[00:00] Announcer: We're following breaking news.
[00:02] Announcer: Vanessa, you have the details.
[00:04] Peter Rowan: The Middle East conflict just got a lot more complicated.
[00:08] Peter Rowan: Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have officially entered the war, firing a salvo of ballistic
[00:14] Peter Rowan: missiles and drones toward Israel.
[00:16] Peter Rowan: The group says they've targeted sensitive military sites and they aren't planning to stop.
[00:21] Peter Rowan: I mean, they aren't stopping anytime soon.
[00:24] Announcer: The Israel Defense Forces confirmed they intercepted two missiles on Saturday that were coming from Yemen.
[00:30] Announcer: This marks a significant escalation exactly one month after the conflict began on February 28th.
[00:36] Announcer: An IDF spokesperson says they have been preparing for a multi-front war for years, and now they are effectively fighting one.
[00:42] Peter Rowan: Yep, it's a huge shift, Peter.
[00:44] Peter Rowan: The Houthis control Yemen's Red Sea coastline, which is basically the front door for 15% of global seaborne trade.
[00:51] Peter Rowan: They had already issued a warning that their hands were on the trigger if anyone used the Red Sea for operations against Iran.
[00:58] Peter Rowan: Now, they're following through.
[01:00] Announcer: The economic ripple effects are what many world leaders are watching.
[01:03] Announcer: When the Houthis attack ships throughout late 2023 and early 2025,
[01:08] Announcer: they forced major companies to abandon the Suez Canal for the much longer route around Africa.
[01:13] Announcer: With Iran already restricting the Strait of Hormuz, which handles 20% of the world's oil, we're seeing energy prices skyrocket.
[01:21] Peter Rowan: And the fighting isn't just limited to the coast or the borders.
[01:24] Peter Rowan: On Saturday evening, we saw reports of heavy bombardment right in the middle of Tehran.
[01:29] Peter Rowan: Iranian state-affiliated media says explosions hit multiple parts of the capital, including
[01:34] Peter Rowan: the Parchin military site.
[01:37] Announcer: The chaos is spreading into the Gulf nations too.
[01:40] Announcer: Early Sunday morning, air raid sirens were heard in Bahrain, and authorities in Kuwait
[01:44] Announcer: were battling a massive fire at Kuwait International Airport.
[01:48] Announcer: The Kuwaiti army says a drone attack hit fuel tanks there.
[01:51] Announcer: This widening scope makes the diplomatic efforts even more difficult.
[01:55] Peter Rowan: Um, there's a small bit of movement on the diplomatic front, though.
[01:59] Peter Rowan: Irohne agreed to let 20 ships under Pakistani flags pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
[02:04] Peter Rowan: Two ships will cross every day, but that's barely a dent in the usual traffic.
[02:09] Peter Rowan: Meanwhile, the U.S. is putting more muscle in the region.
[02:12] Peter Rowan: The USS Tripoli just arrived with 3,500 sailors and Marines on board.
[02:17] Announcer: That deployment usually signals a preparation for large-scale evacuations or amphibious operations.
[02:23] Announcer: As we move into day 30 of this war, the Pentagon is clearly weighing how much deeper they need to get involved.
[02:29] Announcer: Foreign ministers from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey are scheduled to meet in Pakistan today
[02:35] Announcer: to try and find a way to de-escalate before the situation at the Strait of Hormuz hits President
[02:39] Announcer: Trump's April 6th deadline.
[02:41] Peter Rowan: Peter, it seems like the timeline is getting tighter.
[02:44] Peter Rowan: Between the IRGC threatening to strike universities and the WHO reporting that nine paramedics
[02:51] Peter Rowan: were killed in Lebanon just yesterday, the civilian cost is mounting right alongside
[02:57] Peter Rowan: the military buildup.
[02:58] Announcer: It is a volatile situation on every level, from global shipping lanes to civilian safety in the region's major capitals.
[03:07] Announcer: We will continue to monitor the movements of the healthy forces and the response from the Malta National Coalition as this develops.
[03:15] Peter Rowan: From Neural Newscast, I'm Vanessa Calderone.
[03:18] Announcer: And I'm Peter Rowan.
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