Middle East

Writing for The Stream back in May, I questioned whether having the U.S. military build a floating pier off the coast of Gaza was worth risking American blood and treasure. Two months later, it appears the humanitarian project is all but doomed.

On Thursday, Reuters reported that the military is likely to “permanently dismantle” the $230 million pier after attempting “to reinstall [it] to clear a backlog of Gaza-bound aid in Cyprus.” Earlier in the week, The Associated Press reported that the U.S. “Army will dismantle the pier and depart” as soon as that final mission is complete, likely before the end of the month.

“U.S. troops removed the pier on June 28 because of bad weather and moved it to the port of Ashdod in Israel,” the AP noted. “But distribution of the aid had already stopped due to the security concerns.”

Despite the brilliant work of approximately 1,000 brave American troops, rough seas, the threat of violence, and other problems proved too difficult to overcome. Thankfully, no U.S. military deaths or injuries have occurred amid the Biden administration’s ill-fated project, which we pray will be the final outcome as American service members hopefully make a safe exit from the war-torn region.

July 10 U.S. Central Command Update

In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command forces successfully destroyed two Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) over the Red Sea and one Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed surface vessel (USV) in the Red Sea.

It was determined… pic.twitter.com/Y4SJZqUBID

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 10, 2024

As Israel hunts down Iran-backed terrorists in Gaza, the U.S. military is doing the same in Yemen. Since the October 7 massacre by Hamas, the Iranian-sponsored Houthi terrorist group has been launching drone and missile attacks aimed at military and commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

This week, the U.S. military has been heavily targeting Houthi drones that are being used to target international vessels. As of this writing, five uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) operated by Houthis have been destroyed so far this week in Yemen, as well as at least one uncrewed surface vessel (USV).

“It was determined the UAVs and USV presented an imminent threat to U.S., 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.”

While these successful, dangerous missions don’t get much media attention, all of us at The Stream deeply appreciate the extraordinary efforts of the courageous men and women of our military. We ask the Lord to shield these heroes from danger as they continue to confront terrorism in the Middle East and around the world.

Africa

The U.S. military has withdrawn from the African nation of Niger.

As The Stream reported two weeks ago, the withdrawal was ahead of schedule and expected to be complete well in advance of the original September 15 deadline. Earlier this week, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported that a C-17 aircraft flew the last of about 1,000 U.S. troops out of Niger on July 7.

While the countries had been working together to combat terrorism out of two U.S. military bases in Niger, a coup carried out in the country last year soured relations when the new government scrapped a cooperation agreement with the United States.

“Today we reflect positively on the past 15 years of security cooperation and shared sacrifice by U.S. forces and Nigerien forces,”  U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Kenneth Ekman told the magazine. “I am grateful for the close collaboration with our Nigerian hosts to support the safe, orderly, and responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces commemorated today at Air Base 101.”

Thank you to all the valiant American warriors who served in Niger, especially U.S. Army Staff Sgts. Bryan Black, Jeremiah Johnson, and Dustin Wright and Sgt. La David Johnson, who all made the ultimate sacrifice there in 2017. We will never forget them or their Gold Star families.

Coming Home

Approximately 25 U.S. Air Force airmen recently returned to Massachusetts after spending the last several months deployed overseas.

U.S. Air Force airmen are welcomed home from a deployment at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts on June 28, 2024.

Welcome home, warriors! Thank you for helping keep all of us safe. Enjoy this well-deserved time with your families!

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