Middle East

Iran-backed Houthi terrorists continue to cause chaos in Middle Eastern waterways. Fortunately for America and the world, the U.S. military is fighting back.

On Monday and Tuesday, American airstrikes destroyed three Houthi missile systems inside Yemen.

“It was determined these systems presented an imminent threat to U.S. and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels.”

The threat the Houthis pose couldn’t be any more urgent. On Monday, the terrorist group attacked two crude oil tankers with ballistic missiles and an explosive-laden drone. CENTCOM said the Panama-owned, Greek-operated MV Blue Lagoon I and Saudi-owned and -operated MV Amjad were both hit.

“These reckless acts of terrorism by the Houthis continue to destabilize regional and global commerce, as well as put the lives of civilian mariners and maritime ecosystems at risk,” CENTCOM said.

The MV SOUNION, due to the large amount of crude oil it carries, presents a significant environmental threat. Private companies are involved in the salvage operation that is about to start. Upon their request, EUNAVFOR ASPIDES will provide protection to the tug boats, that will… pic.twitter.com/V1XtJPlEeD

— EUNAVFOR ASPIDES (@EUNAVFORASPIDES) September 2, 2024

The latest attacks come as the Greek-owned and -operated MV Sounion burns in the Red Sea after being hit by the Houthis on August 21. After the initial attack, terrorists boarded the ship and detonated explosives, causing multiple fires. The BBC reports that efforts to salvage the tanker, which is carrying a million barrels of crude oil, were abandoned this week and that the risk of an oil spill is significant.

“The United States has warned that a spill from the Sounion could be almost four times as large as the Exxon Valdez disaster in 1989,” the BBC reports.

In Syria, the U.S. military captured an ISIS terrorist leader after he recently escaped from prison. The Sunday raid, which CENTCOM said was conducted with Syrian Democratic Forces, apprehended Khaled Ahmed al-Dandal near the Raqqah Detention Facility. No U.S. troops were hurt during the operation.

Sadly, this was not the case in Iraq, where details of a series of recent anti-terrorism raids are still coming to light. The New York Times reports that seven U.S. troops were injured as they “hunted down fighters in bunkers over miles of remote terrain” with Iraqi troops last week.

The injuries occurred “either in falls during the mission or by shrapnel from an explosion,” according to the Times report. “Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said on Tuesday that five of the soldiers had returned to duty and that two had been flown to a military hospital in Germany for additional treatment. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening, officials said.”

The report added that the U.S. military said 15 heavily armed ISIS terrorists were killed “in one of the most sweeping counterterrorism missions in (Iraq) in recent years.”

In Turkey, ten anti-American extremists were arrested after two U.S. Marines were assaulted on Monday in the coastal city of Izmir.

The Marines were wearing civilian clothes and had recently disembarked from the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, which docked in Turkey on Sunday, as pictured above. ABC News reports that angry extremists began pushing and shouting anti-American slogans at the Marines, who were helped by five U.S. Army soldiers in plain clothes who witnessed the troubling incident. The Marines were briefly hospitalized, but not injured.

“In terms of the reaction of the Marines, we’re certainly very proud of the professionalism of our service members,” Ryder told ABC News.

It is a dangerous time for the valiant members of the U.S. military serving our country overseas. This is particularly true in the Middle East, where fears of an attack on Israel by Iran persist in the wake of the Jewish state tragically being forced to bury six hostages, including an American citizen, who were recently murdered by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Please pray for their families and for all the selfless American warriors serving in the war-torn region.

South America

Venezuela has detained a U.S. Navy sailor who was visiting the South American country. As of this writing, dictator Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian regime has given no reason for detaining him. 

CBS News reports that the unidentified sailor was visiting Venezuela “on personal travel” and “not on approved leave by the U.S. military.” The sailor is reportedly a petty officer first class and former Navy SEAL.

Regardless of the circumstances, please pray for this sailor’s swift and safe return to American soil.

Coming Home

The U.S. Navy-guided missile destroyer USS Laboon returned to American shores over the holiday weekend after a grueling nine-month deployment to some of the world’s dangerous waters in and around the Middle East.

Welcome home, heroes! Thank you for risking your lives to keep America and the world safe.

 

Tom Sileo is a contributing senior editor of The Stream. He is the author of the newly released I Have Your Back, Be Bold and co-author of Three Wise Men, Brothers Forever, 8 Seconds of Courage and Fire in My Eyes. Follow Tom on X @TSileo and The Stream at @Streamdotorg.