Episode Details

//The Wire//2100Z September 16, 2026//
 //ROUTINE//
 //BLUF: OIL EXECUTIVES SOUND ALARMS REGARDING FUEL CRISIS, STATING THAT FUEL PRICES ARE LIKELY TO INCREASE SHARPLY AND IMMINENTLY. HOUTHIS SHOOT DOWN SAUDI FIGHTER AIRCRAFT. HELICOPTER CRASH REPORTED IN LOS ANGELES. DC POLICE UNION VOICES CONCERN WITH POLICE OFFICERS BEING SURVEILLED BY FLOCK SENSORS.//

 -----BEGIN TEARLINE-----

 
 -International Events-

Europe: Fuel prices have begun to spike throughout the region, after Saudi Arabia announced that they will be halting all shipments of oil to the European continent. In Germany, the average diesel price is almost $11.00 per gallon nationwide, having increased steadily over the past few days. Other than diesel and gasoline, natural gas levels are also at the lowest level in years, with natural gas continuing to dwindle after Qatar shut down production after being targeted during the height of the war.

Red Sea/HOA: Conflict between the Saudis and Houthis has continued to escalate. Overnight, the Houthis shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter aircraft over Marib. The status of the aircrew is not known.

Analyst Comment: Several instances of fake or confusing videos regarding the crash have circulated social media regarding this shootdown. Due to several Persian websites using the Hijri Islamic calendar system for timestamping their articles, Google's auto-translate feature is mistranslating that date, and indicating that the video is from 2021. As a result, Saudis are claiming that the videos of the shootdown are either fake or from years ago. However, this is an error; the video is a new product released by official Houthi accounts and does appear to depict the shootdown overnight.

To the north, Houthi forces also hit Yanbu with substantial drone strikes overnight, with dozens of impacts being reported at the oil terminals. Satellite based fire detection sensors indicate that the port of Yanbu remained on fire throughout the night. Proper battle damage assessment will take a few more days to materialize, but as of this morning the Houthis have continued to press the attack, and have struck Saudi facilities regularly over the past few days.

Analyst Comment: Yesterday, rumors began to circulate that the Houthis have begun to lay mines in the Bab el Mandeb Strait, as a way of restricting travel through the waterway. As it stands, this is probably not true for many reasons. For one, the Houthis have historically not show interest in laying sea mines. Secondly, the Houthis have very carefully NOT instituted a blanket ban on travel through the Strait...they are only blockading Saudi ships. Everybody else is free to pass without being targeted or even contacted by radio. The Houthis are certainly still a threat to commercial shipping, and could possibly expand their blockade to include nations other than just Saudi Arabia, but there is very little chance that the Houthis have mined anything at present.

Middle East: This morning Fox News leaked details of an Iranian strike on a merchant vessel in the strait of Hormuz, which was struck last week while attempting to exit the Gulf. At the time, this vessel was not any different than the dozens of other strikes that have taken place, however Fox News reports (via unnamed leakers) that U.S. personnel were onboard this vessel at the time of the Iranian strike. The report has not explicitly stated whether or not these individuals were military service members, or were U.S. citizens/contractors crewing the vessel. However, several people were wounded as a result of the Iranian targeting, and are currently being treated at an undisclosed location in the region.

-HomeFront-

Washington D.C - The Capitol Police Union has voiced outrage concerning the use of Flock cameras by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The Union alleges that Internal Affairs officers were using the intelligence collection sensor network to monitor thei