The Wire - July 24, 2026

This is the Wire for 2300 Zulu, July 24th, 2026. Precedence is routine. Information cut off is 2200. Bottom line up front. Targeting continues to escalate throughout the Middle East. Explosives recovered during raid in Ireland. Shilo Hendrix convicted of disorderly conduct in landmark free speech case. Beginning with international events in the Middle East, Iranian strikes continue to target American military installations around the region. Most of the American bases in Kuwait have been struck regularly by Iranian drones and missile attacks remain constant at American positions in Jordan. This morning, the Patriot battery in Erbil was targeted again with local Iraqis reporting large smoke plumes emitting from the section of the base where the launchers are located. Some successful interceptions of drones were also reported along with the more unconfirmed targeting efforts which can't yet be geolocated or verified with satellite imagery. Within Iran, American targeting continues to escalate as well. Airstrikes have been observed in Bandar Abbas, Jask, and Qeshm Island along with more substantial strikes at the underground missile cities in Khorramabad and Yazd. Coastal targets remain an American priority as the ports and marinas housing small boats used by the IRGC and are constantly targeted. In the Red Sea Horn of Africa region this afternoon, the war between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia flared up once again with both belligerents trading strikes this evening. The Yemeni port and Houthi stronghold of Hodeidah was struck with fires continuing to burn late into the night. In Ireland this morning, an explosive device was discovered during a series of raids throughout the regions near the border with Northern Ireland. One suspect was arrested after a bag containing plastic explosives, allegedly Semtex, and a detonator was discovered in her vehicle. Analyst comment: Details are very sketchy and vague, but this incident generally aligns with some of the other incidents that have recently taken place regarding explosives in Northern Ireland or adjacent areas. Much of the time, the person arrested in possession of an explosive device is not the actual assailant, but instead transporting a package that they do not know the contents of. What the story is in this case is not known. However, this is another reminder that even though Northern Ireland might be out of the mainstream news cycle, paramilitary groups are very much active throughout the region and the causes of the Belfast riots last month have not been forgotten. On the home front in Minnesota last night after a four-day jury trial that involved multiple Somali interpreters, Shiloh Hendricks was convicted of one count of disorderly conduct for calling a Somalian a name while being harassed on a Rochester playground in May of last year. Analysts comment, "This landmark First Amendment case is being appealed on the grounds that the judge in this case refused to allow evidence to be presented, verbally abused the defense counsel in front of the jury, and allowed one of the star witnesses in the case to commit perjury while on the stand." Analysts comments for this wire. "Indications and warnings continue to point toward a widening of the war, possibly to include more serious targeting efforts over the next few days and weeks. All American aircraft that were stationed at Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar have been relocated to Ovda Airbase in Israel and King Hussein International Airport in Jordan, both of which have been targeted by Iran since their movement earlier this week. Otherwise, military aviation has been extremely active throughout the region with many assets being moved around from base to base. On the messaging front within the homeland, other more generalized indicators are stacking up, too. The media blitz to urge a widening of the war has re-intensified to a staggering degree to similar levels in the days leading up to the war back in February. Rhetoric from official White House sources has likewise continued to expand the war with the announcement of targets now including more tunnels and bridges along with more deliberately civilian infrastructure such as power plants and water treatment and desalination facilities. All things considered, as the weekend approaches, more targeting is likely. This concludes the wire for 2300 Zulu, July 24th, 2026.