Late yesterday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) at around 4:00 ET launched “Operation Hawkeye” against ISIS forces across Syria. This operation is a response to last Saturday’s attack in the city of Palmyra on US partner forces that led to the death of two U.S. Iowa National Guard soldiers- Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres Tovar, 25, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29.
CENTCOM claims to have launched strikes using artillery, attack helicopter and fighter jets, and along with fighter jets from the Royal Jordanian Air Force struck over 70 targets across Syria.
F-15E “Strike Eagle” Multirole Strike Fighters and A-10C Thunderbolt II “Warthog” Close-Air Support Attack Aircraft, and AH-64E “Apache” Attack Helicopters launching for strikes in Syria.
“This operation is critical to preventing ISIS from inspiring terrorist plots and attacks against the U.S. homeland.” said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. “We will continue to relentlessly pursue terrorists who seek to harm Americans and our partners across the region.”
U.S. soldier writes the names of the two Iowa national Guard who were killed in last week’s ISIS affiliated attack on Saturday.
CENTCOM says the operation utilized over 100 precision munitions to target know ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites.
Video showing what is believed to be the launch of US ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) ballistic missiles.
Video of some of the strikes was posted by CENTCOM several hours after the strike.
Locals in a central Syrian town caught a glimpse of an A-10 roaring overhead.
This morning(11.14.2025), the Greek owned, Marshall Islands flagged crude oil tanker M/V Talara was ambushed and seized by forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp(IRGC) while transiting the Gulf of Oman.
The M/V Talara departed from the port of Ajman in the United Arab Emirates(UAE), for a short trip to Singapore according to the ships AIS data which can be viewed publicly on maritime tracking services. The British maritime risk assessment group Vanguard reported that the ship was surrounded by Three Iranian IRGC fast attack craft while near the strait of Hormuz. Contact with the ship was lost at this time and at 8:22am local time the ship reportedly turned towards the direction of Iran. It’s last signal was around 12:06PM still on a course towards Iran.
Iranian fast attack patrol boats.
At the time of the incident a Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton with the U.S. Navy was present in the strait and was seen circling the area where the incident took place. According to media reports no damage or casualties are reported at this time.
Flight tracking data showing the MQ-4C Triton during the incident. This shows us where the ship was seized and turned towards Iran. The drone never went into Iran, interference can sometimes distort a flight path.
In a statement Columbia shipmanagement, the company who manages the ship said “The vessel, carrying a cargo of high-sulphur gasoil, was transiting the Indian Ocean during its passage from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates to Singapore when contact was lost at around 0822 local time on Friday, 14 November, 2025 approximately 20 nautical miles off the coast of Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates.”
The company said they are working closely with the relevant authorities. They added “The safety of the crew remains our foremost priority,”
The ship is owned by the Greek Coronis Family Group of Companies. They have yet to release a statement of any kind.
Merchant vessels have been advised of the incident and warned to practice caution while transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
The ship is believed to be sitting in port somewhere in the Khuran (or Clarence) Strait, a smaller strait inside of the strait of Hormuz. Tomorrow’s satellite imagery should tell us more.
Khuran (or Clarence) Strait, where the ship is believed to be held.
Images sent to me from planet labs show the before and after shot of the bombing of the Hamas negotiation team that took place in Doha, Qatar on September 9th, 2025.
BeforeAfter.
Yesterday, as the Hamas negotiations team was debating a recent proposal from the U.S. delegation when an explosion ripped through the building killing several members of the Hamas negotiations team, made up of senior members of the Palestinian extremist group and a Qatari Security official. Qatari leadership condemned the attack, which took place on their soil. Qatar has long been a financial supporter of Hamas transferring billions of dollars to the group since 2018 with Hamas saying the payments were expressly used for employee payroll and medical care for Palestinians.Those payments are a form of some contention in Israel as Benjamin Netanyahu approved the payments back when he was the primer of the Israeli security cabinet and some in Israel disagreed with the decision. He defended his actions to detractors saying “in coordination with security experts to return calm to (Israeli) villages of the south, but also to prevent a humanitarian disaster (in Gaza).
CCTV footage captured the moment of the Israeli airstrikes earlier against the Qatari capital of Doha. pic.twitter.com/iG7khL3ETs
Video shows the airstrike which targeted the Hamas leadership.
It’s now been over 48 hours since the attack and Qatar has threatened to hold Benjamin Netanyau responsible for the attack. The UN Security Council had postponed a meeting about Israel’s strike on Qatar until tomorrow “at Qatar’s request”, the council’s current president says. UNSC South Korea, the current UN Security Council president added, “so that the Prime Minister of Qatar can take part in the meeting”.
At the U.N. many stood with Qatar, however some questions were raised as to why Qatar has Hamas in their cities in the first place.
Today at the U.N. I asked Qatar: “If you don’t want targeted bombings on terrorists in your capital, why do you harbor terrorists in your capital? Why is your Al Jazeera serving as Hamas' non-stop propaganda arm? Why do you act as mediator by day, and a terror sponsor by night?” https://t.co/xi2EZlC5B7pic.twitter.com/tTghv5JK4U
The US seemed sidelined by the attack, an attack carried out on the soil of a US allied partner in the region. Just days ago US President Donald Trump said that they were close to reaching an agreement in negotiations with Hamas. It seems like the US was only made aware of the planned attack when Israel’s forces were already on route to attack.
“I immediately directed Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to inform the Qataris of the impending attack, which he did, however, unfortunately, too late to stop the attack,” Trump said in a statement.
Steve Cook, a senior fellow at the council for foreign relations wrote in his article ‘ It is unclear how many of Hamas’s leaders were killed in the operation. Hamas maintains that while five of its people plus a Qatari police officer were killed, its senior leadership survived. Those claims have yet to be verified. At the very least, the Israelis have demonstrated a willingness to go anywhere to eliminate Hamas. It is likely that the organization’s surviving leaders will be targeted again in time.’
The attack against Hamas has spread outrage among the Qatari leadership who see themselves as mediators in this conflict and as such it’s highly likely they will cease any of their part in future negotiation. Qatar sees this as a slap on the face after they worked to get a good number of the Israeli hostages that were taken on October 7th 2023, freed.
Cook,in his article put forward Egypt as a possible candidate for future negotiations but called the negotiations a “thankless task ” when “neither the Israeli government nor the Hamas leadership seem interested in a deal”
Three days ago the capital of Syria, Damascus, was rocked as Israeli fighter-bombers conducted strikes against the Syrian Ministry of Defense. Israel says these strikes were in defense of the Druze people, a religious minority who reside in areas of Syria like Sweida as well as in parts of Israel. The Druze have been fighting with the Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes and militias connected to them. There are also rumors of government is backing those with involvement in the fighting against the Druze.
Last Friday, renewed clashes ignited between the Druze and the Bedouins. Kidnappings and gun battles occurred throughout areas around the Sweida region in southern Syria. Over the weekend Syrian government forces were dispatched to the area in response to the clashes but however, the Druze pushed back against the military forces and attempted to block them acess from the area. Israel carried out strikes on Syrian military targets on Tuesday. There are local reports of a Syrian military convoy being bombed by Israeli warplanes but so far they remain unconfirmed.
“Israel is committed to preventing harm being inflicted on the Druze in Syria, owing to the deep covenant of blood with our Druze citizens in Israel and their historical and familial link to the Druze in Syria,” Statement from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We are acting to prevent the Syrian regime from harming them, and to ensure the demilitarization of the region adjacent to our border with Syria.”
Israel Katz, Israeli Minister of Defense.
The Syrian government feels differently about the situation and claimed that Israel was purposely acting to destabilize the situation and the region further. President Ahmed al-Sharaa claimed that Israel had a “deliberate policy” to “Inflame tensions” and “spread chaos”.
While Israel purposely destabilizing the region is up for debate one thing they have said publicly is that they would not allow a large Syrian military force to occupy territory in southern Syria for fears of them being used to push into the occupied Golan Heights.
The main area of focus is the green territory in the south. Israel currently occupies most of the Quneitra region.
On Wednesday July 16, the IDF carried out a strike on the Syrian Ministry of Defense building in Damascus. Multiple angles of footage are available of the strike.
Since then several ceasefires have been agreed upon by the Druze and the Bedouin, two of which were almost immediately broken. Right now there is an anxious pause in the fighting and a ceasefire sponsored by the U.S. in place. Israel agreed to allow Syrian troops into the south and the fighting has started to die down.
The President of Syria made this statement about the fighting and the ceasefire.
“We have received international invitations to intervene in what is happening in Sweida and restore security to the country. “
He continues,
“The Syrian state alone is capable of preserving its prestige and sovereignty across all Syrian territories.”
“We appreciate the role of the United States of America in reaffirming its stand with Syria and its unity,”
“We thank the tribes for their heroic stances and call on them for a complete ceasefire.”
And speaking on some
“The honorable Druze community as a whole should not be judged for the actions of a very small minority.”
He also added that,
“Events have proven that the people of Sweida stand with the state, with the exception of a small segment.”
“We disown all massacres and transgressions that occurred in Sweida province.”
He finished strong with this statement
“This sensitive circumstance requires the tribes and the Druze people to stand united.” Reaffirming Syria’s territorial integrity, he declared, “Syria is not a battlefield for secessionist projects.”
Author’s note.
I usually prefer to have more visual information with my reports however the violence being carried out between the Druze and the Bedouins is some of the most horrific stuff I’ve ever gone through. People being stabbed to death and shot are the tame videos I’ve seen a videos of a Bedouin militia forcing Druze people to jump off a rooftop. As they prepare for what they are about to do ao and start climbing the railing they are shot anyway with rifles. The Druze as well have been forcing Arabs out of the area and killing those who don’t comply. In the whole affair around 350 people have been killed. In the grand scheme of things that seems low but it could have been much worse and still has the potential to reignite.
Sorry for the delay in writing this, I’ve been following the fighting but it took me a while to re-familiarize myself with some of the players here.
Thank you for the support. Without you, GCR does not exist.
Recently released images show the damage after an Iranian attack on the U.S. Al Udeid airbase. The June 23rd ballistic missile attack was mostly intercepted, video of which can be seen here.
Qatari residents watch as US air defenses take out incoming Iranian ballistic missiles.
Al Udeid is a large military complex and is currently the forward operating base for US Central Command and the USAF Central Command and several air squadrons as well as one from the Royal Air Force. Al Udeid has been an important US instillations since after Desert Storm when a Defense Cooperation Agreement was signed and the base was built in 1996. The U.S. kept the base somewhat secret until the early 2000’s when it was used to launch missions into Afghanistan. Since then the base has remained an important strategical command post for US forces in the Middle East.
The Iranian attack on June 22nd was being carried out for several reasons but mainly as retaliation for the U.S.’s strike on Iran’s nuclear sites several days earlier. On a deeper level the retaliation was planned because Iran needed to appear to remain strong in front of their allies and the rest of the world. Not striking back, for them, was not an option.
Hours before the attack the US was made aware of the planned attack by the Qatari government who were told by Iranian officials. This gave the US enough warning that no lives were lost.
Above shows a before image of the exact area that received damage. What you’re looking at is a satellite antenna for the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) network. It is not a radar as some have reported.
Here is what it looks like on the inside.
Inside the radar dome at Al-Udeid.
Several days after the attacks this is what the same spot looked like.
The back circle is the remains of the radar dome and dish.
Looking closer with photos from the ground …
We knew several days ago that the site had received damage but having pictures from the ground is always a bonus.
Fixing the damage will be a high priority for the forces at the base. It’s a fairly new system made by L3Harris so it’s likely expensive. I’m the interim it’s possible a smaller version of the same model can be brought in to take care of their immediate communication needs.
Right now 15 sailers are missing and presumed dead after Houthi forces carried out their second attack and subsequent sinking of a cargo ship in the Red Sea this week.
Image taken of the Eternity C frim 2019.
The Eternity C, a Greek-owned cargo vessel was attacked on Monday, one day after the attack on the ‘Magic Seas’, showing an increase in the Houthis willingness to attack shipping since the ceasefire with the U.S.
The attacks main thrust , according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operation, started around 1703 (5:03PM) on Monday. At that time the company security officer reported that the ship had been hit with multiple Rocket propelled grenade rounds and was being approached by multiple small craft. They had been in and out of fights with this group of boats for the past day as they attempted to get through the Red Sea.
10 minutes after the first UKMTO report Eternity C, reported that the vessel has sustained significant damage and has lost all propulsion. At this point the ship was surrounded and taking continuous fire from the small boats. The boat was completely overrun after that.
The Europeans unions defensive operation in the region- Operation Aspides, rescued several of the crew of the Eternity C floated in the water for 24 hours before a rescue could be made. The Yemeni Navy also responded to rescue survivors.
The Houthis claimed responsibility for the assault, releasing several videos. One I’ve included as they are both very similar The ship is filmed as it slowly sinks after being struck with a missile which caused damage to the deck but did not cause the sinking. Holes caused by off screen damage can be seen at the ships water line.
The U.S. mission in government controlled parts of the Yemen, accused the Houthis of kidnapping many of the survivors of the ship who have yet to be found.
Update-
Of the crew, 10 were rescued, 3 were killed and 12 are suspected to have been kidnapped.
Around midnight on Sunday night going into Monday Israeli forces carried out airstrike across three Houthi controlled ports in Yemen. The ports of Hodeida, Ras Isa and Salif were all struck. They alleged that the ports were being used by the Houthis to “transfer weapons from the Iranian regime,” according to a statement from the IDF. Ras Kanatib power planet was also struck.
We don’t know specifically what aircraft carried out the attack only that F-16’s were used.
During those strike the IDF also struck the M/S Galaxy Leader, a cargo ship hijacked by Houthi forces in November 2023 following the start of the war between Hamas and Israel. The Houthis, like the other major Iranian backed groups all launched separate campaigns after the attack on Israel on October 27th 2023 . The Houthis are strong supporters of Palestinian Hamas, regularly attacking Israel with ballistic missiles and striking at ships in the Red Sea connected to Israel and America. These attacks in the Red Sea put shipping in the region to a standstill Most trade has recovered although the supply route has been extended as ships make their way around Africa instead of through the Red Sea. Along with impacting trade these Houthi attacks have also forced the U.S. to up its presence in the region, tying down one or more carrier strike groups at a time as they attempted to protect shipping from Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile and drone attacks.
Still frim the video showing the Houthi capture of the M/S Galaxy Leader.
After the capture of the M/S Galaxy Leader,a bulk roll on-roll off style car carrier, in November of 2023 the crew remained hostages in Yemen until January of this year (2025) when a ceasefire deal was signed between Israel and Hamas.
“Houthi forces installed a radar system on the ship and have been using it to track vessels in the international maritime arena to facilitate further terrorist activities,” the IDF said in the statement speaking about the ship since it has been held be the Houthis and used to help them in their attacks.
Last nights IDF operation followed a recent wave of ballistic missile attacked launched from the Houthis on Israel, the most recent was intercepted on Saturday. The Houthis also claimed responsibility for an attempted hijacking and attack that took place on the Bulk carrier, ‘Magic Seas’ on Sunday. The group claimed the ship had used Israeli ports recently, trying to justify their actions. However the ships operator-Stem shipping- said that the vessel had made a port call to Israel in the past but viewed this trip as safe because it had nothing to do with Israel.
The crew of ‘Magic Seas’, -19 in total- had to abandon ship after the attack on Sunday due to fire and flooding. The ship is now sunk but the crew was rescued by an operation led by the United Arab Emeries in coordination with the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO).
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Global Conflict Reporting 
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