its vast, arid

landscapes, Jabal Bura stands out as a densely forested mountain range harboring a unique ecosystem that is both fragile and full of life. Unlike other regions, this area receives slightly more rainfall, creating a humid climate that supports tall trees, ferns, and mosscovered rocks. [Music] What makes Jabal Bura especially remarkable is the presence of the Hamadrias baboon, a species deeply woven into Yemen's ecological and cultural identity. [Music] These baboons are easily recognized by

their thick silver gray coats and sharp, intelligent eyes. Males are typically larger and more dominant, leading tight-knit structured groups. Their social behavior is complex, including vocal calls, grooming rituals, and displays hierarchy often compared to human societies. [Music] To local people, these primates are more than just animals. They are the monks of the mountain. In local beliefs, Hamadrias baboons are seen as the spirit guardians of the forest, messengers of the mountain gods.

Harming them is considered a bad omen. [Music] Some stories even tell of entire harvests failing after someone disrespected the baboons. As a result, a peaceful coexistence has formed between humans and baboons. Villagers leave offerings of fruit and herbs at the forest's edge as a sign of respect. Children grow up learning how to observe the baboons from a distance, to respect their space, and to regard them as protectors of the land. [Music]

Chapter 9: Sana'a's historic architecture At the heart of Yemen stands Sana, one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. [Music] With a history stretching back more than 2,500 years, the city is a living archive of Arabian culture. According to legend, it was founded by Shem, the son of Noah. The city is famous for its unique buildings. Towering homes decorated with intricate white gypsum patterns line narrow streets. These houses, often several

stories tall, are built to be both functional and beautiful. Their thick walls insulate against heat, and the top floors usually have large windows to allow in cool air and light. From a distance, the city looks like it's made of gingerbread, a nickname often used by visitors. [Music] One of SAR's most iconic structures is the Alsale Mosque. Completed in 2008, it represents a modern interpretation of traditional Yemen design. The mosque features towering

minourets, graceful domes, and detailed tile work. [Music] It serves not only as a place of worship but also as a cultural and architectural symbol of national pride despite facing challenges from conflict and urban pressures. The old city of Sana has retained much of its historic status. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, although it's currently listed as endangered. Still, locals continue to live, work, and celebrate life here. [Music] Chapter

10: Dar al-Hajar Rock Palace Not far from Sahara, rising straight from a towering rock is the Dar Al-Hajar Rock Palace. Built in the 1930s by Imam Yaha as a summer residents, this palace is one of Yemen's most iconic architectural marvels. What makes it unforgettable is not just its vertical grandeur, but the way it blends into the rock beneath it, appearing almost as if it grew from the stone. The palace is constructed

in layers with rooms built one at top another, reaching five stories high. At the base lies a deep underground well more than 60 m deep, providing water even during the driest months. The design makes excellent use of natural ventilation and light with carefully placed windows and windcatching towers. Inside the decor is simple but elegant. Arched doorways, geometric patterns, and carved wooden screens reflect traditional Yemen aesthetics. Each room serves a purpose from

meeting guests to hosting family members, all arranged in a way that balances privacy and openness. [Music] Dar Al-Haja is more than a palace. It's a symbol of modest royal life and spiritual connection to the land. Imam Yaha was known for his reserved style of rule. And the palace reflects that imposing from afar but intimate within. Today it operates as a museum drawing both local and international visitors. From the top floors, the

view is nothing short of magical green fields, distant mountains, and the calm rhythm of rural life below. For many Yemenes, Dar Al-Hajar is a proud reminder of heritage. [Music] Chapter 11: Socotra's Dragon Blood trees Before our eyes is the strange island of Sotra, a place so unique that scientists often call it the Galapagus of the Indian Ocean. In the heart of this island lies the Dixam Plateau, a vast flat island known

for its surreal landscapes and rare species. 22 minutesThe plateau is the most prominent habitat for the dragon blood tree, a plant that looks like it belongs in a fantasy novel. [Music] The dragon blood tree has a thick trunk, an umbrella-shaped canopy, but its most striking feature is its red sap. Historically known as dragon's blood, this resin has been used for thousands of years as medicine dye incense and even in ancient rituals.

Locals believe it holds healing powers and it remains a valuable resource for traditional remedies. The trees grow slowly and live for hundreds of years. [Music] The Dixam Plateau itself is a place of stunning contrasts. Wide open skies stretch above jagged limestone formations and valleys carved by ancient rivers. The area supports herders mostly from the indigenous Bedawin community who lead goats and cattle across the landscape. Cultural beliefs on Sotra often describe the

dragon blood trees as spiritual guardians. Some legends say they mark places where dragons once bled after battles. Others believe the trees communicate with the stars. Whether myth or ecology, these trees are essential to the island's identity. Preserving them isn't just about saving a species. It's about protecting a landscape that always stood slightly apart. [Music] Chapter 12: Hajhir Mountains of Socotra Still on Sakotra Island, we come to the most impressive feature of

this place, the Hajir Mountains. The mountains are not only a geological marvel, but also the lifeblood of the island's ecosystems. [Music] The Hajia range is the source of many of Sotra's freshwater springs and rivers. During the rainy season, clouds roll in and envelop the peaks, feeding underground aquifers that provide water for plants, animals, and villages below. Waterfalls like Dur cascade down mosscovered cliffs, creating lush pockets of green in an otherwise dry

land. For the people of Sotra, the Hajir mountains are more than just a landscape. They're sacred. Many believe the mountains hold spirits that protect the island. Rituals and prayers are often directed toward these peaks, especially during times of drought or illness. Elders speak of caves where ancient carvings lie hidden and of spirits that appear only in mist. The mountains also shape the culture. Many of the island's oldest settlements sit at their

base, and the rhythms of daily life follow the mountains moods. [Music] As the sun rises and casts shadows over the peaks, villages begin their day gathering water, tending animals, telling stories passed down for generations. 26 minutesThe Hajia mountains are the spine of Sotra. Not just physically but spiritually. They hold the weight of time, memory, and the unspoken bond between people and place. [Music] Chapter 13: Calisson Canyon and Arher Beach Kalison Canyon

and Ara beach where water and sand meet. Formed over millions of years by groundwater erosion, this canyon winds through limestone hills in soft curves and steep drops. During the rainy season, water flows through it like a hidden stream, carving out deep channels and natural pools. [Music] The rock faces along Calisson are dotted with small caves and colored in shades of beige, rust, and gray. Vegetation clings to the edges and birds nest

in the crevices. Walking through the canyon feels like entering a secret corridor between earth and sky. Light filters down in narrow beams and sound is hushed by the canyon walls. Just beyond Kalisan lies Ara beach, a place that almost seems impossible, where a freshwater spring flows directly into the ocean. This creates a rare brackish zone where different species of fish and plants coexist. The beach itself is framed by bright white dunes

and turquoise waters, making it a favorite among locals for relaxation and fishing. [Music] Ara is one of the few remaining nesting sites for green sea turtles on Sakotra. [Music] Between June and September, these turtles return to the same beach where they hatched to lay their eggs. Although Callison and Ara aren't rich in temples or myth, they speak of nature's quiet persistence. There's something sacred in the way water carves stone, and turtles

find their way back home. [Music] Chapter 14: Dolphin dance at Sha Beach As our journey across Yemen nears its end, we reach one of its most joyful and peaceful spots, Sha Beach. [Music] Tucked away on the coast of Sotra, this secluded beach is known not just for its beauty, but for the daily spectacle that unfolds in its waters. [Music] Every morning as the sun rises over the horizon, schools of spinner dolphins

appear near the shore. They leap, twirl, and splash in the shallows. An acrobatic display that has earned the place its nickname, the dolphin dance. For the people who live nearby, this isn't just a natural event. It's a sign, a good omen. Many believe it signals a blessed day ahead, and fishermen often take the appearance of dolphins as a sign of safe seas. [Music] The beach itself is pristine soft white sand water

so clear you can see the seafloor and no signs of heavy development. Coral reefs nearby are home to a variety of marine life including parrot fish groupers and sea urchins. Unlike many other parts of Yemen, Sha Beach has remained relatively untouched by tourism. There are no large resorts, no crowds, and no noise, just the rhythm of waves and the occasional dolphin leap. [Music] Shab is not dramatic or legendary like other parts

of Yemen, but it doesn't need to be. its beauty in its simplicity. A reminder that sometimes peace and wonder come not from myths or monuments, ordinary images from nature. And what you've just seen is a different side of Yemen, one the world rarely talks about. Here, every mountain, every city, every breeze carries a story older than memory. [Music] This isn't just a journey. It's a chance to touch something deeper. A kind

of beauty we usually only hear about in the news. [Applause] [Music] If this journey sparked your curiosity, come with us for what's next. Subscribe to True Globe, leave a comment, or share this video with someone who still believes the world holds wonders waiting to be seen. Because Yemen isn't some distant planet. It's part of our world, and it deserves to be known. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music]

Inside Socotra Island's Alien World | 4k Travel Documentary
The Far Reaches
Oct 7, 2026 #Socotra #TravelDocumentary #Yemen

Socotra is a Yemeni island so far out in the Arabian Sea that it sits closer to Africa than to Yemen, and roughly a third of its 800 plant species grow nowhere else on Earth. This travel documentary goes inside Socotra to ask who lives in a place like this, and what happens when the visitors now keeping families afloat start to wear the island away.

In this 4K documentary, we trace how a fragment of land drifted free millions of years ago and evolved alone, producing the dragon's blood tree, whose crown combs moisture out of passing mist, and a UNESCO World Heritage landscape of the Dixam plateau, the Arher dunes, and the Detwah Lagoon. We follow the island's ancient trading past, from a first-century Greek sailors' handbook to the more than two hundred inscriptions left by sailors and traders in Hoq Cave, and we meet the roughly sixty thousand people who live there today, guarding Socotri, an endangered Semitic language that has lived almost entirely by voice.

We also look at daily life, from coastal fishermen and highland herders to Socotran hospitality and a culture where poetry is the archive, the newspaper, and the love letter. And we ask the harder questions: how free-ranging goats and cyclones that have lately begun to reach the island are leaving the old dragon's blood forests with few young trees, how tourism became a lifeline even as the monsoon shuts the island off for months, and how money sent home by relatives working in the Gulf keeps so many families going.



Transcript

Scratch the bark of a dragon's blood tree, and it weeps a deep crimson resin, the color of dried blood. This is Sotra, a Yemen island so far out in the Arabian Sea that it sits closer to Africa than to Yemen. And hundreds of its plants and animals exist nowhere else on Earth. So, who lives in a place like this? And what happens when the visitors now

keeping them afloat start to wear the island away? Before we start, tell us in the comments where you're watching from and what time it is there. Now, let's step onto Sootra. First, where it actually is. Soot is not one island, but a small archipelago in the western Arabian Sea near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden. Three smaller islands, Abdalcuri, Sama and Darca, sit alongside it. But the main island, Sotra itself,

is where nearly everyone lives. It runs about 130 km from end to end and covers roughly 3,600 km of limestone plateau, granite mountains, and sunbleleached coast. Clouds snag on the Hajir mountains, which climb to around 1,500 m. And that moisture is why an island in a hot, dry sea can be green in places. Getting here has never been simple. For centuries, it took a sailing ship and a lot of luck. Today,

most visitors fly on a chartered plane out of Abu Dhabi, only a few times a week, and you'll almost always need a local guide to come along. Weather decides the rest. From roughly June to September, the southwest monsoon tears across the Arabian Sea. Winds howl, waves climb, boats stay in harbor, and flights are cancelled. For those months, Satra effectively shuts itself away from the world. The calmer season from about October through

April is when outsiders can arrive. The same monsoon also feeds the island since much of the mist and drizzle its plateaus depend on rolls in with those winds. That distance and that seasonal shutdown kept Sootra uncrowded for a very long time. And it's a big part of why the island still looks the way it does. To understand why it looks so strange, you have to go back millions of years. Soot was

once attached to a much larger land mass. Then the Earth's crust pulled apart, and this fragment drifted free into the ocean, cut off from every continent ever since. Whatever was on the island when it broke away, and whatever drifted in later had to adapt alone, with no competitors arriving and no relatives to trade genes with. So plants and animals changed slowly into forms found nowhere else. Sootra has somewhere around 800 species

of plants, and roughly a third of them grow nowhere else on the planet. Most of the island's reptiles and land snails live nowhere else either, and neither do several of its birds. Some visitors nickname it the Galapagos of the Indian Ocean. The plants, though, may be even stranger than the animals. The most famous is the dragon's blood tree. Seen from a distance, a grove looks like a crowd of umbrellas blown inside

out, each with a thick trunk that splits into countless branches, topped by a dense, flat tuft of stiff leaves. The shape is doing a job. In a land that gets little rain, the crown combs moisture out of passing mist and fog and sends it trickling down to the roots, while the shade underneath shelters young seedlings from the sun. On a misty morning, the crowns seemed to float above the fog. These trees

are slow. They take about a century to mature. And a grove like that is not something you can replant in a lifetime. The red resin that gave the tree its name has been prized since ancient times as medicine, as a dye, and as incense. Islanders still dab it onto cuts to help close a wound. Aloe is harvested the traditional way, too, with the bitter sap drained off sliced leaves onto a stretched

goat hide, then left to set in the heat. For the people here, these plants are medicine, trade, and inheritance in one. Nearby, you'll find the bottle tree, sometimes called the Satra Desert Rose, whose trunk swells so much at the base that it looks like an elephant's leg and which bursts into pink flowers in the right season. The landscapes match the life that grows on them. On the Dixam Plateau, the dragon's blood

forests stand in ranks against the sky. Along the northern coast, the dunes of Arhur rise from the sea. Huge pale slopes of sand piled against dark mountains. Further along, the Deta lagoon spreads out in turquoise so clear it looks unreal. In 2008, UNESCO named the Sootra Archipelago a world heritage site for its extraordinary biodiversity. People have lived here for a very long time. The first settlers probably arrived about 3,000 years ago,

and within a few centuries, this remote rock had become a trading hub. Soot was never as cut off from trade as it looks. The island sat on sea routes linking Egypt, Arabia, India, and East Africa. And a Greek sailor's handbook from the first century even mentions Indians living on it. Merchants called here for aloe, incense, and dragon's blood, cargo worth hauling across open ocean. The strongest proof is hidden in Hawk Cave

on the island's northeastern side. In 2001, Belgian cavers mapping the passage, which runs roughly 2 km into the mountain found writing on the walls and on the rock formations. Researchers later counted more than 200 inscriptions and drawings left by sailors and traders between about the 1st century BC and the 6th century AD. Most in Indian scripts, but also South Arabian, Ethiopian, Greek, and Pelmyine. Nearly all are short, just a name, a

hometown, a profession. The way people carve their initials into a tree today, sailors whispered about the place, too. They called it an island of spirits and sorcerers, where wind and wave obeyed magic. And Marco Polo repeated the tales, claiming Sootra's sorcerers could raise storms and turn ships around. Outside, powers wanted a piece of it, too. In the late 19th century, Britain made it a protectorate and after the British withdrew in the

1960s, Sootra became part of South Yemen and later of unified Yemen. Through all of it, the islanders herded, fished, tended date palms, and spoke their language. Empires came and went like weather. The island stayed itself. Around 60,000 people live on Sootra today. Nearly all of them on the main island. Many descend from ancient South Arabian settlers who cross the sea. Many more live far from home. One estimate from 2004 put the

number of Satrans living abroad at around 5,000 mostly in the Emirates and Oman where they go to work. Hold on to that because the Gulf keeps turning up in this story. The people who stay guard something rarer than any tree, a language. Sukotri belongs to the modern South Arabian family, a group of Semitic languages spoken along the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. Its closest relatives like Mecci are spoken on the

mainland across open water. It is a distant cousin of Arabic, not a dialect of it. For nearly all of its history, it has lived by voice alone, kept in people's memories, and never really written down. Tens of thousands of people still speak it. But linguists consider it endangered. Arabic dominates school, government, and modern life, and more and more children grow up moving between the two. A language like this holds words for

plants, winds, tides, and landscapes that exist in no other tongue. When a word disappears, so does a small piece of knowledge about how to live on this particular island. And with so little written down, there is no shelf of books to rebuild it from. Islanders have not stood by. During the upheaval that shook Yemen in 2011 and 2012, many of the same people who had championed Sootri through poetry festivals took to

the streets and then to the negotiating table. They asked for better links to the mainland, more say over their own affairs, and protection for their language. And in 2008, the same year UNESCO honored the island's nature, Sootrans opened a folk museum on the northern coast, a reminder that their own history mattered, too. The Gulf is part of this story, too. It gives many islanders work, but jobs in Gulf cities can pull

families away from the island and from the language. Satri is spoken by Sootrans in the Gulf as well. And every conversation in it, anywhere helps keep it alive. On Sootra, the future of a language and of everything it can name rests on whether children keep speaking it. Island life runs at two speeds, one on the coast and one in the highlands. On the northern coast sits Hadibu, the island's main town. All

low buildings, dusty streets, and small markets. But it's where the modern world gathers with shops, a hospital, more reliable electricity, and internet that has improved in recent years. Coastal days begin at the water. Fishermen head out early before the heat, and some of the catch is dried in the sun for the months when the monsoon keeps the boats ashore. Those months are lean and families lean on dried fish, dates, and goat

milk. Head inland and uphill, and you enter an older world. In the highlands, families live in small settlements of stone houses and simple shelters, often near a spring or a dry riverbed that fills after rain. Many have no electricity and no piped water. Children grow up hering goats and learning every path, every pool, every tree. Herders take their animals to higher pastures at dawn and bring them back before dark, and many

families shift their animals between higher and lower ground, depending on where the grazing and water are best. The hardest jobs are shared. Neighbors help raise houses, haul in fishing nets, and bring in the date harvest. And when night falls, there is no city glow anywhere, only the stars and against the fading sky, the dark outlines of the dragon's blood trees. Hospitality is close to sacred. Walk into a Socottran home and you're

welcomed with something to drink and something to eat before anything else is discussed. On a rock this remote, hosting a stranger is a kind of insurance. Nobody goes hungry at your door because someday it may be your turn to knock. The deepest layer of Sootran culture can't be photographed. You have to listen for it. Poetry here is part of ordinary life, not a pastime for a gifted few. Verses are composed, recited,

and traded. And news, jokes, love, grief, and even arguments can be carried in rhyme. For some years, there was even an annual poetry festival inspired by a Gulf television contest. In a culture that lives by voice, poetry is the archive, the newspaper, and the love letter. Ceremonies mark life's big moments, and almost all of them are shared. Weddings draw in entire villages with music, dancing, and feasting. And the community often helps

the groom get started, sometimes with the gift of a sheep. So no young couple begins life alone. And when the rains fail for too long, people gather to pray for water, a reminder of how closely life here still follows the sky. Quick pause before we go on. If this trip is worth your time, hitting like or subscribe helps us keep making them. Now, on with the story, because for all its wonder,

Sootra is in trouble. You can see it in the dragon's blood forests. Walk into an old grove and look closely. Nearly every tree is ancient, and there are very few young ones coming up beneath them. The forest is not replacing itself. That matters for more than scenery. If a grove combs water out of the air, losing the grove may mean losing part of the island's own water supply. Part of the reason

is goats. Sootra has a huge population of freeranging goats, many more than such fragile land can carry. They graze on almost everything green, including the tiny seedlings that would become the next forest. And here's what makes it hard. Those goats belong to the islanders. They are milk, meat, and a family's wealth. The animals that keep families fed are the same animals quietly eating the forest's future. You can see the trap cull

the herds and you take milk, meat, and savings away from families with few alternatives. Leave them and the forest keeps aging out. Then there is the climate. For a long time, cyclones almost never reached Sootra. Lately, they have. In 2015, two powerful storms struck within days of each other, uprooting trees, wrecking homes, and costing people livestock and livelihoods. Aid arrived by ship and plane from the Emirates in the weeks that followed.

Scientists worry that storms like these may become more frequent as the seas warm. Put those pieces together and the picture is grim. The seedlings are getting eaten before they can grow. And one violent night can flatten what took centuries to build. Researchers who study these forests warned that without protection, parts of them could shrink dramatically within a few human lifetimes. The people of Sotra are not spectators to this. They live inside

it and they have needs of their own. Soot has long been poor with few jobs and little money. And when war broke out on the Yemen mainland, supplies were disrupted, prices rose, and the island's link to the rest of the country frayed. Then visitors began to arrive. Tourism first took root in the early 2000s once an all-weather airirstrip and a bigger airport made landing easier. Around 2020, a travel YouTuber got stuck

on the island during the pandemic lockdown, and interest took off. Today, a few thousand visitors come each year. Most of them camping in simple sites with a tent, a cook fire, and a guide who knows the land. Guides, drivers, cooks, camp owners, guest house hosts, and crafts people have found new ways to earn a living. For many families, tourism became a lifeline. Notice the calendar, though. Visitors come in the calm months

when the planes can land. When the monsoon closes the sea, the income closes with it. And a guide who does well from October to April still has to stretch those earnings through a summer when the island is cut off again. Tourism is not the only lifeline. Money sent home by relatives working in the Gulf helps keep many families afloat, and so does aid from Gulf charities. The same route that brings visitors

in from Abu Dhabi carries islanders out to jobs, which means the island's livelihood keeps arriving from somewhere else. Picture that weekly flight from Abu Dhabi. In one seat, a visitor with hiking boots and a camera. In the next, an islander heading home with a suitcase or heading out to a job. Same plane, same runway, two very different relationships to the island. Now think about the one heading out. A job in a

Gulf city can mean months away from the goats, the poems, and the voices that speak your language. Money travels one way, and homesickness travels the other. In part, the island survives on its people's willingness to leave it. But here is the uncomfortable part. The thing helping the people is also beginning to wear down the island. Satra's ecosystems evolved over millions of years in near silence, and they were never built for crowds.

A few thousand visitors would be nothing in most places, but here they arrive in the same season and head to the same handful of fragile sites. Trails erode, vehicles carve new tracks across delicate ground, and a scar in the plateau soil can take years to heal. That is the knot in the middle of this story. The islanders need the income. In a country torn by conflict, it can decide whether a family

gets by or goes without. But the island's nature, the whole reason anyone comes, has to be left as undisturbed as possible. Both things are true at once. Protect the trees while ignoring the people, and you lose the community that has lived beside them for centuries. Protect the people carelessly and the trees go. There is no easy answer, only the slow work of holding both. And Satra doesn't fully control its own fate.

The island sits close to some of the busiest shipping lanes on Earth, which makes it strategically valuable. And the war on the mainland keeps pulling it into bigger contests. Earlier this year, fighting on the mainland between rival groups grounded flights, and around 600 tourists were stranded on the island for about a week. Reports this year also described the United Arab Emirates, which had built up a large presence here through aid, jobs,

and construction, pulling back, which leaves open questions about the services and paychecks that came with it. The situation keeps shifting, so if you're watching this later, it may already look different. Either way, Sootra's future is tied to decisions made far from its shores. Still, there are reasons for hope. Conservation groups, local authorities, and international organizations are working to make tourism gentler on the island. Some operators say they now limit how many

visitors arrive each week. And conservation groups usually point to a familiar toolkit. Caps on visitor numbers, marked trails, fees that stay on the island, and well-trained local guides. Local guides are being trained to understand the ecology of the places they show visitors on the logic that whoever earns a living from a grove has the best reason to protect it. Nurseries are raising young trees behind fences safe from the goats until they're

strong enough to survive on their own. What islanders tend to ask for is not a museum. It is a saying. When the people who live here help decide how many visitors come, where camps are set up, and who leads the walks, protecting the forest stops being a rule handed down from outside and becomes a choice about their own home. Progress is slow and fragile, and it's racing against goats, storms, and crowds.

But it is an admission that this island cannot simply be used up. So, let's go back to where we started. A tree that bleeds, a forest of umbrellas blown inside out, a lagoon the color of glass, and a language kept alive by voice alone. Sootra is one of the strangest, most extraordinary places on Earth. And yet, people live here. They fish the clear waters, herd their goats over the stone, trade verses,

and offer bread and tea to strangers who turn up at their door. They stay because it is home and because their families, their poems, and their memories all belong to this one rock. Thousands of Sootrans have gone to the Gulf, where life is easier in every way a paycheck can measure. Many of them still send money home, still speak, and still mean the island when they say home. For the people who

stay, this demanding island is not a hardship they put up with. It is who they are. And that home is under pressure from every direction. From goats that graze away the next forest, from storms that may be growing more frequent, from a war on a distant coast and powers watching from the sea, and from the visitors whose money now carries so many families. If you ever go, the most helpful things are

simple. Hire local guides. Stay in local camps and guest houses. Keep to the trails and carry every scrap of rubbish out with you. Many governments advise against travel to Yemen. So, check current advice for the island before planning anything and expect the paperwork, including a visa, to run through a licensed operator. Here is the question Soot leaves us with, and it reaches well beyond one island. How do we cherish a place

like this without wearing it away? How do we visit, admire, and support the people who live there without changing what made it worth the trip? There may be no clean solution, and still the island keeps asking, ready or not. Thank you for spending this time with us. If this trip meant something to you, leave a comment and tell us what you think. Subscribe to the far reaches and we'll see you on the next adventure.

Inside YEMEN: HOUTHI Strongholds – What They Don’t Want You to See
NVL Travel Documentary
Apr 2, 2026 #documentary #lifeinextreme #ancientvillage
Inside YEMEN: HOUTHI Strongholds – What They Don’t Want You to See

What looks like the most dangerous country in the world is, in fact, where life roots deeper than anywhere else on Earth. High in the Haraz Mountains, mud-brick tower houses are not just architecture. They are "flying fortresses" gripping the cliffs to defy gravity and war.

No steel. No concrete. Just mud, sunlight, and faith. Every brick is kneaded by hand. Every wooden window is carved with precision. It is a physical vow that survival is stronger than destruction.

Yemen is not just a headline about conflict. Yemen is a chorus of time—low, deep, and never-ending.



Transcript

What if the most dangerous place you ever knew is not a battlefield? What if it is just your normal everyday life? Clean water is a luxury here. Every single step on these mountain trails could be a fatal mistake. Children grow up with the sound of bombs, but they face a much cruer enemy. Hunger and thirst that drags on for weeks. Welcome to northern

Yemen. It is one of the most fragile spots on the map of human survival. Here, life is not threatened by just one thing. It is threatened by every single thing at the exact same time. Yemen clings to one of the most critical trade arteries on the planet. Here mud and earth rise eight stories high to touch the clouds. Look at the water below. This is the Bab al-Mandmab straight. It is the

southern gate to the Red Sea. If the straight of Hormuz controls the oil flowing east, then this narrow passage is the front door for global goods heading to Europe. Whoever commands these rocks holds the choke point for the global economy. Because of this strategic weight, these mountains have felt the constant friction between global powers and local groups for years that has turned the highlands into a place on high alert. Mostly, it

brings weapons. Armies have spilled blood over these waves for hundreds of years. Violence down there is just another part of the weather. But the real story of this land hides far away from the cargo ships. It hides way up in the clouds. The Harz mountains rip through the skyline far above the gunfire. Lungs work harder up here. The wind hits with a sharp scent of dust and frozen stone. People do not

just live on these peaks. They dig in. A cluster of buildings might look fragile from miles away, but those are heavy strongholds designed to block out winter storms and rival tribes. These are the towerhouses of northern Yemen. There is no steel here, no concrete. These giant structures are born from the ground they sit on. Fathers and sons crush this dirt with their own hands to build the rooms where their families will

sleep. They mix clay and straw with their bare feet. Men mold the blocks and let the brutal sun bake them solid. Building an eight-story tower on the edge of a vertical drop requires a stubborn defiance against gravity. One weak foundation could pull the entire family down into the valley below. Builders solve this problem with sheer weight. They drag massive rocks to form the bottom floor that anchors the home to the cliff

side. Then they pile the lighter clay blocks on top. As the structure climbs, locals haul those boulders up trails that burn the legs. Everything about the layout screams defense. The ground level is totally dark. It acts as a vault to protect the sheep and the wheat supplies. Families take the upper levels to eat and rest. Grandparents get the highest room to soak up the early sunlight. Back when rival clans raided the

area, a father would just bar the thick timber door. His kids would sit safe high above the chaos. Modern violence uses explosives rather than blades now. Yet these mudpillars still hold their ground. Elders teach the young boys how to patch cracks with fresh dirt every single year. Notice the white borders around the windows. That is not art. That is a shield. It forces pouring rain to slide off before it can melt

the clay. Building a home here is a math problem where failing means a fatal drop. When the winter chill sets in like a meat locker, the thick clay absorbs the daytime heat and slowly releases it at night. Locals figured out how to hang over a cliff and refuse to fall. Hanging onto a cliff requires a solid foundation of mud and stone. But surviving each other requires something much heavier. Down in the

modern valleys, people measure faith by how loud a man prays. Up here, faith is completely quiet. It lives in the way a man keeps his promise when the winter gets desperate. What looks like simple tradition to an outsider is actually a strict code of survival. In the capital city, men sign thick stacks of paper to seal a deal. On these peaks, paper means nothing. The mountain wind tears it away. Rain turns

it back to mud. When two men agree to trade wheat or settle a border dispute, they just lock hands. The skin is rough. The grip is bone crushing. That single physical touch is the absolute law. If someone breaks that vow, he does not go to a prison. He becomes a ghost. His neighbors stop trading with him. His sons carry the shame. In a landscape where one bad harvest can starve a family,

trust is the only safety net they have left. A broken promise is literally a death sentence for a family line. The people who enforce this quiet law do not carry badges. Look at the old men resting against the stone walls. Decades of blistering sun and freezing nights are carved into their faces. Society does not hide them away when their knees give out. They become the living libraries of the mountain. When hotblooded

young men grab their daggers over a stolen goat, the elders step in. The weapons drop. The young men listen. These heavy decisions do not happen in the street. They happen at the very top of the mud towers. Men climb dozens of steep stairs to reach a room called the Mafrage. The air up here is thick with the sharp smell of ginger and cardamom. Men sit in a wide circle on unwoven rugs.

They pass around small cups of boiling tea. The bitter steam rises toward the wooden ceiling. From a distance, this looks like a lazy afternoon gathering, but the Mafra is the ultimate courtroom of the Highland tribes. Voices stay low. The sipping of tea fills the quiet gaps. They talk for hours to untangle blood feuds and arrange marriages. No judge slams a gavl. A slow nod from an elder is enough to stop a

war. They drink, they speak, and they bind their lives together with words that will outlast the mud walls around them. Words build trust inside the mud towers. But out on the jagged cliffs, words cannot make plants grow. The soil is dry. The slopes drop straight down. To harvest some of the most famous coffee beans on the planet, a farmer up here has to do something completely bizarre. He has to hack the

fog just to get a drink of water. Farming in the Haras Mountains is not a peaceful morning chore. It is a daily physical fight against gravity. Look at the steep mountain face. Men carve narrow dirt steps right into the rock. Some of these green terraces are barely wider than a single footstep. A father ties a thick woven rope around his waist and anchors it to a boulder just to prune his bushes.

He swings a heavy iron hoe into the parched earth. Dust kicks up into his eyes. One wrong step or one loose boot leaves him falling toward the valley floor. What looks like a beautiful green staircase from a distance is actually a desperate survival system. Those stacked stone walls slow down the rare rainstorms. Without them, the water would just strip all the precious soil right off the cliff. These tiny strips of dirt

hold a global legacy. This is the birthplace of the mocha coffee bean. For centuries, these high altitude farms supplied the cafes of Europe. Yet, the sky up here holds a cruel joke. It barely rains for half the year. So, the farmers adapt. They do not wait for a storm. They catch the clouds. The method relies on cold physics rather than magic. A farmer gathers heavy limestone rocks and piles them carefully around

the base of every single coffee tree. Then, the sun goes down. The mountain temperature plunges. A thick freezing fog rolls up from the Red Sea and swallows the peaks. When the wet mist hits those ice cold rocks, condensation happens. Tiny beads of moisture form on the hard gray stone. They gather. They swell. Then they slowly drip down into the thirsty roots below. Locals also carve deep open pools directly into the mountain

rock to collect this midnight water. They call these stone basins berkas. The sound of water dripping echoes through the dark valley under the moonlight. That slow, steady rhythm is the only thing keeping entire families alive when the natural springs run dry. They literally squeeze the ocean mist out of the thin mountain air. Every cup of water they drink and every bean they pick is stolen right out of the sky. Every drop

of water stolen from the fog requires exhausting physical labor. The mountain constantly fights back with dry soil and thin air. Yet all that brutal hardship vanishes the moment the sun drops behind the peaks. Inside the mud towers, families gather. The freezing wind rattles the wooden shutters. But down in the center of the room sits a black stone bowl violently bubbling with heat. This single dish anchors the entire family together. The meal

is called salta. It isn't delicate food. It is mountain fuel. The heavy bowl holding the stew is carved directly from dark volcanic rock. Women heat these stones right in the open flames until they glow. When the boiling lamb broth hits the black stone, it screams. Steam fills the tight room with the heavy scent of roasted garlic and tomatoes. The rock traps the fire so well that the stew keeps boiling on the

floor long after it leaves the kitchen. You will not find plates or spoons here. Everyone simply sits in a circle around the one stone bowl. Hands reach out. Calloused fingers tear off thick pieces of warm flatbread. They plunge the bread straight into the blistering broth at the exact same time. This is how survival works. They eat from the same fire. They share the same heat. The stew carries a sharp bitter punch

from a green paste called bulba. It is made from crushed fenugreek seeds. To outsiders, the taste hits like a sudden slap in the face. But for the men who just spent hanging off a cliffside swinging an iron hoe, that bitterness is medicine. It cuts through the fat of the lamb and warms the blood. Once the stone bowl is scraped clean, the energy shifts. The heavy meal settles. Then comes the real life

blood of the high mountains. They do not drink the expensive coffee beans they break their backs growing. Instead, women boil the dried husks of the coffee cherry. They toss in heaps of raw ginger and cinnamon. This hot yellow brew is called kishir. It tastes earthy and sweet. The steam warms the hands of the elders. As they sip the sweet liquid, the tense muscles relax. The quiet laughter fills the room. They traded

the fog for water and the stones for fire just to earn this one hour of peace. The heat of the black stone bowl fades as the night deepens. Families pull their heavy wool coats tight against the mountain draft. Out here, the clothes a person wears have nothing to do with fashion. Up in the northern peaks, every thread of fabric and every piece of metal is a contract. It tells the world who

you belong to and what you are willing to fight for. Down in the sweltering coastal cities, men wear light cotton caps called kufias to beat the heat, but step into the freezing winds of the Haraz Mountains, and the silhouette changes completely. Men wrap thick layers of cloth around their heads to form the mashada. The cloth is woven tight. It wraps low over the ears. It is armor against the bitter cold that

slices through the valleys. The colors and the exact fold of the fabric signal which tribe a man claims. Yet the most striking piece of this armor is not cloth. It is steel. Look at the wide belt pulled tight across every man's stomach. Tucked right in the center sits a curved dagger called the jambia. The hilt is often carved from thick rhino horn or polished wood. Silver threads snake around the leather sheath.

A young boy receives his first blade when the elders decide he is finally a man. To an outsider, this looks incredibly dangerous. A valley full of men walking around with exposed knives feels like a powder keg. But that is exactly the cognitive twist. The jambia is actually a tool of massive restraint. It is completely forbidden to draw the blade in anger. If a man pulls his dagger over a petty argument, he

loses his honor instantly. The weapon stays sheathed. The heavy metal handle rests against his gut all day as a physical reminder of his duty to keep the peace. While the men wear the steel, the women wear the gravity of the mountain. They do not hide in the shadows of the mud towers. Women wrap themselves in thick black abayas, heavily embroidered with bright red and silver threads. The stiff fabric rustles as they

step onto the jagged ledges. They guide herds of goats up inclines so vertical a single slip would mean a fatal drop. They carry the weight of the harvest down the same narrow stone paths that break the men. The mountains forged them all out of the exact same iron. Carrying that steel on the stomach every single day takes a toll. Men up here swallow their anger and keep their mouths shut. They make

survival deals with bone crushing handshakes. They haul heavy mud to block out the freezing wind. It is a life built entirely on holding back. Then a special day arrives and the rules change completely. The dirt square in the middle of the village fills up with locals. And all at once, hundreds of men draw the exact weapons they are sworn to hide. A massive boom hits the valley. It hits the ears like

a mortar strike, but it is just a giant wooden drum wrapped in tight animal skin. The base is so heavy it vibrates right through the floorboards of the mud towers nearby. Men wearing heavy boots start stomping the dry ground together. Thick dust clouds rise up over the crowd. To anyone watching from a distance, this looks exactly like an army getting ready to draw blood. Dozens of men form a massive circle and

point naked steel straight at the sky. Yet, this is the bar dance. It is the exact opposite of combat. It is the only way these isolated mountain tribes know how to fix broken relationships. Sometimes a bitter land dispute finally finishes after years of arguing. Sometimes a rare heavy rain brings a massive coffee harvest. That is when the old enemies walk into the same dirt square. Guys who would not even look at

each other a week ago now stand shouldertosh shoulder. The drum dictates every single move. If one guy steps late, the whole formation falls apart and looks weak. So, they have to breathe at the exact same time. They swing their heavy arms, matching the man right next to them. The ground physically shakes under their feet. Holding a sharp knife inches from arrival is a massive physical show of trust. They pivot in the

dirt. Sunlight catches the raw metal. The red headscarves turn into a giant blur inside the rising dust cloud. The drummer hits faster and the circle pulls in tight. Farming on a vertical cliff breaks a person down, but right now they just ignore the pain in their knees. Sweat drips down their necks. They yell over the deafening noise. For a brief window, the quiet isolation of the high peaks is completely gone. Then

the drummer drops his hands. The metal clicks back into leather holsters. Men wipe the dirt off their faces and walk back down the narrow trails together. Men wipe the dust off their daggers and walk back home. But the home they return to is not always an eightstory fortress. The truth about living above the Red Sea. Trade routes eventually catches up with the clouds. The geopolitical storms happening down in the water have

completely ripped apart some of these mountain peaks. Yet, the craziest part about the Haraz region is not the destruction. It is the absolute stubbornness of the people refusing to pack their bags. Look closely at the mud walls on the edge of the cliffs. Some of them are missing entire floors. Missiles meant for the valleys below have shattered the clay that grandfathers built by hand. Entire sections of these towerhouses have just peeled

away like dried paint. A massive hole exposes the heavy wooden beams inside. The wind howls right through the empty bedrooms. Down in a normal city, families would just board a bus and leave the rubble behind. Up here they stay. If you hike further up the rocks past the broken towers, the reality hits hard. The camera follows a narrow path that completely disappears into the mountainside. Inside a dark cave, a father feeds

a small fire with dried twigs. The smoke stings the eyes. The smell of burning wood mixes with the damp cold of the limestone walls. His family sits on thin woven rugs spread directly on the cave floor. The shadows dance against the rock. The fire snaps and pops in the complete silence. They have lived inside this dark hole for years since their house collapsed. Further down the trail, another family strings up a

blue plastic tarp under a massive old tree. That thin sheet of plastic is the only thing standing between their children and the freezing night air. The local medical clinic tells the exact same story of endurance. Shelves made of rough wood sit completely empty. A mother carries her feverish kid for 3 hours down a steep dirt path just to find out there are no antibiotics left. It feels like the mountain itself is

trying to push them off the edge. And yet nobody runs away. They just adapt again. Leaving this land feels like a physical betrayal to them. Their bloodlines are tied directly to these specific rocks. The grandfathers are buried right here under the coffee trees. A man would rather freeze in a cave than abandon the village his ancestors defended for a thousand years. They just quietly gather the fallen mud bricks from the rubble.

Fathers show their sons how to sort the unbroken stones from the dust. They stack them up again, piece by piece. There is no crying for the cameras. There is no begging. There is just the slow, exhausting work of rebuilding life on top of a broken mountain. They pull the broken mud bricks from the dirt. They stack them up again, just like the men before them did. Down in the valleys, the modern

world rushes forward. Ships burn heavy fuel. The internet flashes new borders on a screen every minute. But pull yourself up to the Haraz Mountains. And time moves completely differently. Up here, a clock does not matter. The locals measure years by how deep the limestone steps wear down under the leather sandals of the elders. This mountain holds a quiet resistance against the speed of the outside world. Look at the old man standing

near the edge of the cliff. The wind rips at his thick wool coat. The skin on his hands looks exactly like the dry earth he is holding. He is packing fresh wet mud deep into a crack running up the side of his tower house. The sun beats down on his back. He presses the clay with his thumbs until it holds. A drone could fly over his head right now. A commercial jet

could streak across the clouds. He just keeps pushing the mud into the stone. That simple repeating action is his anchor. It is a slow physical refusal to let the mountain break his family apart. The changes are creeping up the steep roads, but the resistance is built into their daily breath. The younger guys who travel down to the city for work come back carrying glowing smartphones. Yet the minute they step inside the

mud walls, they switch off the screens. They sit on the woven rugs. They speak the heavy ancient dialect of their grandfathers. That thick language is a wall just like the mud out outside. It keeps the modern noise from bleeding into their quiet world. As the sun fully drops below the jagged peaks, the light fades from the white gypsum borders. The shadows swallow the massive towers. The sharp whistling wind pushes through the

small colored glass windows called camaras. The glass rattles slightly in the wooden frames. The entire village shuts down for the night. They do not fight the dark. They just outlast it. You step away from these cliffs and a heavy realization hits you. The mud walls of Haraz will eventually crumble back into the dust, but the men who built them will never break. Northern Yemen does not want your pity. They simply demand

respect for a survival code forged between freezing fog and relentless gunfire. Look at that single fire flickering inside the dark cave. That tiny orange light is the absolute refusal to surrender. As the mountain completely swallows the light, the cold wind takes over. Subscribe to the channel to keep walking through the forgotten doors of human survival. We will see you on the next climb.

Houthi Missiles Hit Shabwah, 58 Recruits Lost, Yemen Crisis Deepens
Cross World News
Oct 20, 2026 #Yemen #Houthis #Shabwah
Houthi Missiles Hit Shabwah, 58 Recruits Lost, Yemen Crisis Deepens

Yemen faces another major escalation after a Houthi missile barrage struck a military training camp in Shabwah, reportedly leaving 58 recruits lost and more than 200 wounded. The incident has raised serious concerns for Yemen's government and Saudi-backed forces. This video examines Yahya Saree's claims, the response from Rashad al-Alimi's leadership, the growing regional tensions, and what these developments could mean for Yemen's continuing conflict and security challenges.



Transcript

Chapter 1: Missile attack in Shabwa Yemen is facing another major escalation after Houthi forces launched a ballistic missile barrage against a government security training facility in the southern province of Shabua on October 19th, leaving at least 58 people with fatal injuries and more than 200 others wounded. 14 additional people remain unaccounted for. According to provincial governor Aad [snorts] al-Wazir, the incident has intensified concerns about the country's renewed fighting and

the growing vulnerability of government security installations. The missile struck the Alala military camp when newly recruited security personnel were participating in a training exercise. Local government accounts indicate that three ballistic missiles reached the installation while trainee were gathered, producing devastating consequences within a short period. The facility located in Shabos Jardan district was being used to prepare recruits for service in local security 1 minuteformations. Many of those affected were young person who

had only recently entered their training programs. The scale of the losses has made the incident one of the most severe single episodes since Yemen's civil conflict intensified again in September 2026. Emergency teams rushed to the site as medical facilities prepared to receive large numbers of wounded personnel. Local authorities mobilized health care resources, arrange treatment for the injured, and call for additional medical supplies. The continuing search for missing recruits has added uncertainty

to the final casualty figures. The incident has also raised immediate questions about security arrangement at military training centers, particularly facilities where substantial numbers of personnel gather in exposed areas. With fighting spreading across several regions, protecting these installations has become an increasingly urgent concern for Yemen's internationally recognized government. Trabar holds an important position in Yemen's political, military, and economic lands, Cape. The Chapter 2: Strategic impact of the camp province connects several territories

in the country's south and east, making it significant for troop movements, supply routes, and government control. The Alam camp lies within a region that supports security operations, extending toward neighboring areas, including Marab. Its location gives it importance beyond the immediate training mission, particularly as government forces attempt to strengthen their positions amid renewed confrontations with the Houthi movement. The center reportedly housed recruits preparing to join local security units. These programs form part

of wider efforts to expand the government's security presence and develop personnel capable of maintaining control in territories under its administration. According to reports from Shabwa, the missiles reached the facility during a scheduled training exercise. The concentration of recruits at the site contributed to the exceptionally high number of casualties. Provincial authorities initially reported a lower toll before Governor Aad al-Wisir provided the figure of 58 together with more than 200 wounded and 14

missing. The changing figures reflect the difficulties facing medical and emergency teams as they work through the aftermath. The local government has called for stronger protective measures around security installations, including improved air defense capabilities, surveillance systems, and early warning equipment. Officials argue that existing arrangements need to be reinforced to protect personnel undergoing training. These demands are particularly significant because the facility was not described by government authorities as an active frontline position. Its

principal function was to prepare recruits for future security assignments. The incident therefore represents both a considerable personnel loss and a serious challenge to the government's ability to expand its security institutions. The Houthi movement which controls Yemen's capital Chapter 3: Houthi claim and responsibility SA and extensive areas of the country's north has acknowledged responsibility for the missile barrage. Yaya Sari the movement's military spokesperson presented the operation as a response to the presence

of Saudibbacked military personnel at the alam camp. Siri maintained that the installation was being managed by Saudi officers and was serving as a gathering point for forces aligned with Riad. So uh a statement attributed to the Houthi movement described the intended target as Saudi enemy concentrations at the Alam camp, a facility in the eastern regions managed by Saudi officers. The Houthies also claimed that Saudi officers were among those affected. However, that

assertion has not been independently established and Saudi authorities had not publicly confirmed the alleged presence of their officers at the installation in the available reporting. The internationally recognized Yemen government presents a different account maintaining that the facility was principally being used to train new local surity recruits. This disagreement is central to the political consequences of the incident. Both sides described the purpose of the installation differently and their competing narratives reflect the

wider struggle over legitimacy, territorial control and foreign involvement in Yemen. For the Houthis, the latest military operation demonstrates their capacity to reach government installations beyond immediate frontline areas. For government officials, it reinforces the need for improved protection of security facilities and a stronger defensive network. Out uh Houthi leader Abdul Malik al Houthi continues to direct the movement's broader political and military strategy while the group's military spokesperson communicates its operational announcements. Yemen's

internationally recognized leadership is headed by Chapter 4: Political and military context Rashad alimi, chairman of the presidential leadership council and supreme commander of the armed forces. His administration has been pursuing an expanded military campaign intended or restore government authority over areas 6 minutesheld by the Houthi movement. Earlier in October, Alami announced a new phase of military operations following renewed fighting across Yemen. The campaign reflects the government's decision to pursue territorial advances

after diplomatic efforts failed to produce a lasting settlement. In his October 5th statement, Rashard almi said, "I announced today the start of military operations to recapture the remaining lands of the republic." The statement outlined government's intention to extend state authority throughout Yemen. The latest losses in Shabwa now present his administration with an additional security challenge. Government authorities must balance their broader military objectives with the immediate requirement to protect recruits, reinforce training

installations, and support families affected by the incident. Provincial officials have requested additional surveillance equipment and early warning systems, arguing that such measures are necessary to prevent similar incidents. The government's ability to respond may depend partly on assistance from Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners who have long supported the internationally recognized authorities. Saudi Arabia has played a major role in Yemen's conflict since the regional military intervention began in 2015. Riyad supports Yemen's

internationally recognized government and considers instability along its southern border a major national security concern. The Houthi movement, meanwhile, repeatedly presents Saudi military involvement as evidence of foreign interference in Yemen's internal affairs. The Shabwa incident has therefore added another point of friction to an already strained relationship. The Houthi's assertion that Saudi personnel were present at Alal Alam has given the incident a wider regional dimension. Nevertheless, the available evidence does not independently establish

the group specific claims regarding Saudi officers. Beyond Shaboir, the houses have also claimed operations against Saudi energy and aviation facilities during the latest escalation. Saudi confirmation was not immediately available for several of those announcements. The renewed confrontations have raised questions about whether regional mediation can still reduce tensions or whether military developments will continue to dominate relations between the parties. Chapter 5: Wider security escalation The developments in Shaboa are part of a

wider escalation that has affected several areas of Yemen. Government forces have been conducting operations aimed at recovering territory from the Houthis, including positions connected to the approaches toward the Babel Mandeb straight. This narrow maritime passage links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aiden and provides an important route for international commercial shipping. Military control around the strait carries strategic importance because instability there can affect shipping movements, regional trade and maritime security.

At the same time, the city city of ties has become another major focus of the confrontation. The city has 9 minutesexperienced increasing pressure from healthy forces with movement restrictions and shortages complicating daily life for residents. Reports from mid-occtober indicated that renewed fighting and road closures had disrupted essential supplies and humanitarian access. The situation illustrates how geographically separate confrontations are increasingly connected. Military developments in southern Yemen can influence operations in central provinces

while territorial changes near the Red Sea may shape the calculations of both domestic and regional actors. For security planners, the losses at Alalam also highlight the challenge of protecting personnel at fixed installations while maintaining operations across several fronts. Beyond the immediate military consequences, the Chapter 6: Humanitarian and local impact latest violence comes at a particularly difficult time for Yemen's civilian population. Years of instability have weakened the country's health care system, disrupted

economic activity, and left millions dependent on humanitarian assistance. According to the United Nations 2026 humanitarian response assessment, more than 22 million people in Yemen require some form of humanitarian assistance or protection. The assessment also estimates that approximately 18.3 million people face acute food insecurity while millions of children and families struggle with inadequate health care, water shortages, and displacement. Only around 59% of Yemen's health care facilities are fully functional, placing additional pressure

on medical services during periods of intensified fighting. Hospitals in Shabua have faced the immediate responsibility of treating large numbers of wounded recruits. Medical teams have been working to stabilize patients and arrange further care for those requiring specialist treatment. Reports from the provincial capital attack described wounded personnel being transported to healthcare facilities as residents responded due to requests for blood donations. Families waiting for information about missing relatives face considerable uncertainty. While communities

must prepare to support individuals coping with serious injuries. For a country already dealing with extensive displacement and financial hardship, each major episode of violence places further pressure on limited public resources. The immediate priorities in Shaboa remain medical treatment, locating the missing personnel, and improving security around military facilities. Government officials are expected to examine the circumstances surrounding the missile barrage, including whether better surveillance or protective arrangements could have reduced the consequences. The

incident may also influence future decisions about where recruits undertake training and how personnel are assembled during scheduled exercises. At the national level, the presidential leadership council faces the broader task of maintaining military coordination while addressing in mounting humanitarian needs. For the Houthis, the operation has demonstrated their continued use of ballistic missiles against government controlled territory, but it has also intensified political criticism of their military campaign. The central uncertainty is whether the

latest escalation will lead to further confrontations or renewed efforts to negotiate a reduction in hostilities. Chapter 7: Future prospects and concerns International diplomatic efforts have repeatedly attempted to create conditions for a political settlement. Yet disagreements over territorial control, security arrangements, and the future structure of the Yemen state remain unresolved. What happened at Al Laal Lam on October 19th is a reminder of how quickly the security situation can deteriorate when military operations

expand across multiple regions. At least 58 people have been reported lost. More than 200 have suffered injuries and 14 remain missing according to the provincial governor's latest reported figures. Behind those numbers are families communicating. It is and a 13 minutescountry that has experienced years of uncertainty. For Yemen, the challenge now extends beyond responding to a single military incident. It involves protecting vulnerable populations, preventing further escalation and establishing conditions in which negotiations

can offer a credible alternative to continued confrontation. Whether that opportunity can emerge remains uncertain as both sides maintain their military positions and Yemen's humanitarian pressures continue to grow.

There's No Isolating Iran Now /Col Lawrence Wilkerson
Daniel Davis / Deep Dive
Streamed live 117 minutes ago



Transcript

Chapter 1: Escalating global tensions President Trump keeps claiming that something big is going to happen in Iran very soon. Meanwhile, Iran and Foreign Minister Abbasi met with Sergey Lavrov and says that their relations have never been closer. At the same time, President Trump is really need Moscow on his side on that other war over there. Joining us today is former chief of staff for Colin Pal, Colonel

Larry Wilkerson. Uh, and Larry, I just got to ask you, uh, how does Trump navigate this situation here where, uh, Sergey Lavrov makes a big issue of going to talking to Abas Roxy right before everybody believes that something is about to happen here while Trump needs Russia on his side on that other war? That's a good question. Um, I think what we're looking at here is not only duplicitous diplomacy on on

on the part of Washington and the empire in general, but we're also looking at a a collision of great proportions, I think, in what I've been saying for some time now are potentialities for globalizing certain conflicts and maybe even turning them into at the end of the day nuclear conflict. And by that I mean I I think Mcronone deploying French forces as I understand he is going to do to Riad or

to the vicinity uh ostensibly just to protect civilian airliners and civilian civilians in general with regard to the really disastrous situation that occurred before where I think 300 people were involved in some sort of injury maybe 13 or 14 were killed and this is regionalizing and globalizing that conflict if that is going to be the case that is say French forces are going into Saudi Arabia not to mention regional countries that

might put some there like Egypt but without any power projection capability I I don't see how this is going to work in a substantial sort of way but nonetheless it does demonstrate how we are taking these theaters of war and Trump pertibbating them now in a way that I don't think anyone expected at least not at this moment u and co making them coalesce and produce even more tension and more potential

for disaster and their spread is a very dangerous thing to be doing whether he's saying to Zalinski I'm through with you get out or he's saying to Putin I'm really your bud now and I'm telling Zalinski to get out so let's bring this thing to a close and let's bring it to a close more or less on your terms. But oh by by the way I need a little more diesel in

order for me to do that. All of this is uh creating a situation in the world. I think that is going to be productive of deeper, more profound and more 3 minuteswidespread conflict along, as I've said before, an arc of crisis that runs all the way from the Arctic where the Chinese and Russians are now opening and using this new passageway down to Banderbar and Chabahar and splitting the heart of Europe

on its way down. um we're going to regionalize and then we're going to globalize these conflicts. And we're already globalizing the disasters from the one that if you listen to Pete Exess press conference, the one that's been completely won, the one that is just going so swimmingly that he just was unable to find words to express it. Everything from recruitment to the quality of the product the US armed forces is now

fielding to the quality of their performance in the Gulf where they have won a resounding victory called Epic Fury to I'm in Israel now and I'm looking at the one guy that's 4 minutesgoing to make sure that this is all consummated perfectly, BB Netanyahu. I mean, you can't make this stuff up. This is a a a dream administration in the sense that that's what they do all the time is dream. [laughter]

That's a good way to put it there. Yeah, they definitely are not living in the real world. Uh and let's take a look at people who do seem to be living in the Chapter 2: Russia-Iran relations real world. Uh and that is earlier today. Sergey Levro and Abbas Arachi met uh in uh Abbas Araxia on his exac account earlier this morning says we covered everything from Europe to West Asia including Lebanon,

Palestine, Ukraine and Yemen. Also focused on the expansion of economic and nuclear cooperation. Never in our history have Iran and Russia worked as closely as now. Why why do you suppose that Lavrov decided to go to Iran right now? uh what is the message that he send in there and then what about what do you make of the the conversation that th those two had on on that pretty broad range of

topics? Well, that is indeed a historic set of statements and a historic uh set of meetings, if you will. There there have been more than just Lavra and Arishi. Um, if you know Iranian history, you know that all certainly all the way back, and I'm not going to go that far, but all the way back to 1900 and Howard Baskerville and the missionary element that went over there to help Iran in

an attempt to form what would have been probably the first democratic entity called Iran. If you know anything about that, one of their greatest fears at that time and very very profoundly so was Russia. Um, always, whether it was Stalin or whomever, always coveting u Iranian territory and Iranian goods and we might as well go so far as to say coveting what the British had at the time, the Iranian uh, Iranian

oil company. uh what Mosedc did in 53 to nationalize. Um and this is historic in that sense. Um it's not just I don't think it's just targets of opportunity. I think as I've said many times before, this is the warp and woof of the colossal change that is taking place on the face of the earth right now. And I'm not talking about the climate crisis or the potential for nuclear weapons. They're

there. They're there. of course and we're not dealing with either very well. But this is monumental in terms of demonstrating this inexorable movement of power with the motive force being China out of the east and toward the west. The base road initiatives and so forth being the trademark item of that movement. But now you're looking at a expedited I would say accelerated event because we have been standing in the way and

we have been standing in the way awkwardly clumsily. We have been pushing the Europeans out to try and make them our surrogates in this battle. We've succeeded in that miraculously, much to Europe's discredit and to its uh probably destructiveness in the future if they don't correct their act. 93 million billion euros I think it is they appropriated for Ukraine. So we're looking at this incredible collision, Mir. Shammer would call it inevitable

between the country that is number one in the world now without any doubt and its allies which it is gathering to itself with rapidity that ought to stun Washington and us. And we're losing we're losing big time. Recently the report came out on energy consumption in the world. The report was done to sort of you know look at the climate and who's doing what to whom and so forth. So it included

energy consumption and it also included um renewables and other things that would take care of or pretend at least began to take care of some of man's contribution mankind's contribution to this crisis we're in. And I'm looking at it and I'm seeing, okay, the the the one parameter that means most to CIA in determining the power of a state, the one parameter is energy consumption. I'm looking at this chart. China's energy

consumption 30.4%. US energy consumption 11.6%. And I'm saying to myself, their economy is three times as big as ours. And then you look at the progress in renewables and you see that China is leading in almost every category there too. So when you start hurling rocks at them for being the greatest poller, 30.4%. Then [music] you have to also say, well, they're leading the world in those things that have to be

done if we're going to do something about this level of pollution, this level of environmental damage, this level of cont contribution to climate change. But my point is they are three times bigger and therefore more powerful than we are now. And I think Xi Jinping in this latest meeting with Trump took his measure and took his measure in a way that said I am going to deal with this guy and this

country behind him and these people behind him in the way that I have to deal with them. I didn't want to do it so abruptly. I didn't want to do it in their face as it were, but I'm going to do that now. So come on, Donald. go out there to the Pacific Conference and see if you can even hold a candle with these people because they are beating the hell out

of us right now. And not only is this movement of power from the east to the west inev inevitable and inexurable, it has been expedited majorly by your mistakes. Well, you know, you mentioned a minute ago that we're kind of in this uh fantasy land of of uh imagining what the world looks like. President Trump seems to be leading that course here. Uh this next soundbite's a little bit hard to hear

because he's out by this helicopter, but uh you hear President Trump with a great deal of self-confidence talking about how he he is making deals left and right. Chapter 3: Trump's foreign policy The Republicans have been speaking out against these deals. Well, I think when they find out what the deal is, they uh I've had four of them call up because I only put out word last night. I'm in the midst

of negotiating a [music] deal. When you're negotiating a deal, you don't do that to the people you're negotiating. And the deal's Ukraine deal. Also, I'm negotiating with them on Iran because they've been very well behaved on Iran. Also, I'm negotiating with them on hostages and I'm also negotiating on diesel. So, when you when you do that, look, that's my business. When you're negotiating, you don't do that. when I tell that to

Republicans that speak out and there aren't many of them because they have confidence in me. I'm the one that got them there. I'm the one that's winning. So, he's number one is he didn't even finish so many sentences. He kept starting new ones. So, that's kind of a weird strain of thought, but let's focus in on the one in the middle there, but he's saying he's working with Russia uh to have

a deal on Iran. Uh, how much le leverage does President Trump have to coersse Russia to do anything he wants on Iran and what could they do? You got me there. I imagine what Putin is telling him is what Putin perceives is what Trump wants to hear. I think Putin is taking Trump's measure. Um, and though I do think Putin wants and sincerely wants better relations with Washington, he does not not

necessarily want better relations with Donald Trump. Will he uh use whatever subtrafuse is necessary to convince this president to do what Putin wants more than anything else right in front of his face and that is a sessation to these hostilities in Ukraine that are causing so many Russian lives to be lost and so much treasure to be expended for something that he's already won and that the only reason he is not

consummating that victory is the Europeans and standing behind them is the United States. Although Vance left some real reason to question that by his statements when he said, "I'm not going to endorse BB Netanyahu. I'm not going to endorse any foreign." Well, he's lying. He endorsed a foreign leader a year or so ago in Europe. But he made a 13 minutesvery very pointed statement about I'm not going to endorse a leader

like that after Trump had said in essence what Lindsey Graham said on the floor of the Senate. Remember Lindsay saying on the floor of the Senate in no uncertain terms, I can quote him almost verbatim. Listen people, if Israel weren't doing it, open parenthesis, killing the Palestinians, close parenthesis. If Israel weren't doing it, we'd have to be doing it. Would you rather your sons and daughters have to be over there doing

it?" That's essentially what Trump said about BB in endorsing his election. He said he needs to be elected. He's the man because if he is not elected, we'll have to come over there and do what he's doing. Now, that was a absolutely illogical statement unless you understand it in the context of the way Lindsey Graham, Trump's buddy, said it before. So, we're we're in a situation where every it must have been

in the morning. It must have been in the morning because Trump seemed like he was a little bit more squared away than he is toward the end of the day. This was a bunch of statements that really made no sense at all in the context of what is actually happening in the world. Um, and I don't think it means squat with regard to Ukraine or Iran or any other crisis that might

be developing around them because Trump doesn't really know what's going on and doesn't know what he's doing to exacerbate what's going on. And the people with whom he's dealing are absolutely ecstatic about that because they see room to maneuver. they see room to get around in. Whether it's Sergey Larough who would put Trump to shame at any time, a moment of the day if he wanted to or whether it's Putin himself

or whether it's uh the leadership in Iran, they're winning and we're losing. And any way 15 minutesthat they can use this doom to deepen and make profound those victories and that defeat is perfectly all right with them. And I think that's way I'd look at it too were I in their shoes. Well, let's take a look at at what President Trump is is up against. Uh because we're we're getting close to

the let's see what we're exactly a week away now from the Israeli elections on the 27th of October and two weeks from the US midterm elections on the 3rd of November. So, how are those two uh events potentially uh weighing into what may happen militarily? Because President Trump keeps talking about something big is coming in Iran either before or after the midterm elections. You also have Netanyahu just a couple of days

ago in his campaign. He's talking about how look, I know that we've defeated 90% of Iran, but that 10% they're like a cancer and we have to get them off. So they're both talking boisterously. What do you think is going to happen related to these elections? Well, first of all, they're both lying. Chapter 4: Iran's military capabilities And you know, anyone looking at the situation with no bias of forethought knows they're

lie. And that includes the Iranians. And I'm sad to say in many respects, it includes most of the rest of the world. I think uh at least that rest of the world that's plugged in and knows half of what's going on in all of these situations. So what is Netanyahu lying about? Netanyahu is lying about what is going to happen with regard to Iran because what is going to happen with regard

to Iran is the destruction of the state of Israel. And I mean that sincerely. They are going to destroy Israel as a functioning state in its present position. Destroy it. And that's not all that difficult to imagine when you consider just the conventional capability that Iran still has remaining. knows it has the capability to do what it needs to do with it and is intent on doing it if it intuitits or

determines through human intelligence or whatever. And I think their human intelligence now is much better than MSAD. MSAD's had its agents destroyed by Iran from one end of the country to the other whether they were Azarani or they were Kurdish or whatever they might have been or actual Israel Israel sophants if you will inside Iran. They've all been destroyed. Not so for Iran's human intelligence inside Israel. So I think they have

a better picture of intelligence quality on Israel than Israel has on Iran. But even with that, Netanyahu is want to exaggerate right now because he wants everyone to think because of this 27th October election, which he still might cancel, especially if he finds out on the 26th with some sound reason that he's going to lose. Um I think he will or he'll do something that it it will be security-wise in his

view that he has to cancel it. He is sitting on a situation that I think he understands in terms of if the US is not with me, if we aren't combined in this last element of an attempt to complete the clean break strategy and take Iran out of the picture completely for at least several decades to come. If we aren't together, we're lost. We're going to be destroyed. And I'm prepared, for

example, and this is my great fear. I'm prepared to use nuclear weapons if that's the case. If that's my calculation at that point. Well, and that's actually what I wanted to ask you about because you you said that you think that Iran could literally destroy Israel. And of course, that that cuts against the grain of what is common belief anyway is that no, Israel is the strongest power, military power in the

region, and they have 200 nuclear weapons. So, how do you argue that they could be destroyed by a country that doesn't have nuclear weapons? 19 minutesWell, first of all, Iran does have nuclear weapons. There's no doubt in my mind that they have nuclear weapons. They made a decision and it was a decision that was, you know, batted around considerably amongst all the different power centers in Iran. But after Israel's suggestion, strong

suggestion, remember the uh briefing from Netanyahu and his head of MSAD, David Bernetta, uh just kill the Ayatollah and it'll all be over really quickly. Well, they killed him and they killed him in a very heinous way. They took him out with his family and in his quarters. And after that there was a serious come to Jesus if you will if that's not counterintuitive come to Muhammad maybe meeting amongst all the

power centers and the guardian council the maj leadership the IRGC leadership who orchestrated the meeting I think always wanting to have done this in many respects beforehand they got their wish and they decided that it was no longer reasonable to be Gaddafi when you could beat Kim Jong-un. And I think that was very persuasive with all manner of elites in Iran. And they made a decision at that moment. And at that

moment they enriched and they made and they have the missile, they have the warhead technology, they have the scientific uh capacity to link the two. I was involved in the AQA network and its eventual takedown and I was very much involved in what North Korea did for Iran and to a certain extent what Iran did for North Korea although the bargain was much more the other way Pyongyang to Thran and I

know everything pretty much in way of expertise that was transmitted to the Iranians by the North Koreans. Um, and 21 minutesthat expertise was put on hold. It was put on hold just as our intelligence community said it was. They were not going to make a decision. They were going to enrich and they were going to enrich to a certain amount, but they were not going to make a decision to go the

full monty, if you will, until and if only that was blessed by the gurus in the Islamic world. Well, we took out and we took out in a very heinous fashion that latest guru and that kicked the bucket down the road to the point where the IRGC RGC leadership won the argument. And I think they have a nuclear weapon or two or three. And I think they may have even tested. We

just did not detect it just like we did not detect the test in North Korea the first one. Um, so that is in the play now. And you say, well, Israel's got a lot more 22 minutesnuclear weapons than Iran. And Israel has a platform to deliver that nuclear weapon, their diesel submarines from a wash deck, a wash position in the eastern Med or in the North Arabian Sea or wherever has enough

range and so forth. And I say back to you, send your nuclear weapons into Iran and see what happens. then send just one or two into Israel targeted at Hifa, Tel Aviv, Deona, and all the facilities there in. Maybe I don't think they would hit Jerusalem, but I can't count that out entirely. Um, and Israel disappears. Iran will have a few mushroom clouds floating around and maybe some down downward radiation that

people won't like on the other side of the Gulf and maybe a a truly nasty situation in terms of the blowdown and the destruction that does occur in Iran. But Israel will be gone. Israel will be gone. And I don't have to ponder who will resurrect themselves from that destruction. It'll be Iran and Iran will be the country in the region that uh everyone has to look toward in order to restore

any kind of sobriety in their own governments or their own countries. I hesitate to call them that because they're all collapsing. They're all collapsing the way we thought they would collapse when Hosny Babarak collapsed himself in Egypt and we were so euphoric about the so-called Arab Spring. You may recall Bahrain went almost immediately in that spring and we put assets in there including fifth fleet people who actually saved the royals in

Bahrain and as a you know gift to us after we did that they provided us with the extensive facilities that eventually turned into fifth fleet headquarters in the region uh in Bahrain. That's the bill we paid in order to keep the people of Bahrain from rising up and overthrowing their government. That's going to happen wholesaley now. Wholesaly that's going to happen. The one country, the one country that it might not happen

in is Oman because the Sultan and his family have not been as egregious totalitarians ripping off their people and so forth as has been MBS and all the rest of those states from Kuwait to UAE and Qatar. Um, so this is going to be a really hugely difficult problem for the region to deal with for a long time to come. But I'll guarantee you the power to reckon with in that long

time is not going to be Israel, it's going to be Iran. And and let me get back to this this other issue there because you you've raised a bunch of of uh really big points here that the conventional wisdom has been that uh Iran continues to say as recently as like two or three weeks ago, we don't have a nuclear weapon. We still have the fatwa. It hasn't been negative negated. So

we still don't have it and we don't we're not going to pursue it. But then here in the last couple of days, this uh this information has come out on on Chapter 5: The risk of war with Iran Iranian media where several uh senior officials in the Iranian government has said, you know what, um we this new supreme leader may reconsider that. We welcome the news that he's considering do we may

get out of the NPT. Do you argue that maybe these things are coming out now because they already have the bomb according to what you say? Uh and that this is just like maybe they're going to bring it out into the open now. What do you think? That's a possibility if if they determine in their collective wisdom that uh and I I I mean probably the long pole in the tent there

is the IRGC. Now um if they determine that it would be conducive to their interest to announce this as a deterrent in a preemptive sort of way then yes I think they would make it public. But I think the likelihood is that they will key their actions on BB's actions. And if it looks at any moment like BB is going to do something with nuclear weapons, they're either going to simultaneously hit

him or preempt him. Um, and the difference is just colossal. It's like dropping several nuclear weapons on the entirety of Western Europe as opposed to dropping them on New York City. I mean, it's extremely extremely destructive to hit Israel with just one, let alone two or three. Um, and I think actually conventionally with the sophisticated ballistic missiles remaining in great quantity in Iran's inventory and their ability to fire them and to

fire them with incredible accuracy, they could do it conventionally. If they put enough of those missiles on enough of the critical targets in is Israel, they could do the destruction of Israel conventionally. So that's the advantage that they have now. And it's a huge advantage if you think about it. And it's an advantage that Pete Exathth and I suspect Donald Trump have no clue about when they are making all these statements

and throwing all this rhetoric out there. I think BB does and I think that's extremely dangerous that BB does because BBE then once he realizes the turmoil and trouble he's in is more apt to commence this whole exchange than perhaps Iran is. And I'm I'm assuming that their human intelligence will be good enough in Iran that they will know at least roughly the time that it takes place. And so we may

have almost a mutual exchange of these extremely destructive weapons, whether it's conventional on Iran's side and conventional on the Israeli side is really immaterial because Iran's going to do the major damage. Israel cannot match conventionally the power that Iran has against it. That's partly because of the power Iran has conventionally, but it's also partly because of the compact area Iran has to hit to do maximum damage to Israel. You know, you

you could not conventionally, we're watching it, Danny. Conventionally, you cannot defeat Iran. You just can't. Moabs, notwithstanding all the rest of this crap that Trump keeps talking about, you are not going to defeat Iran with conventional weaponry. Okay. And that's actually something I wanted to ask you about. Let's just hope and pray that this doesn't go nuclear because if it does, all bets are off and and it's just catastrophe for the

world. I mean, there's nothing no way you can say it. Let's look though at the convention. Let's see. Let's pray to God that somehow this stays conventional. Uh what is the what is the challenge facing Trump? He's because he's talked about, oh, I might go in with a Moab. It's it's like a tiny nuke and yeah, I can go in pickaxe mountain, whatever. Compare the the difference the standard that President Trump

would have to defeat Iran and the standard that Iran would have to have to just outlast the United States. What is the difference objectives that each side has to do to be successful? We already seeing it. Trump has declared victory. EP fury and Hexath repeated that in his press conference. Epic fury is over. We've won. We've done it. We've destroyed their navy. We destroyed their air force. We We've destroyed Iran. They're

just waiting to come to the table and give us what we want. That's essentially the message he delivered. That's essentially the message that Trump has been trying to sell even to his own political party. And it's been very difficult to sell it to some of the smarter people in it. That's what Trump's posture is right now. He knows, I think, intuitively, if not intellectually, he knows he's lost. He knows there's nothing

he can do in addition to what he's already done conventionally to bring Iran to its knees. BB knows the same thing. They can marshall all the force they want to. And oh, by the way, if we are stupid enough, Danny, to marshall a lot of our air power inside Israel like we were want to do before, including tankers, fighters, and other things at Bengurian or wherever, those are going to go too.

And they're going to go in the first wave of Iranian attacks because they're going to pinpoint target those. If we're bringing them in from outside, we've got a real problem marshalling any kind of concentrated combat power to include any kind of land forces, which they're still letting out as hints every now and then. We've got real problems on projecting that power in any sense conventionally to make any decision decisively with regard

to Iran's ability to stand up to it. So you you boil it all down to the fact that one we have lost. Two, the regional countries that compose the GCC and some other countries too like Jordan have lost and may not exist in another year or two if not quicker. And three, Iran has won. Where is Israel in all this? Israel is sitting there waiting to be destroyed or to destroy. I

would put every penny that I had, if I had pennies, I would put it on Iran destroying Israel rather than Israel destroying Iran. So that's where we are now. If these people want to march on down this road, the road is clearly marked. It's clearly signed. You know what's going to happen if you have a brain or even half a brain. And yet, as in wars in the past, we are walking

down these roads together. BB and us. And the end of this road is our destruction. BB in total. Us in terms of gone from the region for the foreseeable future. That's where we are. And no one wants to admit it. No one wants to admit it on our side. Certainly not Hexath. that incom that he issued forth with this morning or yesterday, whenever it was. I watched it at 4:30 a.m. this

morning. Um, a disaster. I that that Massie wants to impeach him. I would take that videotape and play it to the Congress, you know. And if it appear I I actually have not seen that. So, uh, we'll we'll see Gary if you can see if you can find it. Uh but let's just take a look at some of the reports that I've been getting from from folks who have some knowledge about

some what are the potentials here. Apparently still on the table in addition to a potential Moab on Picax Mountain is that we may are still thinking about using troops to take either Car Island or Keshim Island. Something one of those two some kind of physical point. I cannot for the life of me fathom even a conceptual benefit to even attempting to do so. I don't know what taking a dot on the

Iranian map is going to have any impact in opening the straight of Hormuz for example. What do you think would happen? And you can pick either one of them either Keshum or or Car Island. What would happen if we attempt to actually take one of those islands? I think we'll lose a lot of offsprays, a lot of parachutes, a lot of whatever mechanism we try to use to entice the forces there.

And I can't believe we would sail a big flat amphibious bottom up there. We'd lose it all. Um, and if we didn't lose it in the initial waves, we would lose it in the aftermath because you're not going to be able to supply them. You're not going to be able to give them the water they need, the food they need. You're not going to be able to give them anything because the

air will be full of drones and full of Iranian missiles and you will be killed or captured or worse. [laughter] It'll be like Mogadishu all over again where you know they're parading our troops through the streets and using them as Powell said at the time using the CNN effect for strategic purposes. You know, right after that is when Bill Clinton made the decision to withdraw from Somalia. Uh that was a very

decisive moment and Powell called it the CNN moment because CNN at that moment parading our troops through the streets 35 minutesof Mogadishu looking pretty bad and looking dire was enough to convince the president of the United States that he needed to withdraw. Took him a long time to do it, but we did. I think that's the kind of impact you would have here. Does Trump Does Hegath want that kind of impact?

They they've been able to hide a lot of this. They've hidden it and they've warped it. Like talking about that Air Force pilot who came down from the mountain as it were and heroically putting all this stuff out there as if it was a success when it was an abject failure. They would try that perhaps, but I don't think you'd be able to hide this. There'd be too many people that would

be uh shall we say using LANCAD or whatever to kind of, you know, advertise this. It'd be a disaster. It would be a disaster. And I can't believe that we would be contemplated. Not Not even someone as stupid as Hex. Yeah. And you you can't you can't hide casualties, especially at the level they've done a good job of that. They've done a good job of hiding it. I I'm told the casualties

are probably double what they have officially reported. Now I I can't get the WIA KIA equivalency. Um but I'm told that they are still hiding some of the casualties that have occurred in this epic fury victory. Yeah. Yeah. And uh that that doesn't surprise me in the least. Uh it just seems like that's the case. Um I I want to shift over to see the other other half of this uh uh

equation for President Trump because he whatever he's going to do in Iran, I think it's going to be disaster. The only thing he can do that makes any sense that would help even him is to just do the walk away plan and just just say, "All right, that's it. We harmed them for 20 decades it'll take to rebuild and blah blah blah." and just walk away and be done 37 minuteswith it.

That would be the lowest cost, least bad option that he could do. I I hope that he ends up taking some version of that. We'll see what he does. But he is President Trump is putting a lot more of his eggs right now in the European basket, meaning the war between Russia and Ukraine. And he has uh recently uh made some pretty uh negative comments about Zilinski, like this one here. Zilinsky

says, "You're on the wrong side of history on this one. Chapter 6: Ukraine conflict and diplomacy Zilinski said it. Zilinski doesn't know what he's talking about. Zilinski is a man that should have had this war settled a long time ago. If he would have listened to me, he would have made a much better deal a long time ago and it have a million people living from his side. And to be honest,

I don't think I think it's time for somebody else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine because what's happened? Very little land is moved. But a million people, a tremendous number of people are dead. They're losing their male population. Ukraine could have had this thing settled a long time ago. If he would have listened to me, and you remember the Oval Office, he would have had this settled a long time ago. Maybe

it's time for Zilinski to get somebody else to negotiate. Okay, so now there is some truth to what he said there that that this could have been done a long time ago, but I mean, President Trump is the president of the United States and he could have done a lot of things that he didn't do. What do you make of this? First thing is what you just said, Donald. You said before

the inauguration and after the inauguration that you were going to do just what you just said and you didn't do it. Why didn't you do it? Tell us about the pressures on you. If there were pressures, tell us about the vicissitudes of your doing it. Tell us about why you couldn't say what you just said a million casualties ago. Tell me now, please. He couldn't answer the question. Uh he wouldn't even

try to answer the question because he knows he couldn't answer it. He just gets away with this bluster when he wants the bluster to come out. Well, apparently he blustered over the telephone to both Putin and Zalinski and then back to the other one again. And right now he's apparently making some kind of deal with Putin that will involve Putin doing what Trump wants him to do with regard to diesel and

maybe some other commodities and what Putin wants him to do with regard to Zalinski. So he is consequently cutting Zalinsky loose and probably going to bed at night if he says his prayers and saying, "Won't someone rid me of that troublesome guy as Henry II did." Um, and I think probably that's going to happen. Uh, is it going to happen in time to save some more Ukrainian lives? I think the polls

now, reliable polls, show 62% of the Ukrainian people would like Zillinsky gone and like the war to end on whatever terms it has to end so long as the drones quit shooting into their hotel rooms and or energy picture looks a little bit better and so forth. Um it it's just a matter of time till he's in his Bugatti running out or you know whatever dasha he wishes to go to. I

think it's just a matter of time. Maybe somebody's going to shoot him. That that's the usual Ukrainian uh conclusion to something like this. But Trump is setting this up or he's trying to set this up. And at the same time, he's having to deal with Europeans who think he's nuts. They've thought he was nuts for some time now, but now they really think he's nuts because they aren't saying this. And JD

Vance is praising them. And Marco Rubio is praising them for getting up to five. Oh, Hegathth 2 getting up to 5% that he couldn't leave that out in his press conference. They're up to 5% or they will be there shortly. Yeah. And look at what's happening to them. They're falling apart. Look at Mcron. He's got 1792 all over again in France. Um you're you're causing all this to happen and and you're

acting as if it's something that's outside your kin until this moment that I'm speaking. Sorry, Mr. President. This has been inside your responsibility for two freaking years, and you've done nothing about it. And now look what you're doing. Um, again, Donald's wrong. And uh, what do you make of this uh, this relatedly President Putin saying, "Hey, how about you and me and and Xihinping get together in Beijing and we sort this

whole thing out?" Do you think that's number one is going to happen? And number two, uh why would why would Putin and Xiinping want to have this uh this meeting with Trump because do they think he'll actually deliver? I think it's a an attempt probably a lastditch attempt to avert a more 42 minutesserious situation which both Putin and Xi Jinping to their credit don't want to develop. And the only way they

see causing it not to develop in a positive way is getting Trump to do what they want him to do. I don't think it's going to work, but they're making a last stitch effort to not just use the growing power that they have at their beck and call really, but to use common sense and good diplomacy to bring about a sort of a a truce, if you will. And uh no one

is, I think, questioning anymore in the world that thinks. No, no one who's winning this. No one's questioning who's going to be the arbiter of the globe's future in a significant sort of way, probably very shortly, if not already. And that's China and China's allies. Twothirds of the world's population, twothirds of its GDP, and an exorable push outward toward the Atlantic that has been arrested by the Ukraine war and by other

tensions in Europe, but will come eventually. And all of this will change the entire warp and woof of global commerce. It'll be predominantly over land and not over sea. A traditional historical battle that's gone on for 5,000 years. And this one's going to be won by the side pushing the land routes as opposed to the side pushing the water routes and the maritime environment. We don't want to abandon that for sure.

They don't want us to abandon it completely because there's still enough vestigial vestigial uh maritime problems and and concourses that we still need the US Navy. I saw this in 2009 in Beijing when we did the petroleum disruption exercise there. The Chinese welcomed the presence of the United States Navy after two of those incidents we postulated in that exercise because it is still a powerful navy and it is still got the

mission of policing the world seas whether it's freedom of navigation operations or other more overt uh displays of American power. They don't necessarily apprec appreciate those latter, but they can deal with those. They don't want to see that go away too precipitously. But here's the kicker. If it has to and they determine, for example, in this meeting they're going to have with Trump present, and I'll be interested to see if he

is actually president, if they determine in that that they don't have any recourse other than eliminating it, they will eliminate it. And prophecy more or less comes true that rising power, declining power, precipitously declining power and very much rising power with allies galore determines the fate of the globe. And that's as it's been for, you know, at least the 5,000 years we know something about. It's going to be that way again.

And we're going to be on the losing end of the stick. Yeah. It's uh decline relative decline is is outside of our ability to control because that it's a relative meaning if the other sides are rising you can't do anything about that. So your position may relatively change but that doesn't mean we have to lose our quality of life for example we can just still cooperate and get along with everybody and

be pretty absolutely safe and secure which is what they want. I'm convinced it's what they want. I've been in China since 1984. I'm convinced that's what they want. They do not want to ransack the western hemisphere. They would prefer to to have it accommodate in a spirit of comety, collaboration and cooperation with the incredible knowledge that the real power in the world economically and otherwise is on the other side of the

globe now like it was for years and years and years before. Read you. I want to give this book out to every American. It's called A Short History of the Chinese People. And it was given to me at the Naval War College by a CIA operative who had retired, if they ever retire, and become a professor at the Naval War College. And he was a fluent Chinese, you know, Mandarin speaker. He

could even speak some of the dialects that grew up around Shanghai and other places. Um, knew China inside out. And he handed me the book one day and he said, "Major, you read this book and don't you believe any of that that you might hear about the United States." [laughter] He is the civilizational center of the world. And yeah, that's it. Yep. That's Chapter 7: Global shifts and consequences it. The short

history of the Chinese people. El Carrington Goodrich. And what does this tell you? What's the what's the thesis? Well, it it tells you, for example, that what Marco Rubio in Athens the other day extol the Greeks for. Sparta, Athens, the Pelpeneisian League, the democracy, which was sitting on top of helot slaves. In other words, all of this, China did it years, decades, centuries before the Greeks did it. What is all this

focus on the Romans and the Greeks when in essence what China did was equal to what they did in governance, in socialization, in historical moves, in inventions, in science, in math. It was all done in China years before it was done in Greece and Rome. So, uh, let's at least recognize that. And I would say too, oh, by the way, Marco, did you know that none of that stuff that you're extolling

from the Greeks and the Romans would be available to us had it not been for the Arabs because they transmitted it. It was it was going away. It was disappearing. And they assembled everything in the li at the library principally in Alexandria. and they translated it very painstakingly and they then made it a part of the warp and woof of their society and passed it on to the developing empires that were

coming on the scene in the west. So the world is much more connected than Rubio was intimating in the in that speech. Yeah. And I I don't know how much he wanted to to connect the world as he wanted to suppress other parts and elevate us back up. Well, exactly. But you got to have some comprehension of history before you start speaking in a a diplomatic historical sense like that um and

extolling. Well, look at what Athens has just done. It's sold out to Israel. Athens let its entire debt be compensated for by Israel with our tax money of course in order to get through the fiscal year and Athens is now a vassal state of Israel will do whatever their bidding is to include stirring up Cyprus so the Turks get pissed off. I mean you can't make this stuff up. Israel's got its

fingers all around there and their fingers are greased with US dollars. Yikes. Uh, switching back over to uh to the Ukraine situation, we we talked about or showed you Trump talking about how the Zalinsky they need to get a new negotiator. Then he's a previously said they need to get a new president. Well, uh, on American television on Sunday, uh, NBC News, I think it was, asked Zonesky about this. How do

you feel about President Trump saying these things? And can you can you win if Trump walks away from you? Here's what he said. Prevail or not prevail, it's all about it's about our people. If it's without United States support, it's very difficult. But if United States will support Putin, I mean it's unbelievable. It's tragedy. It's historic mistake and big tragedy. That's why I think that uh I don't want to to to

live in illusions but I think that we have to be pragmatic. If United States will take officially will take the side of Russia. Of course if these two countries will be together of course of course we will not prevail and we will not be able to stand. Now, I I think he was probably working in coordination with the Europeans there to try to make it sound like not that Trump is going

to walk away, but he's going to pick Russia over Ukraine and actually work together with him against Ukraine. I think that's an attempt to shame President Trump and shaming the United States into going backwards and do it. Is he going to succeed with that? I think you're right in your interpretation of it. and what Trump should do. And one of the acts that he could perform immediately or near near immediately and

make this a positive situation is to come out and say, "I saw that and I agree with him completely. Go leave." Will Trump be that forceful? I doubt it. Seriously. But but what does that tell you about the state of play there? Because I I I mean I think that you and I have discussed this before. There is no path for if there's no path for for uh us to defeat Iran.

There is even less path for Ukraine to ever even survive, much less ever defeat Russia. So there's no point in even going down that path here. I don't know why no one says that part out loud. But whatever. What is the why would Europe continue to support something that I think you can rationally make an incredibly logical case that can never be won and that can only lose? Why would it you've

current or Europe be so willing to back something that can't succeed? Danny, that's the question of the age, whatever age it might be. Why do people do things that are clearly in their disinterest and that even in retrospect will look stupid, calamitous, and all hard to believe that they did it. Um I I looked at the same I looked at the George W. Bush administration with the same kind of reluctance to

believe some of the things that I actually participated in and as as a lesser person of course but and I couldn't believe some of the decisions that we'd made and why we made them and why someone at the time didn't listen to the people because every time I was president there were people presenting the opposite. There were people presenting what turned out to be better advice than the ones that were followed.

And you you look at yourself and you say, "Well, how did I even get into that circumstance?" And how did they get into that circumstances? Did they lie, cheat, and steal? Well, yes, in some instances to get to that point. Are they just that stupid? Are they the kind of people that don't understand one of the first principles of diplomacy? You never want to have more enemies at one time than you

can handle and go about creating enemies here, there, and everywhere. It's a question that historians ask every time 20, 30 years later, how did this happen? How did we get to that point? How did so many supposedly smart people, people experienced in government in a decision making, how did they make such lousy, incomprehensibly stupid decisions? And yet they did and history keeps asking those questions. And where can this go now? I

I mean what? Let's just look at it in peace here. Zalinsky is trying to shame President Putin, President Trump in into coming back onto him. I I I think that unlike the uh the February 2025 debacle in the uh in the in the Oval Office, I don't think that I don't think there's a comeback to this, I don't think he survives this with Trump. And if that doesn't happen, regardless of what

may or may not happen with Xiinping and and China, where can this war go for Ukraine? On the positive side, the killing could be stopped. Second, the restoration of Ukraine as it is a rump state could be begun. Third, you could get money out of I think the take that $93 billion that they've appropriated apparently through the EU for further fueling of the conflict. take that and turn it on fixing what

is left of Ukraine and make sure that the whole time you're doing this whatever apparatus you have put in because you are going to have to put something in and it can't be NATO it it cannot be NATO I don't even know if it can be UN maybe it has to be something set up on the side like we did in Haiti one time didn't work too well but and and Chinese

actually participated in that but you need some kind of mechanism M to keep the residual Nazis who are not going to go away, at least the ones who haven't been killed. Many of them have now been killed since they put them on the front lines. But you've got to have something in there in between for at least a decade probably to make sure that nothing really violative of whatever protocols are set

up happens. And that rump state has to regrow itself into being something that is survivable and neutral and neutral and neutral. Not a member of NATO nor even with a thought about being a member of NATO and not probably a member of the EU because the EU is going to self-destruct here very shortly too. Mainly over its farm and agricultural policy but other things too. It's happening in France right now. Happening

in France right now. Um, so you know, it can it can be handled, but it's going to be tedious. It's going to think about Korea and the DMZ. It's still there. Um, won't be that fractious, I don't think, because after all, this is Europe. Maybe I shouldn't say that. It is Europe. [laughter] But but you know 10 years maybe you've got a reasonable state there with its 57 minutescapital in the Keefe

and it's doing all right because they're they do have some entrepreneurial people as well as a bunch of criminals that are par excellence on the face of the earth. Look at Albania now. Look at Kosova now. They are just like Ukraine. They are full of criminals. Full of people who think that their purpose in life is to live off their fellow man in one way or another. um watch for Kosovo and

Albania and that whole area to erupt here in not too long a time. And last question, if uh if Zilinsky is not successful at pulling Trump back into the orbit by whatever means, does he survive? Because I mean there's already talks about uh some in Ukraine have been saying, "Hey, there's a lot of people that want a change. They want to change you." some former uh members of the European Ukrainian Parliament.

Um, can can Zolinsky survive if he doesn't get Trump back one way or the other? I think not. Uh, and I think he probably realizes that and I think he's probably got several escape clauses somewhere. That they'll work is another matter altogether. But, uh, I suspect we're going to wake up one day and the Zman will not be around anymore, man. And that was that would be such a tra I mean

it's already a tragedy for the Ukraine people. Uh so many are dead. President Trump said over a million. It's the second time he said that publicly. I think it's probably more than that. But it's definitely not less than that. Twice that. I I have certainly heard some people suggest that as well. But whatever it is such a catastrophic number that never needed to happen. And and uh and and look obviously Russia

was there. They went into the country in February 24. We can argue about why they say they're perfectly justified in it. From their position, they are. But what I think also has to be considered is that Zalinsky himself, while being hailed as the the new Churchill in this when this war started and making of being a rock star for the first couple of years, I think that he was primarily responsible for

the unwillingness to acknowledge reality and protect his people with the negotiated deal he could have had so many times. And I think he is the primary reason so many of those are dead. And I think history is going to show that however he may escape this. I think you're right. And I think the fact that he let Boris Johnson apparently do what Boris Johnson did at our behest, I'm sure, and Britain's

behest in Istanbul and with the agreement that would have been far better than what he's got now is just unconscionable. I mean, the fact that he he clung to his pride, if you will, instead of taking that and saying, "No, I'm a wise statesman. I really am not a wararmonger. I'm a wise statesman." And a wise statement statesman does what is best for his people [snorts] at the time it's available. And

this is what I'm going to do and shut the whole thing down. uh what 500,000 at least casualties short of the present number and he would have gone down initially maybe as a traitor to his country but if he survived doing that and often when you do something smart and wise you have to survive the aftermath in order to enjoy the fruits of your victory if you will and that's tough sometimes

but he would have survived I think in a much better posture and ultimately been a hero like Nelson Mandela coming off of uh Devil's Island was ultimately a hero. Um sometimes you have to make some really hard decisions and if you're thinking about your people and not yourself primarily, you will make those decisions regardless. That was not Zalinski in my view. It simply was not and it and I mean I have

to add you you mentioned Boris Johnson. did Joe Biden, 1 minutehis his entire administration, President Trump failure to do all the stuff that he promised to do when he first came in and only now getting around to it. I think there's so much Western blame to go around with all this. I mean, it's a horrible thing. And it's just that it's always the Ukrainian people that are the billers. Whether it's Russia,

whether it's Europe, whether it's United States, they or Zillinsky, they have been paying the bill. And that's I I just find that just as a human egregious. I'd love to see that stop soon. Well, look at look at the bill paying in Gaza. I think Ralph Nater's right. Underneath that rubble, there's probably somewhere between 400 and 600,000 Palestinians and 50% of them at least are women and children and old men. Um,

and we'll never know that. We'll never know that. There are so many bodies under that rubble, Danny. so many bodies that their juices are now seeping into the groundwater and contaminating water as far away as Hifa. Wow. I did not hear that. 2 minutesI know. I They don't want you to hear it. They don't want you to hear it. [laughter] Yeah, I know. The Lancet has said that there it's somewhere around

600,000 uh when in total more than just a Thanks. And the Israelis certainly don't want you to know it. They don't want you to know either that they're killing somewhere between 12 and 30 every day even now under the humanitarian organization. Yeah. Under the so-called ceasefire. But yeah, lot to discuss there. Well, listen, I appreciate you coming on today. If uh we have to be able to honestly uh call things out

for what they are, to expose the reality, the truth so that we can ever get to some kind of an end. And we really appreciate you coming on doing that as always. Thank you. Good to be with you. and we appreciate you guys too. Uh we will be back with you in about an hour for Andre Martianov uh excess secret Iran war meeting. We're going to get into some of that this

afternoon and also what what else is going on in the Russia Ukraine war. As always, Andre has some great insights into that. Don't want to miss that. 2 o'clock today on the Daniel Davis deep dive. Please consider becoming a member. Member support means that we get to spend more time reporting and less time giving you ads like miracle supplements or gold. Deep dive survives because of members like you who support us.

Thank you.

Egypt Hesitates As Yemeni Resistance Destroys Saudi Training Camp
Reason2Resist with Dimitri Lascaris
Oct 20, 2026

The Egyptian Parliament has delayed a decision whether to approve the transfer of Egyptian troops to Saudi Arabia after Iran's Foreign Minister delivered a stark warning to Egypt.

Meanwhile, the Yemeni resistance struck a Saudi military training camp in southern Yemen, killing more more than seventy and wounding more than two hundred persons at the camp.

Dimitri Lascaris discusses the latest developments in the West's wars of aggression on Yemen and Iran, as well as a worsening crisis in the global sulphur market, ominous signs of a joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, and the shrinking global supply of oil tankers.



Transcript

Good day. This is Demetri Lceros coming to you from Kamata, Greece on October 20th, 2026 for Reason to Resist. Is Egypt's Washingtonbacked dictator having second thoughts about sending Egyptian men to die in Saudi Arabia and Yemen? In this report, we'll cover the latest developments in the deliberations of the Egyptian political elite over this critically important issue. We'll also discuss other important developments in the west war of

war wars of aggression on Iran and on Yemen and uh we will also touch upon the conditions in the oil markets and uh importantly in the market for sulfur. Now, before we get into it, please remember to like like and share this video if you find it to be informative. And if you're not already a subscriber, we hope you'll become one and help us to expand the reach of our unapologetic on

the ground resistance journalism. So, with that, let's get into it. And we will begin as usual nowadays with a discussion of the developments in the genocidal Saudi war on Yemen. The provincial media office in Yemen's Shabwa province reports an attack by Ansarala on a Saudi training camp in the province yesterday uh and that it killed at least 73 individuals. Presumably they were uh officers who were training uh young men to fight

against Ansadala or the trainee themselves. You can see uh a report in Reuters published today and according to this report which relies upon information from the provincial media office uh 14 people remain missing and more than 200 are wounded according to the Saudibbacked regime. Uh local authorities said three ballistic missiles hit security forces on Monday during training. Reuters verified video showed injured people and bloodied bodies uh scattered on the ground. And

in fact, in this article, uh there is close-up photography of some of the uh victims lying on the ground. We have cut that out, uh in order to uh uh protect those of you who are uh you know, understandably sensitive to gruesome imagery of that kind. Uh now Ansarah's military spokesperson Yaka S said the camp was run by Saudis and that Saudi and Saudi authorities did not immediately respond uh to a

Reuters request for comment. If you're wondering this is Shabua Province there uh colored in red. It is apparently an energyrich province. It lies uh on the coast, the southern coast of Yemen to the uh the uh east of Aiden, the coastal city of Aiden, which is the stronghold of the Saudibbacked regime. And um apparently this province or much of it is under the control of something called the Southern uh Transitional Council

or STC. And the STC has been supported principally by the UAE. uh although I I believe it also has at least at various times also received the backing of the Saudi dictatorship. Now separately Ansarah published today a remarkable video of uh in in length by the way uh showing combat uh intense combat in mountainous terrain uh against Saudibacked forces. The precise location of this combat is unclear. I'm guessing that it's in

or around the city. uh it would be around the mountainous areas around Taes where the most intense uh ground battles seem to be occurring. This is the third largest city in Yemen uh that is surrounded by Ansadala forces. Uh they apparently have penetrated into the western part of the city and they are seizing the high ground. I'll come back to that in a moment. For the time being, I'm going to show

you an excerpt from this combat video. Although you can see strikes on uh troops in the distance, uh you can't see up close uh any disturbing imagery. Uh with that as background, however, uh here is uh the excerpt. Oh Yo, I am Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Go. How can Now a few comments on that video. First of all, it appears that Unsatala and there have been other reports to this

effect. It has uh tanks in its arsenal. Uh secondly uh it is remarkable uh the precision with which they are able to strike uh using various munitions uh these peaks uh which offer advantageous positions for the enemy troops. And uh thirdly uh can you imagine uh troops for example from Egypt that are not accustomed to uh fighting in the mountainous terrain of Yemen going up against Ansaralah. Uh I think uh we

can uh uh easily uh imagine that those troops would be uh repulsed and if not repulsed they would certainly suffer very serious casualties. Something that uh would be weighing on the mind of any dictator uh who's feeling that uh uh the stability of his regime uh in a Washingtonbacked uh state in the region is uh tenuous at this particular moment. And frankly I think to varying degrees all the Saudi all the

westernbacked autotocracies in the region have a tenuous grip on power right now. Now uh in related newsah claims to have captured Han Mountain which is west of Taes after expelling the fighters of the Saudi back plc from it. This terrain may in fact have been uh Han Mountain but I'm not able to confirm that. And uh to back up its claim, Ansala published uh photographs of its fighters on a peak overlooking

Taiz city on Han Mountain. And here is one of those photographs. Now, the Middle East spectator reports uh today that multiple Yemeni ballistic missiles uh have been have struck targets inside Saudi Arabia, including the capital, Riyad. Uh, it also published a video of what it says was a uicide drone on its way to attacking Saudibacked mercenaries inside Yemen. And here's uh that video. Now, I'm not able to confirm uh as to

those ballistic missile attacks in Saudi Arabia uh whether in fact they hit their intended targets or how much damage was done. But of course, if we get information in that regard, we will certainly share it with you. Now, in related news, the uh progenocide British regime has announced that it is sending Typhoon fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. And here is a report, one of many today relating to that development. And uh

this is uh uh this article states, "Britain will fly Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets on defensive missions to help protect Saudi cities and critical national infrastructure from Houthi aerial attacks." The Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday, notice that it doesn't say it's going to protect military targets, uh military bases, for example, of the Saudi dictatorship. And then the article says, "The ministry said the aircraft would operate only in defensive role

and would not conduct offensive strikes against the aligned Houthis whose attacks Britain says threaten regional stability and risk disrupting energy supplies and trade routes." Quote, "The continuing attacks from the Houthis on our ally Saudi Arabia are absolutely despicable. It's not the genocide that Saudi has been perpetrating for over a decade on the Yemeni people. That's not what is absolutely despicable. It's the retaliatory strikes of Ansaralah and the statement of the British

regime goes on to say the targeting of the airport in Riyad in particular shows the lengths the Houthis are going to escalate the situation in the region. Uh, defense minister West Streing said in a statement, of course, he didn't mention the dozens and dozens of attacks by Saudi on Yemeni airports over the last 10 years, including the one that relaunched this war uh in early July when the Saudis bombed the civilian

airport in Sana as an Iranian commercial jetliner was preparing to land with a delegation of Yemenes who had attended the funeral of the martyed supreme leader Ali Kamei. Now I want to point out uh that every single government uh that has announced uh regime government what have you that has announced that it is sending forces or has sent forces to Saudi Arabia uh in uh connection with this war on the side

of the Saudis and whether it's the British whether it's the Turkish regime the Pakistani regime uh the progenocide government of Kiryakos Mitzotakis whoever it may be and also the Egyptian dictator dictatorship which is seems poised to send forces there. I'll come back to that in a minute. They all say they're going there on a purely defensive uh mission. Uh let me be clear about this folks. This distinction in this context between

defensive and offensive missions is completely and utterly meaningless because they are fighting on the side of the aggressor. And by even if they're only protecting the aggressor from attacks uh that are in effect retaliation for the aggression from the victims of the aggression, what they're basically doing is they are uh blunting or diminishing to the extent that their defensive uh manu so-called defensive maneuvers are effective. They're blunting or diminishing the deterrence

that the uh victims of the aggression uh can effect by striking back. And when they diminish or undermine the deterrence that emboldens the Saudis to continue the aggression. So there is no distinction, zero distinction in this context when you are fighting on the side of an aggressor. Even if you keep your troops inside the territory of the aggressor and the sole function is to guard against incursions on the ground into the

territory of the aggressor or to shoot down incoming missiles or drones, even if that's all your troops do. And I wouldn't trust any of these regimes to limit these operations to that degree. But let's say they do, they are still in effect enabling Saudi Arabia to continue this war of aggression. uh they're facilitating it and probably they themselves are participating to some degree or another whether by providing uh intelligence, providing training,

providing uh refueling aircraft, they probably are participating in attacks on Yemeni territory itself. So don't believe a word of this. These people are all engaged collectively in a war of aggression, a genocidal war of aggression on Yemen and all of them should be held accountable in accordance with international law and basic human decency. Now uh let's move on then uh to uh the issue of Egypt. Now, we reported yesterday that Egypt

was poised to send military troops to Saudi, but that the proposal uh at least in theory needed under the Egyptian constitution the approval of twothirds of the members of the Egyptian parliament. And uh as we reported uh there were apparently two meetings held uh one on Saturday and one yesterday, I'm sorry, one Sunday and one yesterday on Monday by the Egyptian Parliament. uh they were apparently uh behind closed doors although Egyptian

media were reporting that there were concerns being expressed by parliamentarians who were putting on a show of democracy and apparently the decision was supposed to have been made yesterday in the second uh closed dooror meeting of the parliament. Well uh the press are now reporting that Egypt's uh parliament has delayed a vote on military support for Saudi Arabia. Uh this was published yesterday uh by Al Jazzida who which wrote Egypt's parliament

has delayed a vote on authorizing its armed forces to support Saudi Arabia which has come under increase in attack from yes folks the Iran aligned Houthies. They always have to say it unaligned. The vote has been adjourned to October 26. So in 6 days time the House of Representatives said on Monday the move prolongs the debate over Egypt's role in the Yemeni conflict. Now I don't know whether uh the following news

is related to the delay but uh we learned from uh the Iranian government today that its foreign minister Abbas Adakshi held a phone call with his Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdalati. Iran advised Egypt not to send troops to Yemen or assist Saudi Arabia with air strikes against Ansalah, warning that it could lead to unwanted consequences. uh you know if if the if 15 minutesthe Egyptians uh have the I'm talking here about the

elite because I'm sure that the vast majority of the Egyptian people I I I I'm quite confident in this folks they don't want to see their soldiers going to Saudi Arabia or to Yemen in order to defend this genocidal monster uh in uh a war of aggression on Yemen when Yemen is the only Arab state that has tried to intervene to defend the Palestinian people, intervene militarily and the Egyptian military has

sat by had done absolutely nothing. In fact, effectively helped the Israelis by uh maintaining the closure of the uh Gaza Strip as the murderous Israeli military bombed it relentlessly uh dumping the equivalent of several atomic bombs of munitions. That's what those Egyptian soldiers did and the Egyptian military leadership, they stood by and watched. Uh and so uh there's lots of reason for the Egyptian dictatorship to be nervous about sending its troops

uh to Saudi Arabia. And the last thing it needs, especially given the economic conditions in the country, not just the sentiments of the people, is to find itself on the receiving end of some powerful Iranian ballistic missiles. uh Egyp Egypt is well within uh the striking distance of Adanian missiles and drones and uh you know some of that uh key infrastructure in the Sewish Canal or on uh Mediterranean ports of Egypt

uh that is very vulnerable and there in fact was a drone strike I believe no one took credit for it but it there was a drone strike on a uh liqufied natural gas tanker that was docked at a port in Egypt uh a couple of months ago although it didn't do catastrophic damage damage. Uh it did demonstrate uh that uh the key infrastructure of Egypt is vulnerable not just to ballistic missile

attacks but to drone attacks as well. Uh so perhaps uh the warning issued today by the Adanian foreign minister uh is causing uh some uh pause on the part of the sadistic Egyptian dictator. Now uh let me also uh point out that there is a report that two Pakistani soldiers were killed on the Saudi Yemen border. This report uh is was published today by Iranian Tasn but it's coming from the Yemeni

media. Uh they were killed uh reportedly in the Wadi al-mua area in Zamad city bordering Yemen. Uh so I imagine uh that if that report is accurate, it is also causing uh some consternation to the Egyptian dictatorship. The last thing it needs from the perspective of political stability uh is to see uh its uh young soldiers coming home in body bags uh to protect the regime of this bosom buddy of Jeffrey

Epstein, namely Muhammad bin Sal. Meanwhile, uh Saudi uh has been forced to delay yet another important international event that was scheduled to take place in the so-called kingdom. And this event is a doozy. The event in question is Davos in the desert as they call it. Uh what is Davos in the desert? The term Davos in the desert refers to the future investment initiative, an annual investment event held in Riyad, the

capital of Saudi Arabia. The first edition was inaugurated by the Saudi dictator himself, Muhammad bin Salman, in 2017. The event features a conference with the participation of investors, leaders, and chief executive officers representing countries from around the world to present and discuss global investment opportunities and trends, promote economic development, and addresses challenges. The future investment initiative is held within the context of Saudi vision 2030. The first edition of the forum witnessed

the launch of the NEOM's city of future project, one of the vision's mega projects and an independent economic zone with a 19 minutesfinancial value exceeding US dollars 500 billion. As we reported recently, this NEO neo city has turned out to be a boondoggle of utterly epic proportions. Now, um, as you can see from this article, uh, which was published on oilprice.com, this was before the announcement that Davos in the desert was

going to be delayed until 2027, uh, they were reporting that Wall Street execs were wary of traveling to Saudi Arabia. I think the crudder and more accurate way to put it is they were pissing their pants. Uh and finally uh the Saudis must have realized that so many of them were going to stay away because there was some prospect uh that they might be struck or targeted or that they wouldn't be

able to get out of the country on uh their own schedule. Uh there were so many of them going to stay away that they decided to delay this thing uh rather than uh risk the humiliation of few people showing up. Uh but this too is a humiliation by any measure. the fact that they've had to uh delay this along with so many other international events including as I mentioned in my last

report the widely watched uh Spanish La Liga Super COPA uh which uh has been taking place for a few years in Saudi Arabia early in the new year. It has now been moved to Istanbul. So with that, let's turn to uh the recent developments in the street of Hormuz and the war of aggression on Iran. Last night, resistance channels published multiple videos uh in which one can hear what are reportedly uh

the roars of uh Israeli and US war plananes in the airspace of Syria and Iraq. And uh here is one of those videos. Now, in response uh to news of uh potential warplanes of Israel and the United States, uh in the airspace approaching Iraq, um Iran, I should say, uh the Iranian air force scrambled jets. This according to the Middle East spectator. Uh they took off last night patrolling western Iran. F5s,

Kowsar warplanes and F-14 Tomcats. Uh and in addition uh it was reported not just by Middle East spectator but by other uh resistance channels that uh the uh Iranian uh government instituted what is known as code 100. This was an order to the government and military employees indicating the highest state of combat readiness. Uh the sources of Middle East spectator inside Iran confirmed this, but it's still unclear if an im imminent

threat was detected or it was issued out of precaution. Uh and immediately afterward, uh it was also reported uh by Middle East spectator that uh the scramble jets included new Iranian jets. uh they entered uh eastern Iraqi airspace, at least they've done so occasionally, to conduct what uh the spectator describes as assertive patrols uh in search of enemy fighter jet formations before they arrive uh in Iranian airspace, assuming they're willing to

even go there uh because they can launch uh devastating strikes uh from outside Iranian airspace. So to protect the country uh unsurprisingly the air force has decided that sometimes they need to send uh their uh jets when a potential threat is detected into the airspace of neighboring Iraq. Now uh relatedly about half a dozen uh of these Kosar fighter jets that had not yet been officially commissioned or passed all safety tests

have been entered into service with the Iranian air force as part of an accelerated process in recent weeks. uh I don't know what the capabilities of these kosar fighter jets are. Uh but uh if uh in fact uh they are up to the task, it is remarkable that an has been able to develop uh domestically um you know capable war plananes uh given the uh restrictions uh and the sanctions that have

been imposed upon the country uh with uh considerably uh detrimental impacts uh for decades now. So uh in uh related news, Iran's military reports that it has shot down yet another US MQ9 Reaper drone. Uh and the drone uh as reported by Tasnine News was part of the American terrorist army. It was intercepted and destroyed by the fire of the new advanced air defense system of the IRGC and under the control

of the integrated air defense network of the country. uh this morning in the skies of the straight of Hormuz. Now, if this report is accurate, this would be the 54th, as indicated here, MQ9, which itad's military has shot down uh since uh the wars of aggression began on it. Two months ago, the Washington Post reported, relying on US sources, that the US had lost as of that time, two months ago, 45

MQ9 drones in the war on Iran. So Iran's claim that this was the 54th MQ9 it has shot down is entirely credible. Uh it makes sense given where things stood two months ago. A single MQ9 costs between 30 million and $50 million US depending on the sensor package and weapons package of the particular drone. That means that the US has lost between$ 1.6 billion and $2.7 billion dollar worth of MQ9 drones

in this criminal war of aggression on Iran. Now these events in and near Iranian airspace are coming at a time uh when Netanyahu who faces a difficult reelection uh says uh is sounding more and more bellose even by his own standards. So, for example, here is uh the child murderer telling the Israeli media that he has ordered the criminal Mossad and the genocidal Israeli military to overthrow Iran's government. Okay. You know,

the arrogance of this psychopath really boggles the mind. First of all, he has no authority uh to change Iran's government. Uh none under international law uh to be sure. I mean, if any government should be overthrown, it should be the government of Israel. and uh that of the United States for good measure. Uh but quite apart from that uh the idea that you know the the Israeli military the military of this

pips country and its uh intelligence agency acting alone could overthrow the government of the much larger uh and much more formidable Iran uh is quite frankly laughable. It's an insult to our intelligence. They've been trying to do that for decades. uh they've only uh caused the government uh to uh enjoy uh much broader support than it was previously and much more passionate support from the Iranian population. The vast majority of whose

members have understood that what this uh mass murderer is trying to do is to destroy their country and that their best protection at this particular moment is the Islamic Republic and the military under its command. Uh so if the government of Iran could be overthrown and the evidence uh strongly suggests that it can't, it would only be with uh the uh concerted uh yearslong efforts of the entire West. Israel acting alone

can't do a damn thing in that regard. But Netanyahu is out there pounding his chest in advance of this vote, projecting himself as the king of West Asia. Uh we'll soon find out if the uh Israeli voters are foolish enough to buy that narrative any longer. Now, while I'm on the subject of the genocidal Israeli regime, Israeli media report that the regime is providing intelligence to the Saudi dictatorship. And here is

uh a report in that regard. This was in uh published by Iran International, which is hostile to the Islamic Republic. Now they're quoting uh Israel's can public broadcaster. Israel has begun sharing intelligence on Iranbacked Houthi forces. There it is again. Iranbacked in Yemen with Saudi Arabia through the United States. This according to KN and uh the KN report is uh based upon a Middle Eastern diplomat. Khan reported Saudi Arabia requested US

assistance and Washington passed the request to Israel which began providing intelligence because it views the Houthis as a broader regional threat. A foreign source familiar with the matter told Khan that US representatives who recently visited Israel said during talks in Cairo that Israel could provide Saudi Arabia with extensive intelligence based partly on the Israeli military's exper experience confronting the Houthis. The Israeli military uh by the way has far less experience confronting

unsatalah than the Saudis. The Saudis uh have been waging a genocidal war on Yemen for 10 years. There were some brief skirmishes between the Israeli military uh and uh Ansalah. Uh the Israelis have never had the courage to send troops into the country and if they did, I'm sure that they would have their asses handed to them in short order. All they did was bomb civilians. uh they managed to wipe out

using US intelligence almost certainly uh the entire cabinet of the Ansadal government almost the entire cabinet uh during uh an earlier phase of this uh genocidal war. Uh but uh the idea that uh they know more about Yemen than do the Saudis is laughable, frankly, at least if the Saudis are minimally competent in terms of intelligence gathering. And the notion that it's, you know, passing the intelligence, whatever it may be, through

the United States is somehow different from the Saudi dictatorship receiving the intelligence directly. Again, this is an insult to our intelligence. Uh the Israelis and the Saudis are in bed together. They have been for a long time. You know, as I as I've covered on numerous occasions, the Saudis agreed in September 2023, and this is just one piece of evidence that they are de facto normalized their relations. The Saudis agreed in

September 2023 to become a key part of something known as the India Middle East uh Europe corridor. And that corridor was supposed to run from the western coast of India, India through the straight of Hormuz. Uh tough luck there chaps. Uh then across Saudi Arabia uh principally by rail through to Hifa and from there Hifa they would be uh transporting products to and from Europe. Uh so uh in that project uh

I covered a conference here in Athens uh held a couple of months ago uh a joint Israeli criate uh Greek uh conference where there were dignitaries and business people from the three countries who were talking uh you know uh with heated uh anticipation about the IMC uh you know and so this is a project at least theoretically speaking which remains very much alive. The Saudis are completely committed to it by all

indications. So what difference does it make at the end of the day whether they're getting the intelligence from the Israelis directly or through the Americans? Uh they're in bed with the uh the child murdering Israeli regime for all intents and purposes. Now, uh, earlier today, an observation team of the Iranian Navy and Army, which continuously monitors the east of the Strait of Hormuz, discovered and identified an offending oil tanker that had

caught fire in a restricted area. And uh, the Iranian military published a video of that observation. Despite previous warnings, uh, the Iranian military said the defending tanker turned off its tracking systems and was trying to pass through the prohibited area in the southern corridor of the straight of Hormuz. The Navy of the Islamic Republic uh of Iran emphasized the consequences of uncoordinated traffic are the responsibilities of the violators and these inconsistencies

have caused the spread of insecurity. Now, relatedly, uh, Drop Site News, uh, interviewed widely followed oil an analyst Rory Johnson, uh, yesterday, I believe it was, and published his interview. And, uh, this excerpt, uh, was published by the everhelpful drop site News on its X account. And you'll see there, uh, they wrote, uh, yesterday, October 19th. They're only about 900. They're quoting uh Rory Johnson here, who's a very valuable source of

information about uh the oil industry. There are only about 950 super tankers in the world, each carrying about 2 million barrels of crude. Energy anal an analyst worry Johnson warns that losing a couple a day to attacks around Hormuz adds up very very quickly. And as I wrote uh in uh response to this uh post on reason to resist, we've been saying this for months. Iran's attacks on Hormuz shipping are shrinking

rapidly the global supply of oil tankers. This will affect oil exporters and importers around the world with potentially disastrous consequences for the global economy. Uh you know we have to bear in mind however much oil they may be getting out at this particular point in time. Uh it costs money to transport that oil and the fewer tankers there are in service, the more it's going to cost at least if the demand

for those tankers stays constant or in particular if the demand is increasing. Now uh quite apart from uh the oil crisis that has resulted from uh this criminal war of aggression, so too has a crisis in the sulfur market. In an article uh published by oilprice.com, reporter Kurt Cobb explains uh that that sulfur crisis is truly well and underway. And I'm quoting now from Mr. Cobb. Sulfur has become an indispensable element

for the modern industrial system, including agriculture. Before the outbreak of the Iran war, 24% that's one quarter of the world's supply of sulfur passed through the straight of Hormuz. And he wrote, "I can find no reliable information on whether sulfur is being shipped through the straight now after the Iranian government claimed patrol. I suspect the amount is close to zero. The sulfur price at the start of the AN conflict was approximately

$500 per metric ton for sulfur. Originating from the Middle East, it now sits above 800. Some customers paid more than 1,000 in June for Canadian origin sulfur, a record. These high prices are threatening worldwide phosphate fertilizer supplies, which depend on sulfuric acid for their production. To understand why this is happening, it's important to have some background. And then he goes on and explains that in the densely interconnected web of global production,

sulfur sits in the middle as the basis for sulfuric acid, a chemical that finds wide application in industry, including for improving octane and gasoline. As raw material for detergents, resins, dyes, and explosives. For the pickling of metals, that is the removal of oxidation from the surface. as an electrolyte in lead acid batteries, as a laboratory reagent, that is a chemical used for analysis and synthesis of chemicals, and for the production of

phosphate fertilizer, an essential plant nutrient uh nutrient critical to obtaining high yields in today's industrial agricultural system. In fact, 50% of all sulfuric acid is used to make fertilizers, 42.5% for phosphate fertilizer, and 7.5% to make ammonium sulfate a source of nitrogen and sulfur fertilizer products. With so much competition for a reduced supply of sulfur, producers of phosphate fertilizers are struggling to afford the sulfuric acid they need. This is because they

are unable to pass the increased costs on to farmers who are already reeling from soaring prices for diesel and nitrogen fertilizers. One competitor for sulfur, however, is having no trouble getting what it needs, the mining industry. That's because the price of the two metals for which miners use sulfuric acid to free those metals from ore, copper and uranium, are both soaring. In fact, copper has been hitting record highs. Finally, he says,

"Of course, this fertilizer and fuel price hikes are coming just as we head into what is expected to be possibly the worst El Nino ever recorded. That can mean too much moisture or not enough depending on where you are, but the unpredictability is increasingly a problem. The combination of high prices for inputs and unfriendly weather suggest that worldwide food output in the coming year will be lower. This is not certain, but

the uncertainty is unnerving for those living close to the edge edge and for poly makers trying to figure out what to do. There you have it folks. Uh a global economic catastrophe of the west's making it was entirely avoidable and rather than resile from this criminal war of aggression, they are escalating by all indications. Now another uh piece of important news uh another act of potential political suicide. Pakistan has temporary temporarily

stopped trading with Iran uh via the uh Taftan and Gaba Rimdan crossings in Balushi Baloshistan leaving around 2,000 trucks including tankers carrying liqufied gas stuck on both sides of the border. Pakistan's field marshall, this is a report by the way up on the screen from Geopolitics Prime about the closure. Uh Pakistan's field marshall uh arrived in Thran today to meet with senior Iranian officials. I'm sure the Pakistan Idran border will be

high on the agenda. Now Islamabad describes the step as a security measure and a way to fight smuggling while points to technical issues. Passenger traffic through Gabaan, however, is still running. Uh so they're passengers going through but not goods apparently. The closure closure stands in contrast to the situation on Pakistan's other borders. Trade with Afghanistan has been effectively stopped since October 2025 due to a dispute over terrorism with tun turn turnover

dropping by 74% while a ceasefire with India's holding through trade though trade remains very low. So basically uh Pakistan uh because of its uh subservience uh to uh the criminal uh Trump regime uh I'm sure that has something to do with this closure of the Iran Pakistan border. After all, Trump uh and his uh dim-witted Treasury SE Secretary Scott Bessent uh you know threatened to destroy uh the economy or financial system

of any country that continued to trade with Idan and they didn't offer any exceptions in that regard. Not for Pakistan, not for anybody. Uh so I think it's a fair inference that this has a lot to do with Washington and uh and so too I would imagine does the closure of the border with Afghanistan because uh the uh government of of Afghanistan for completely understandable reasons is intensely hostile to the United

States and will not do its bidding. In fact drove it from the country after uh you know two decades of another war of aggression. So um what is the Pakistani regime doing here? It's basically uh undermining the main sources of uh land-based trade uh around the country. I mean, the only border that isn't closed or highly restricted at this stage is the border with China. And uh who knows what the Pakistanis

are capable of doing. Maybe they'll find a way to irritate the Chinese too. But in any event, uh this is not going to be good for uh the people of Pakistan obviously who rely on trade either the purchase of goods from or the sale of goods to uh businesses in Iran. So I'm sure that the uh you know the border closure is going to be a subject of considerable discussion between uh

the field marshall of Pakistan Aimir who by all appearances is the real power inside the Pakistani regime Shabbaz Sharif seems like nothing but a frontman for uh Mr. Manur. Now uh all across western uh the western world and west Asia it's not just Pakistan governments are acting in uh profoundly contrary to the interests of their own people in order to sustain uh the west's uh the western ruling elites wars of aggression

and uh we are now seeing the consequences of that in countries like France and Spain and Belgium uh Albania uh people are becoming increasingly insensed uh and uh they understand more than ever uh that their interests are being thrown under the bus in order uh to promote wars that serve only the ruling elite of the United States and aren't even in the interest of the American people. Uh quite the contrary. Uh

and this by the way is why uh one of the reasons why I plan to travel uh to France in the coming days. I hope to be reporting on the ground from the uh protests that are going on in the country. uh there seems to be no end in sight uh for those expressions of mass outrage. So that my my friends is my report for today. Uh please do stay safe out

Exclusive: Full text of the Mecca defence pact signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. The agreement commits the three countries to mutual defence, military assistance, intelligence sharing and defence industry cooperation, barring withdrawal for the first 10 years
by Ragip Soylu in Ankara
Middle East Eye
Published date: 20 October 2026 12:25 BST | Last update: 18 hours 41 mins ago
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/full ... d-pakistan

https://x.com/RealPepeEscobar/status/21 ... 6363508037
Pepe Escobar
@RealPepeEscobar
9h

Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours.

Now fight Yemen.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HVJ5ViwagAA ... ame=medium

[x]
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud leave after a committee meeting of the Mecca defence pact in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 5 October 2026 (Turkish Foreign Ministry/handout via Reuters)

The Turkish government submitted the text of the Mecca Defence Pact to the Turkish parliament on Tuesday.

The pact, signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in August, establishes a new international defence alliance that commits the signatories to one another’s defence, similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

The text of the agreement, obtained exclusively by Middle East Eye, does not identify any specific country or region as a threat, but emphasises that all participating countries will take the necessary measures to support one another in the event of an armed attack against their independence, sovereignty or territorial integrity.

“If the territorial integrity, sovereignty, or internationally recognised borders of any of the ‘Parties’ are threatened or endangered, the ‘Parties’ shall use all necessary means to eliminate such threat(s) or danger(s),” the treaty’s first article states.

Article 2 states that “an externally originating armed attack against any of the ‘Parties’ shall be considered an attack against all the ‘Parties’.”

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“If one of the ‘Parties’ is subjected to an armed attack or military aggression by another country or group of countries, the ‘Parties’ shall immediately assist the attacked ‘Party’, making full use of all means of mutual assistance that they can provide to one another.”

The article adds that the parties shall determine the scope and nature of the support to be provided following an objective assessment of the assistance required, and shall cooperate within the limits of their available resources, “including military means and capabilities”.

The agreement also provides for cooperation in developing defence industries, training armed forces and supplying one another with equipment, fuel and other defence material. It also establishes a framework for intelligence sharing.

The agreement, which consists of 16 articles, has no expiration date.

It allows signatories to withdraw only after 10 years have elapsed from its entry into force, provided they give the other parties written notice of their intention to withdraw at least three months in advance.

Below is an unofficial translation of the full text of the pact:

The Government of the Republic of Turkiye, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (hereinafter referred to as a “Party”, the “Parties”, or the “Core Parties”),

Taking into consideration mutual respect for sovereignty, the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law, and the relevant principles of domestic law; and agreeing to bring the existing mechanisms of cooperation, coordination, and integration relating to the defence partnership among the “Parties” into a joint defence agreement,

Reaffirming their willingness to further develop relations among the “Parties”, in accordance with their common interests, on the basis of cooperation, coordination, and integration encompassing the interoperability, readiness, and effectiveness of their armed forces, thereby strengthening the existing bonds of friendship and brotherhood among the “Parties” and their peoples,

Reaffirming the importance of the principles of non-interference in one another’s internal affairs, sovereign equality, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of internationally recognised borders, and declaring that implementing the necessary measures of mutual support is essential in the event of an armed attack against their independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,

Stating the importance of joint efforts and coordination, in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations, to ensure global and regional peace, stability, and security,

Expressing their desire to deepen existing cooperation among the competent authorities of the “Parties” in combating terrorism,

Emphasising the importance of strengthening existing cooperation among the “Parties” in regional and international organisations in order to adopt a common position on international matters,

Noting the need to further develop defence and defence-industry cooperation among the “Parties”,

Have agreed as follows:

Article 1

The “Parties” shall cooperate to ensure and safeguard one another’s independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of their internationally recognised borders. If the territorial integrity, sovereignty, or internationally recognised borders of any of the “Parties” are threatened or endangered, the “Parties” shall use all necessary means to eliminate such threat(s) or danger(s).

Article 2

An externally originating armed attack against any of the “Parties” shall be considered an attack against all the “Parties.” If one of the “Parties” is subjected to an armed attack or military aggression by another country or group of countries, the “Parties” shall immediately assist the attacked “Party,” making full use of all means of mutual assistance that they can provide to one another. For this purpose, to enable the exercise of the right of self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, the “Parties” shall determine the scope and nature of the support to be provided following an objective assessment of the assistance required, and shall cooperate within the limits of their available resources, including military means and capabilities.

Article 3

Pursuant to Article 2 of this Agreement, the “Parties” shall cooperate closely in the fields of defence, defence industry, and security; develop relations among their Armed Forces; and carry out agreed activities aimed at strengthening cooperation in defence.

Article 4

The “Parties” shall hold regular consultations on international security matters. They shall continuously and effectively assist one another and cooperate in developing individual and joint measures based on common assessments, in order to protect their vital interests and national security and eliminate threats and dangers to their national security.

Article 5

The “Parties” shall strengthen existing cooperation and joint efforts, including at the operational level, in combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations that adversely affect regional and international stability and security.

Article 6

In wartime and peacetime, the “Parties” shall encourage reciprocal personnel exchanges among defence institutions, joint training programmes and exercises, and deployments and activities aimed at increasing the interoperability of the “Parties’” armed forces, in order to develop their defence capabilities.

Article 7

To strengthen their defence capabilities, the “Parties” shall, on the basis of mutual agreement, support technology sharing among defence-industry institutions, joint technology development, joint production, and cooperation among defence-industry organisations in the following areas:
a) Encouraging joint production in the field of defence;
b) Implementing defence innovation through joint research and development projects in technologies requiring specialised expertise;
c) Training personnel and supporting the military industry within the territories of the “Parties” through experts from any “Party”;
d) Sharing expertise and lessons learned in the fields of defence industry, defence research and development, and innovation;
e) Other areas of cooperation mutually agreed upon by the “Parties”.

Article 8
1. The “Core Parties” shall establish a “Strategic Political and Defence Committee”, comprising the Foreign Ministers, Defence Ministers, and Chiefs of General Staff of the “Parties” to provide strategic direction for joint defence, develop defence and security cooperation among the “Parties” and address obstacles that may arise during the implementation of this Agreement. The Committee shall meet twice a year, with hosting rotating among the “Parties”. The leaders of the “Parties” may meet once a year if deemed necessary.

2. The “Strategic Political and Defence Committee” may establish subcommittees if it considers this necessary.

3. Agreements or protocols shall, where necessary, be negotiated among the “Parties” for the implementation of the areas of cooperation envisaged in this Agreement.

4. The “Strategic Political and Defence Committee” shall be authorised, by consensus of the “Core Parties”, to determine and approve the procedures and principles governing the accession of other “Parties” to this Agreement.

5. A Secretariat headquartered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia shall be established to serve the “Strategic Political and Defence Committee”. The Secretariat shall conclude a headquarters agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The procedures and principles governing the Secretariat’s functioning, organisational structure, and establishment shall subsequently be determined by consensus of the “Core Parties”.

6. The Secretariat shall be headed by a Secretary-General appointed for a three-year term on a rotational basis among the “Core Parties”. The first Secretary-General shall be a citizen of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

7. The provisions of this Article shall not prejudice the work of existing military cooperation committees among the “Parties”.

Article 9
To deepen cooperation in intelligence and provide the necessary coordination in this regard, the “Parties” shall share intelligence through mutually agreed secure channels, while observing information security, data protection and confidentiality.

Article 10
Subject to the availability and compatibility of logistical support services, the “Parties” shall provide one another with logistical support in peacetime, wartime, and other emergencies, including weapons, ammunition, fuel, spare parts, and other equipment.

Article 11

Without prejudice to international law and the relevant domestic laws of the “Parties”, the “Parties” shall accept this Agreement as the legal basis for implementing its provisions and shall propose additional legal measures where necessary.

Article 12

This Agreement shall not prejudice the rights and obligations of the “Parties” arising from international agreements they have previously concluded.

Article 13

1. The “Parties” shall respect the confidentiality of classified information and documents obtained under this Agreement and shall respect national legislation.

2. Classified information and documents shall not be shared with any state, company, or person outside the “Parties”.

3. Access to classified information and documents shall be provided on a “need-to-know” basis and only to persons holding the appropriate level of security clearance.

Article 14
Any dispute arising from the interpretation or implementation of this Agreement shall be settled amicably through consultations and discussions among the “Parties”.

Article 15

This Agreement may be amended through consultations and unanimous agreement among the “Core Parties”.

Article 16

1. This Agreement shall be ratified in accordance with the procedures applicable to each “Party” and shall enter into force on the date on which the final instrument of ratification is deposited with the Secretariat of the “Strategic Political and Defence Committee”.

2. This Agreement shall remain in force indefinitely.

3. Any “Party” may withdraw from this Agreement after 10 years have elapsed from its entry into force, by giving the other “Parties” written notification of its intention to withdraw through diplomatic channels at least three months in advance.

4. Termination of this Agreement or withdrawal from it shall not affect any ongoing activities or projects agreed upon by the “Parties” before the date of termination or withdrawal.

5. The responsibilities of the “Parties” concerning the protection of classified information and documents and the prevention of their disclosure shall continue after termination of this Agreement or withdrawal from it.

This Agreement has been signed in three original copies in the Turkish, Arabic, and English languages, each text being equally authentic. In the event of a difference in interpretation between the texts, the English text shall prevail.

This Agreement was signed in Mecca on Friday, August 7, 2026 (24/2/1448 AH).

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Pezeshkian: US must lift sanctions, threats before any talks as Iran distrusts Washington
President Masoud Pezeshkian says the Iranian nation no longer trusts the US as it attacked the country two times amid talks.
by PressTV
2026/10/20 18:43 - UTC
https://www.presstv.co.uk/Detail/2026/1 ... s-distrust

[x]
President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) holds a meeting with visiting Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in Tehran on October 20, 2026. (Photo by president.ir)

President Masoud Pezeshkian says the United States must lift its threats and sanctions before any talks can proceed, saying the Iranian people no longer trust Washington after its attacks on Iran during diplomatic talks.

Pezeshkian made the remarks during a meeting with Pakistani Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir on Tuesday evening, thanking Islamabad for its efforts to resolve regional issues through diplomacy.

Recalling Washington’s repeated breaches of commitments, Pezeshkian said the United States had attacked Iran in the middle of negotiations and assassinated the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, scientists and innocent schoolchildren without any legal justification.

“All the problems created in the region, from escalating tensions and conflicts to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, stem from the Americans’ warmongering nature,” he said.

He added that all US allegations against Iran lacked legitimacy, noting that Tehran had demonstrated its good faith in both negotiations and nuclear inspections within the framework of international laws and regulations.

The president stressed that Washington must first demonstrate its willingness to remove threats and sanctions to create the conditions for dialogue.

“You cannot intensify sanctions and pressure day after day and close off routes and avenues to our country, and then claim that you want dialogue and negotiations. What kind of dialogue is this?” he asked.

Pezeshkian said war was in the interests of neither Iran nor the wider region and the world, including the United States. He added that Washington must explain why it started the war and brought problems and difficulties upon itself and the international community.

https://x.com/PressTV/status/2112584685 ... s-distrust

[x]
Press TV
@PressTV
Iran's security chief, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, told Pakistan’s Army Chief that all enriched nuclear materials will remain in Iran as a national asset, stressing that no negotiations with the US will take place until Washington builds trust by meeting Iran’s conditions.
10:40 AM · Oct 20, 2026

“We have been and remain ready for dialogue,” he said. “But the Americans must first remove their threats and sanctions, and then we can talk.”

If Washington genuinely sought negotiations and an agreement, he maintained, its actions were entirely at odds with those claims and made no logical sense.

The president warned that the United States would not achieve its objectives through war and would instead cause destruction and damage not only in Iran but across the region. He said Tehran did not want such an outcome.

Pezeshkian also called on Washington to prove to the Iranian people that it would not deceive them again.

“Today, our nation does not trust America and believes that if we negotiate, they will attack us again,” he said.

He noted that US officials and media outlets repeatedly publicized the prospect of renewed attacks in an apparent effort to frighten the Iranian people.

“While they seek to frighten our people, our nation is not afraid of martyrdom,” he said.

Addressing Munir, Pezeshkian urged Pakistan, as a Muslim brother, to convey to the Americans that Muslims could not be treated in such a manner.

“We do not want to impose our will on anyone, but we will not submit to coercion,” he said.

https://x.com/PressTV/status/2112581549191204876
Press TV
@PressTV
Iran’s Parliament Speaker, during a meeting with Pakistan’s Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in Tehran, says the United States cannot gain Iran’s trust unless it implements the seven conditions Tehran presented in New York, adding that Iran has nothing new to say.
10:27 AM · Oct 20, 2026

https://x.com/IranView24/status/2112647654018515303
IranView24 News Agency
@IranView24
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of Iran’s Parliament, said during a meeting with Pakistan’s army chief:

We have nothing new to say. The United States cannot earn Iran’s trust except by implementing Iran’s seven conditions presented in New York.

2:50 PM · Oct 20, 2026

https://x.com/ME_Observer_/status/2112582560228291059
Middle East Observer
@ME_Observer_
Iran's Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Major General Rezaei says no enriched nuclear material will leave Iran; Pakistan Army Commander Asim Munir declares Iran-Pakistan border reopened.

10:31 AM · Oct 20, 2026

https://x.com/RealPepeEscobar/status/21 ... 9203304895
Pepe Escobar
@RealPepeEscobar
17h
The Rezaee-Munir face-off in Tehran.

Rezaee's messages to the Sociopath-in-Chief, via Munir:

Iran will not transfer even a speck of nuclear dust out of the country.

All of Iran's 7 conditions have to be met - a summary of the dead cat MoU.

And lifting the naval blockade and releasing frozen assets "no longer constitute meaningful concessions to Tehran.”

Deadlock.

Munir, for his part, expressed satisfaction at meeting Pezeshkian and briefed him on Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions. He voiced concern about the possibility of renewed war and reaffirmed Islamabad’s readiness to help resolve outstanding issues through diplomacy.

The Pakistani army chief also expressed regret that the Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU) had not been implemented.

Munir also held separate meetings with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Major General Mohsen Rezaei.

The meetings come amid a prolonged diplomatic impasse following the US-Israeli aggression on Iran that began on Feb. 28. Pakistan has played a central mediating role between Tehran and Washington.

The 14-point Islamabad MoU, signed in June, outlined a framework for ending the war on all fronts, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and pursuing further negotiations, including the eventual lifting of sanctions.

However, the understanding collapsed within weeks after Washington breached its commitments.