I was recently in Panama City and pulled up to what used to be Howard Airfield. I’ve got to tell you, the place is buzzing. Pete Hegseth’s plane is here, and I counted four F-18 fighter jets sitting on the tarmac. Nearby, a pair of Blackhawk helicopters lifted off, likely carting Pete to his next stop. Oh, and there’s a couple of C-17s parked here, too. If you’re wondering what all that military hardware is doing here—so am I.

At first glance, this might look like the U.S. gearing up for a new operation. But don’t jump to conclusions. I stuck around, listened to what Pete had to say at the dock dedication near the canal, and now I’m driving across the iconic Bridge of the Americas—built by the U.S. over 50 years ago—watching ships pass through the waterway that remains one of the most strategically important routes in the world.

Pete’s speech was powerful. Let me give you a few key quotes:

Yemen: We’re Not Just Bombing Anymore

Let’s start with Yemen. The real government—the one the world recognizes, not the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels—is finally pushing back. With U.S. Special Forces on the ground and American airpower overhead, 80,000 Yemeni troops are preparing to take back territory, starting with the port city of Hodeidah and then advancing toward Sanaa. CENTCOM is providing JTACs to call in airstrikes as our way of tipping the scales.

Why are we involved? Because the Houthis keep lobbing missiles at U.S. ships and global shipping lanes. And make no mistake, America can’t bomb its way out of this alone—we need boots on the ground. That’s the hard truth, and we’re finally waking up to it.

But so far, our strikes are just a whisper when we need a roar. We’re averaging 30 airstrikes a day in a country the size of California. It’s not enough. We don’t need to bomb civilians—we need to make life so miserable for the Houthi regime that their own people turn against them. No electricity. No fuel. No water. You want to play terrorist games? Then you don’t get to have nice things.

Israel: Flattening Gaza to Send a Message

The Middle East is once again lit up by airstrikes, this time in Yemen, where CENTCOM may have just taken out a major Houthi leader—possibly the leader, Mahdi al-Mashat, the Houthis' so-called “president.” But let’s be honest: calling him a president is like calling a pirate captain a shipping executive. There’s a democratically elected government of Yemen, but it’s been sidelined for over a decade. The Houthis? They muscled their way in, took over the populated western chunk of the country, and never looked back.

Now, rumors are swirling that a U.S. airstrike outside the old presidential palace in Sana’a hit a key convoy—possibly carrying al-Mashat himself. If true, that’s a big hit. Almost immediately after the strike, armed Houthis poured out of the palace and set up a perimeter, which is a pretty good clue that someone important got barbequed. CENTCOM’s message is clear: if you mess with global shipping, you're going to pay—big time.

Yemen’s Geography of Chaos

Yemen isn’t just “a giant dirt parking lot,” as I’ve joked before. It’s a dirt parking lot with some fascinating relics of ancient history—palaces and fortresses that remind you this land once mattered. The palace in Sana’a and the ancient fortress at Mount Nuqm are reminders of that past. Sadly, they’re now being used as command centers by terrorists, turning cultural treasures into legitimate military targets. You play terrorist games, you win military strikes.

That fortress on Mount Nuqm? CENTCOM has hit it at least 10 times already. Yes, it’s a shame to see historical sites damaged, but let’s be real: if you don’t want your history turned to rubble, don’t turn it into a war room.

The Truth About “Democracy” in the Middle East

Here’s a little civics quiz: Out of 18 countries in the Middle East, how many have democratically elected governments recognized by the global community?

Answer: Two.
Just Israel and Tunisia.

The rest? Monarchies, figureheads, rigged elections. Countries like Iraq hold elections, sure—but whether those votes mean anything is another story entirely. And the Houthis? They’re not elected. They’re armed thugs with a flag.

Why the U.S. Needs to Hit Harder

Let’s not sugarcoat it—the U.S. response until recently has been tepid. The Biden administration treated the Houthis like a mosquito bite: annoying but not worth a strong response. They lobbed a few bombs at empty warehouses and called it a day.

But now, under Trump’s return to the spotlight, CENTCOM is striking Yemen hourly. It’s a good start—but not enough. When the Saudis went to war with the Houthis, they flew 75,000 sorties in seven years. And still, the Houthis came out stronger. Why? Because sustained conflict—no matter how justified—can rally the very populations it seeks to subdue.

The Houthis are the honey badgers of the Middle East. Bombs don’t scare them. If anything, it fuels their propaganda machine.

Terrorism on the High Seas

Today’s battlefield isn’t just desert and cities—it’s the ocean. The Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden—vital arteries of global trade are being threatened. And the Houthis know it. By targeting commercial ships, they’re not just making headlines—they’re disrupting the global economy.

That’s why the U.S. wants the Houthis to attack military ships instead of civilian ones. As absurd as it sounds, if they aim for our destroyers and aircraft carriers (and miss by a hundred miles, as usual), they aren’t blowing up container ships. The strategy? Keep them focused on us, not on trade routes.

You Don’t Get Nice Things

This is the heart of the matter: when you become a global menace, you don’t get to keep your toys. No fancy palaces. No working power grids. No satellite TV. If you harbor terrorists or become one yourself, don’t be surprised when the rest of the world comes knocking—with bunker busters.

It’s not about collective punishment. It’s about moral clarity. The Houthis are not freedom fighters. They are Iranian proxies, funded and armed to destabilize an already broken region. And the people of Yemen, though deserving of compassion, have to live with the consequences of their rulers’ decisions.

Just like protesters who block freeways instead of city squares, the Houthis punish the innocent to make a point. That’s terrorism. And it should be treated as such.

A Fragile Peace?

After the recent strike, the Houthis suddenly floated the idea of a truce—“We’ll stop hitting your ships if you stop hitting us.” That’s not diplomacy. That’s a toddler’s tantrum. And no, we shouldn't buy it. The second we ease off, they'll go right back to drone strikes and missile launches.

So, what now? Keep the pressure on. Hit the power grids. Hit the command centers. Make it impossible for the Houthis to function. When they realize terror doesn’t pay, maybe then—maybe—we can talk.

Until then?
No nice things.

Watch the full video HERE