The President's Daily Brief - PDB Afternoon Bulletin | January 17th, 2024: Navy SEALs Missing At Sea & Iran's Deadly Missile Strike In Pakistan

Episode Date: January 17, 2024

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin:  Two U.S. Navy SEALs are missing in the Gulf of Aden after going overboard during a daring nighttime mission last Thursday that seized Iranian missile components bound for the Houthis in Yemen. We’ll discuss what went wrong and the latest updates regarding search and rescue efforts. In another escalation of regional tensions, Iran launched a missile and drone strike against a jihadist group in Pakistan on Tuesday that reportedly killed two children and injured three others. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin.     Email: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right, so I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue. Instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with kayak and get your trip right. Bad advice?

You talking to me? Kayak, got that right. This podcast is sponsored by Blackout. Coffee. Start your day off with a delicious cup of American-made Blackout Coffee. Family-owned, premium coffee fresh roasted, and shipped out within 48 hours of roasting. Go to blackout coffee.com promo code PDB for 20% off your first purchase. It's Wednesday, January 17th. Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin. I'm Mike Baker. Your eyes and ears on the world stage. Let's get briefed. First, two U.S. Navy SEALs are missing in the Gulf of Aden after going overboard during a nighttime mission last Thursday that seized Iranian missile components bound for the Houthis in Yemen.

We'll discuss what went wrong and the latest updates regarding search and rescue efforts. Also, in another escalation of regional tensions, Iran launched a missile drone strike against a jihadist group in Pakistan on Tuesday that reportedly, killed two children and injured three others. At this point, you have to ask, are there any countries that haven't been hit by the missile-happy Iranian regime in its proxies? But first, our afternoon spotlight. The U.S. military is engaged in search and rescue efforts for two Navy seals that were lost at sea during an operation aimed at stemming the flow of Iranian weapons to their proxies in the Middle East. The incident occurred last Friday off the coast of Somalia during the interdiction of a small fishing vessel or Dow that was smuggling Iranian-made missile parts bound for Yemen,

according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. During the operation on Friday, Navy SEALs used a small boat to approach the target, with helicopters and drones flying overhead. As a team executed a complex boarding of the vessel, one seal fell into the water. Another SEAL immediately jumped into the black waves after his teammate, which officials noted is in line with their own. rigorous training and operational protocols. Despite the tragic mishap, the mission continued with the seals rounding up the 14 crew members aboard and searching the vessel. After bringing the captured

crew aboard their own ship, officials determined the captured boat was unsafe and sank it. Eric Orlerich, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL told ABC News that such nighttime shipboardings are among the most difficult missions that a Navy SEAL can undertake, occurring in pitch black conditions surrounded by volatile seas. Ulrich noted waves in the Gulf of Aden are particularly high this time of year, adding, of course, to the danger. He described the conditions saying, quote, you have to climb a ladder at night over the open ocean between two ships they're smashing into each other and then get safely on board. Search and rescue efforts began immediately after the incident and have continued this week.

U.S. officials said that they had waited to publicly reveal the incident until the Seals family members. had been notified. Officials said they remain hopeful in their search efforts, particularly because of the region's warm waters. Now, regarding the search of the vessel, the Navy SEAL team found Iranian-made missile guidance and propulsion systems, as well as warheads for medium-range ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles. The seizure was the first since November 2019 of Iranian military equipment bound for Houthi militants. General Eric Carrilla, the commander of CENTCOM, said, quote, it is clear that Iran continues their shipments of advanced lethal aid to the Houthis. This is yet another example of how Iran actively so's instability throughout the region, end quote.

He added that U.S. forces will continue to aggressively expose and interdict these efforts, and ultimately to reestablish freedom of navigation. As we've been extensively covering on the PDB, Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen continue to wreck havoc in the Red Sea, targeting shipping vessels and Western naval forces in the crucial international shipping channel. The attacks have continued despite U.S. and allied counter strikes on Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen last Thursday and Friday. Now, it's worth mentioning that the White House has just now changed its position on the Houthis, deciding this week that the group is a terrorist organization after all. President Trump had listed the Houthis as terrorists during his administration, but President Biden,

made the decision upon occupying the White House that the Houthis were not a terrorist group, so his administration delisted them. After all, one man's terrorist group is another man's misunderstood militant organization that just didn't get enough hugs when they were younger. Well, now the Houthis are back on the terrorist list, although the Biden administration used a lesser or more milder version of the original designation, essentially choosing not to hit the with the full force of available listing options. Now, while even the lesser designation is an important step and allows for certain actions to be taken against the group,

it likely won't, at least in the short term, cause them to cease their attacks against military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea. All right, coming up after the break, Iran has launched a missile and drone strike against the jihadist group in Pakistan that reportedly killed two children and injured three others. I'll be right back. Welcome back to the afternoon bulletin. Between supporting Houthi efforts to cause chaos in the Red Sea and its recent missile attacks in Iraq,

not to mention their continued funding, training, and support to Hamas and Hezbollah, the mullahs of Iran have been busy lately. And things just got a little busier. In a significant escalation of regional tensions, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, launched a missile and drone strike against a jihad. highest group in Pakistan on Tuesday. This strike targeted Jaish al-Adol, a Sunni militant group operating in Pakistan's remote western province of Balukistan, which shares a long border with Iran. Iranian state media reported that the attack struck the group's training center and homes.

Now, if you'll remember, we discussed this group, Jaish Al-Elde earlier this month on the PDB in the wake of the deadly bombing attack in southeastern Iran during a memorial for IRGC commander Kassem Sulele Amani. As we noted at the time, the group is based in Iran's eastern most province of Sistan-Bulukistan and has been responsible for more than a half-dozen deadly attacks inside of Iran, including an assault on a police station in Sistan Balukistan just last month that killed at least 11 Iranian security personnel. The group's objective is to separate the predominantly Sunni eastern province from the rest of Shiite-dominated. Iran. Tehran has accused Pakistan of providing safe haven to the group, a claim that Islamabad has

consistently denied. Following the attacks, Iran's defense minister issued a stark warning, vowing to use Iran's missile capabilities against enemies whenever necessary without setting any limits. In response to the strike, Islamabad condemned Iran's actions, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of two children and injured three others. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Foreign Affairs, released a statement on Tuesday, emphasizing that this violation of Pakistan's sovereignty is, quote, completely unacceptable and can have serious consequences. As we've been reporting here on the PDP, Iran's recent military actions obviously aren't limited to Pakistan. The nation has also conducted operations in Iraq and Syria. Following the attack on Soleimani's

memorial procession for which the Islamic State claimed responsibility, Iran struck targets in Syria's Idlib province, where ISIS has a strong presence. Notably, there has been no public objection from the Syrian government, which is a close ally of Iran. And that, my friends, is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday, 17 January. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at pdb at thefirsttv.com. I'm Mike Baker, and I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, stay informed. Stay safe. Stay cool. Get tickets Thursday, May 7th at Olivia Rodrigo.com.

Wireless can feel like a world of traps, but not with Visible. It's one-line wireless with unlimited data and hotspot. Powered by Verizon for $25 a month, taxes and fees included. Plus, for a limited time, new members pay just $20 a month for one year on the Visible plan. Using the code Fresh Start. Refresh your wireless with Visible. Tap the banner to switch today. Terms apply, limited time offer subject to change.

See visible.com for plan features and network management details.