On Saturday, the U.S. put its Mideast embassies on heightened alert and warned Americans in the region of the “potential for unseen escalation.” While vague, the alert—which was issued for Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar—cited the ongoing conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia as a dynamic of concern. Also on Saturday, President Trump returned to D.C. from Camp David earlier than planned.
On Sunday, President Trump told Fox News he was in a “deciding mode” on Iran. According to Fox’s Trey Yingst, the president said he was weighing three choices: “Wiping Iran out, letting them rot economically or making a deal.” Yingst also said Trump indicated he was open to meeting with Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian during the UN General Assembly this week.
In Yemen, fighting between the Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces appeared to escalate. The New York Times reported that fierce battles have occurred in recent days across an array of locations in Yemen, including the country’s southwest and a mountainous area near the key Bab el-Mandeb waterway.
In the West Bank, a Palestinian shot and killed an Israeli man on Sunday. The shooter was apprehended shortly afterwards, and the IDF is reportedly preparing for “extensive” operations in the area.
AAA reports that the average price of regular gasoline in the United States is $4.48 per gallon.
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