WHO: Houthi Attacks Leave More than 4,000 Victims in Yemen

A displaced Yemeni walks at Al-Firdaws camp in Ras Imran, on the western outskirts of Aden, Yemen, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
A displaced Yemeni walks at Al-Firdaws camp in Ras Imran, on the western outskirts of Aden, Yemen, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
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WHO: Houthi Attacks Leave More than 4,000 Victims in Yemen

A displaced Yemeni walks at Al-Firdaws camp in Ras Imran, on the western outskirts of Aden, Yemen, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)
A displaced Yemeni walks at Al-Firdaws camp in Ras Imran, on the western outskirts of Aden, Yemen, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)

The health and humanitarian situations in Yemen continue to deteriorate as fighting intensifies, with 809 new casualties recorded during the reporting period between September 19 and 26, including 164 deaths, the World Health Organization said on Monday.

The new figures brought the cumulative total since Aug. 6 to 4,481 casualties, including 838 deaths.

In its fifth Situation Report on the Conflict Escalation in Yemen, WHO said deaths represented 20% of newly reported casualties during the reporting period, compared with 24% in the previous period and 17% before that, while casualties continue to rise at roughly 100 per day.

It said Lahj remains the heaviest front where Al-Madharibah wa Ras Al-Arah and the Bab Al-Mandab coast accounted for the largest daily burden on both days for which detailed field reports were available, it said.

The area recorded 47 casualties on Sept. 21, including 18 deaths, and 34 casualties on Sept. 26.

The next highest casualty burdens were reported in Marib and Taiz, according to WHO.

Displaced Yemeni families from Al-Kadha, west of Taiz, gather at the Al-Akdaf camp in Taiz, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)

Displacement Doubled

As the number of victims has risen in Yemen, the Situation Report said displacement has grown by more than half in eight days.

The Executive Unit for IDPs consolidated report of September 24 registered 27,413 displaced families (180,513 people) across ten governorates, up from 17,852 families (122,297 people) on September 15.

It said Marib and Al-Dhale have been added as governorates of arrival while Aden has more than tripled its caseload to 3,741 families.

WHO also noted that displaced families face rising risks of cholera, measles, malaria and dengue, and disrupted maternal, mental health and chronic care.

The UN agency warned that the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) registrations reached their highest daily levels of the crisis, with 1,315 households on Sep 21 and 1,470 on Sep 23.

Meanwhile, cholera alerts were registered in two displacement sites in Aden and suspected cholera cases reached 7,784 in a week.

Also, WHO said, around 40% of newly displaced households on the West Coast draw drinking water from unprotected wells or surface water, and nearly one third have no lockable latrine.

Volunteer Naseem Al-Adini, right, provides free meals to displaced people at the Al-Akdaf camp in Taiz, Yemen, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Abdulnasser Alseddik)

Hospitals Under Pressure

The UN report said the rise in injuries has placed further strain on the healthcare system, with some hospitals temporarily suspending emergency obstetric and neonatal services and referring patients to other facilities able to accommodate them.

Additionally, fewer facilities are reporting in Marib, Taiz, Al-Dhale and Aden, where only about 60% were fully functional before the escalation as verification is under way.

In an effort to strengthen response, the UN agency said it had sent 258 units of the Interagency Emergency Health Kit (IEHK) and the Trauma and Emergency Surgery Kit (TESK) to Yemen, worth more than $184,000.

It also provided additional supplies valued at around $656,000 to 40 health facilities across 10 governorates, alongside securing additional funding for surgical services, trauma care and the response to epidemic diseases.



Sudan’s Currency Tumbles to New Low as War Hammers Economy

People stand at a market in Omdurman, Sudan, September, 19, 2026. (Reuters)
People stand at a market in Omdurman, Sudan, September, 19, 2026. (Reuters)
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Sudan’s Currency Tumbles to New Low as War Hammers Economy

People stand at a market in Omdurman, Sudan, September, 19, 2026. (Reuters)
People stand at a market in Omdurman, Sudan, September, 19, 2026. (Reuters)

Sudan's currency ‌hit a new low of 10,000 Sudanese pounds to the dollar on Wednesday in parallel market trading, continuing a dramatic fall over recent months as wartime conditions take their toll on the economy.

The rapid 60% depreciation has heaped hardship on Sudanese still trying to regain their footing after devastating conflict and ‌forced displacement caused ‌by the war between ‌Sudanese ⁠armed forces and the ⁠paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, putting basic food items out of reach.

Sudan's official exchange rate remains stuck at 4,200 SDG to the dollar, a rate last seen on the parallel market ⁠in army-controlled areas in May.

A large ‌portion of ‌that fall has happened over the past month, ‌as the pound fell from a ‌previous low of 8,000, depreciating 20%. Prior to the start of the war in April 2023, the rate was about 600 ‌pounds to the dollar.

Currency traders cited import demands as a ⁠chief ⁠factor as the government increased the tightly controlled customs dollar, used to calculate duties, to more than 5,600 this week.

As the war continues Sudan has decreased production of key dollar earners while its chief export, gold, has increasingly been smuggled abroad. Meanwhile, the army-controlled government has said the war and reconstruction efforts require dollar-draining imports.


France Says to Hold Conference for Lebanese Forces after Israeli Elections

French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he speaks to members of the media on the day of the 9th Annual One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds (OPSWF) Summit, in Lusail, Qatar, 21 October 2026.  EPA/BENOIT TESSIER
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he speaks to members of the media on the day of the 9th Annual One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds (OPSWF) Summit, in Lusail, Qatar, 21 October 2026. EPA/BENOIT TESSIER
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France Says to Hold Conference for Lebanese Forces after Israeli Elections

French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he speaks to members of the media on the day of the 9th Annual One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds (OPSWF) Summit, in Lusail, Qatar, 21 October 2026.  EPA/BENOIT TESSIER
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he speaks to members of the media on the day of the 9th Annual One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds (OPSWF) Summit, in Lusail, Qatar, 21 October 2026. EPA/BENOIT TESSIER

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that this country will organise a conference to support the Lebanese armed forces after the Israeli elections this month, as truce talks between the two sides stall.

"We will also coordinate to carry out this work of support for the Lebanese armed forces and a conference will be set up in the coming weeks by France... I think it is useless to do it before the Israeli elections, but we will organise such a conference because it is unavoidable," he told reporters in Qatar.

Israel goes to the polls on October 27.

Lebanese authorities last year committed to disarming Hezbollah after months of cross-border hostilities culminated in a 2024 war between the group and Israel.

But Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war this year by attacking Israel, which responded with heavy strikes and a ground invasion.

In June, Lebanese and Israeli authorities signed a framework agreement which involves the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from territories it occupies, and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the area.

Hezbollah has rejected surrendering its weapons and the direct negotiations with Israel.


Syria: Israeli Forces Shell Quneitra Countryside

An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, May 4, 2025. REUTERS/Shir Torem/File Photo
An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, May 4, 2025. REUTERS/Shir Torem/File Photo
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Syria: Israeli Forces Shell Quneitra Countryside

An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, May 4, 2025. REUTERS/Shir Torem/File Photo
An Israeli military vehicle is seen near the border between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, May 4, 2025. REUTERS/Shir Torem/File Photo

Israeli forces fired several artillery shells on Wednesday at the area around eastern Tell al-Ahmar in the southern Quneitra countryside in southern Syria.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said that “occupation forces fired two projectiles that landed on agricultural land around eastern Tell al-Ahmar, causing no injuries".

Israel continues to violate the 1974 Disengagement Agreement through repeated incursions into southern Syria, raids on and arrests of civilians, land bulldozing and shelling, among other attacks, the agency said.

Syria has repeatedly called for Israeli forces to withdraw from its territory, stressing that all measures taken by Israel are null and void and have no legal effect under international law. Damascus has also urged the international community to fulfil its responsibilities and compel Israel to withdraw fully from southern Syria.