Trump Hiding the Real Death Toll; Why the Saudi Military Can’t Fight; and AI’s Role in Killing Minab Children: The War Brief

In this week’s episode of The War Brief Murtaza Hussain and Sarmad discuss the steady stream of leaks coming out of the War Department, the real number of deaths to U.S. personnel, the high and ongoing price of war against Iran, Saudi Arabia potentially turning to Israel for aid, how Ansarallah managed to shoot down a F-15A fighter jet, and more. Murtaza then discusses why Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf Arab states, cannot put together an effective fighting force.Subscribe on YouTube and wherever you get podcasts. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Ryan Grim interviews Yemeni journalist Hussain Al-Bukhaiti on the state of the conflict in Yemen. Al-Bukhaiti told Drop Site that Saudi-backed forces in eastern areas of Al-Jawf are essentially driving around empty desert for the cameras and presenting it as an advance.“They just go to an open area and keep shooting at a hill or a small mountain, and there’s no one there,” he said, adding that the forces are also “sitting ducks” for Ansarallah fighters who hold all the key high ground in the west of the province.Albukhaiti also predicted that oil- and gas-rich Marib province will fall “exactly like Mocha,” saying it “could be easier” because Ansarallah has already sharply limited Saudi air cover.Subscribe on YouTube and wherever you get podcasts.00:00–01:01 — Saudi Arabia and Ansarallah Escalate01:02–03:09 — Advice for MBS & Why Saudi Arabia Broke the 2022 Truce03:10–05:52 — Ansarallah’s New Demands for Riyadh05:53–09:22 — What’s Happening in Al-Jawf09:23–16:10 — Why Saudi-Backed Forces Collapsed on Yemen’s West Coast16:11–20:41 — Why Ansarallah Went on the Offensive20:42–26:00 — The Battle for Marib and Ansarallah’s Strategy26:01–34:39 — Could Saudi Arabia Lose Territory? 34:40–35:52 — Iran, the U.S. and Ansarallah’s Regional Strategy35:53–38:19 — Red Sea Shipping and Bab al-Mandab38:20–43:17 — Why Ansarallah Is Detaining UN Aid Workers43:18–43:42 — Journalism and Closing Remarks Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

In the first episode of War Brief, Murtaza Hussain and Sarmad Jawad dig into the latest military updates from around the world, including China's positive overtures to Iran, Donald Trump once again threatening Iran with tactical nuclear weapons, Iran's successful attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan, and more.We then deep dive into what went into making Ansarallah's drive to capture western Yemen successful. The War Brief is a new show by Drop Site News that covers all things related to major armed conflicts and wars around the world.Subscribe on YouTube and wherever you get podcasts.FOLLOW Drop Site News for more independent news on war and politicsStay INFORMED on our latest reporting: DropSiteNews.comWATCH our weekly live show, streaming every TUESDAY morning, on Substack, YouTube, and XSUBSCRIBE to Drop Site News. Our reporting is FREE, and we are committed to keeping it that way.To help support our work, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription, it’s what fuels our reporting: https://www.dropsitenews.com/subscribeDONATE to support Drop Site's independent journalism. Help us continue our work with a tax-deductible contribution at donate.dropsitenews.com. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Twenty-five years after 9/11, the United States is again fighting a major war in the Middle East. Drop Site’s Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain speak with Vali Nasr, professor of international affairs and Middle East studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS and a former senior adviser in the Obama administration, and Rob Malley, a senior fellow at Yale’s Jackson School of Global Affairs, former U.S. special envoy for Iran, longtime Middle East peace negotiator, and head of the Middle East program at the International Crisis Group.The conversation covers Ansarallah’s advance in Yemen, the battle over the Strait of Hormuz, Iran and the US duel strategies of economic pressure, the future of U.S. military bases in the Gulf, the collapse of the JCPOA, Iran’s nuclear calculations, and whether Washington has learned the lessons of Iraq, Afghanistan and the broader post-9/11 wars.0:00 Intro: Oil Tops $105, Saudi-Backed Forces Collapse in Yemen2:35 How Ansarallah Swept Western Yemen, and Why Now5:23 Vali Nasr: Iran Will Break Trump’s “New Normal” Before the Midterms10:50 Can Trump Sustain a Low-Grade War for Two More Years?17:05 Gulf Disillusionment, From the Iraq War to the JCPOA20:45 Is American Protection in the Gulf Breaking Down?23:17 The Gulf’s Two Failed Wagers: U.S. Bases and Détente With Iran28:55 The Lessons of Losing Wars: Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran30:05 Who Warned Trump? A Broken Decision-Making Process33:44 What Iran Would Accept to End the War39:16 Why the 14-Point MOU Collapsed42:53 Malley: Failed Wars Have Heavier Consequences47:16 25 Years After 9/11: Has Washington Learned Anything?52:22 Malley: Why Iran May Now Want a Bomb54:45 Nuclear Debate Inside Iran 58:06 Is the U.S. Basing System in the Gulf Coming to an End?1:03:23 Closing Thoughts and Book Recommendations Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Jeffrey Sachs joins Drop Site’s Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain to discuss how Washington’s delusions about American power are fueling wars abroad and a financial bubble at home.Drawing on his firsthand experience advising Russia at the Soviet Union’s collapse and decades studying Asia’s economic rise, Sachs traces the roots of America’s belief that it can dominate the world. He explains why efforts to isolate Iran and Russia are failing, how U.S. sanctions are pushing countries toward alternatives to the dollar, and what he saw on a 15,000-kilometer road trip from Rome to Hong Kong this summer.Sachs also argues that soaring U.S. stock valuations rest on a dangerous assumption: that American technological supremacy will endure. With China challenging that dominance, he warns of a “major financial correction” as Washington’s “geopolitical bubble” fuels a financial bubble that he argues is destined to burst.0:00 Sitting Across From Yeltsin in 19911:44 The Gap Between Washington and Reality6:00 European Dominance: A 200-Year Fluke15:15 Yeltsin and the Unipolar Moment17:00 Watching Asia Catch Up: From Rome to Hong Kong32:07 Why Europe Rose & America’s Inherited Grandiosity38:10 You Can’t Isolate Iran or 42% of the World47:23 The Weaponized Dollar Is a Wasting Asset58:07 The Global Bond Selloff: Where Is the Money Going?1:00:13 The Geopolitical Bubble and the Coming Financial Correction Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan was recently taken from prison to hospital for medical treatment amid reports of his failing health in custody, including continued loss of eyesight in his right eye. The fate of Khan, the country’s most popular politician, has held politics in limbo in the nuclear-armed country of 240 million for the past three years. While the ruling military junta has expanded its ties with Washington, and begun building new alliances with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, domestic political and economic conditions continue to deteriorate within Pakistan itself—including brutal military crackdowns on protests in the province of Kashmir, insurgencies in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and rampaging inflation nationwide triggered in part by the ongoing Iran War.On this week’s episode of the Drop Site News livestream, host Murtaza Hussain discusses the fate of Khan and the future of Pakistan with Drop Site reporter Waqas Ahmed.Later in the episode, Murtaza is joined by Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, head of the Bourse and Bazaar Foundation economic think tank to discuss the status of the Iran War, including the dueling blockades over the Strait of Hormuz and economic impact of U.S. sanctions on civilians in Iran. Batmanghelidj also provides a prognosis on the future of the conflict, which has shifted to an economic siege amid the U.S. Treasury declaration of an “Economic D-Day” against Iran this week, while giving an analysis of whether these measures will lead to compromise or escalation in the current standoff. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner traveled to the region for high level meetings with Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo on Sunday followed by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to discuss the next stages of the so-called ceasefire plan that was announced by President Donald Trump last month.Kushner emerged with no concrete commitments from Israel to the U.S. proposal that Hamas agreed to and instead issued Hamas a 60-to-90-day ultimatum to surrender its weapons before Israel withdraws from Gaza or takes any steps in return. Meanwhile, settlers backed by the Israeli military are increasingly rampaging across the occupied West Bank, attacking Palestinian families and forcing them from their homes. Drop Site’s Sharif Abdel Kouddous is joined by Diana Buttu a Palestinian human rights attorney and former adviser to the negotiating team of the PLO, to talk about the latest.Then, Drop Site’s Julian Andreone is joined by two candidates running in Florida’s primary races today: Elijah Manley and Oliver Larkin, both are challenging entrenched pro-Israel Democratic incumbents, Rep. Jared Moskowitz and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz respectively. The polls close at 7 p.m. ET today.And Sharif speaks with Tala Alfoqaha and Maria Kari, two members of the legal team for Maryam Tahmasebi, who was arrested by ICE agents in April along with her husband, Eissa Hashemi, and their 16-year-old son. They are all legal permanent residents of the U.S. with valid green cards but they have been held in immigration detention for the past four months allegedly because of something a relative was involved with nearly 50 years ago in Iran. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

The U.S. war against Iran has transformed into a form of economic siege as U.S. ships blockade Iranian ports and Trump promises a prolonged naval confrontation aimed at forcing Iran to relinquish its control over the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, Iran is imposing its own retaliatory siege aimed at the U.S. and its allies by striking ships attempting the pass the strait without its permission—vowing not to relent until the U.S. concedes a list of demands including economic compensation to Tehran and military withdrawal from the region.On this week’s episode of the Drop Site News livestream hosts Murtaza Hussain and Ryan Grim discuss the economics of this war of blockades and its impact on the global economy with financial expert Brett Erickson. In the following segment Murtaza and Ryan are joined by colleagues Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Abubaker Abed to discuss the one year anniversary of the assassination of Palestinian journalist Anas al-Sharif and five of his colleagues on August 10, 2025, and the ongoing targeting of Palestinian journalists covering the genocide in the Gaza Strip. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Last week, Hamas and President Donald Trump’s so-called Board of Peace announced they had formally agreed to terms addressing the weapons held by the Palestinian resistance. Sources from within Hamas told Drop Site that the issue was contentious and hotly debated internally, but ultimately the group moved forward with a strategy that the ball would now be in the court of Israel, the U.S., and regional mediators to uphold the deal. Almost immediately after the agreement was announced, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would not withdraw Israeli forces, as required by the deal, and intended to continue striking Gaza. Israel has killed more than 1,200 Palestinians since the October 2025 ceasefire was announced and has extended its occupation in total violation of the terms Israel signed and Trump guaranteed. This is part of a longstanding pattern that plays out after Palestinian negotiators accept terms that the U.S. claims will end the war and occupation.On the Drop Site News livestream, Jeremy Scahill speaks with Palestinian academic and analyst Sami Al-Arian about why Hamas agreed to the terms, which include a decommissioning of heavy weapons and military infrastructure in Gaza. They also discuss the future of Palestinian resistance and the upcoming elections, in which Europe and the U.S. have worked with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to create a framework for banning Hamas and other pro-resistance factions from participating.Then, Jeremy and Ryan Grim discuss Tuesday’s primary elections in Michigan and Missouri, including the closely watched race between Abdul El-Sayed and Rep. Haley Stevens. Later, they discuss the 2028 campaign, and the difficulty that could be faced by potential candidate Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who passed on an opportunity to be the leading moral voice of opposition to Israel’s genocide, a decision that continues to be a headwind for her.Subscribe at dropsitenews.com Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe

Armed Israeli settlers backed by the military and government have continued to escalate attacks on Palestinians living in the West Bank in recent weeks, attacking villages and towns amid an ongoing push to assert Israeli sovereignty over the territory. At the same time, there are indications that the “wall of fear” among Palestinians in the West Bank has begun to crumble—as individual Palestinians have engaged in increasingly bold efforts to defend their homes and communities against armed attacks.On this week’s stream, Murtaza Hussain and Maysa Mustafa discuss the situation in the West Bank with Abdaljawad Omar, a professor at Birzeit University in the West Bank.Later in the show, Murtaza discusses the youth-led, “Cockroach Movement” protests in India against corruption and economic inequality with guests Akshay Marathe, former national spokesperson for India’s Aam Aadmi Party, and journalist Meghnad Bose. Get full access to Drop Site News at www.dropsitenews.com/subscribe