Evening Brief: US Sinks Third Drug Boat off Venezuela, Ukraine to Get $3.5 Billion in Weapons, Israeli Forces Push Deeper Into Gaza City

· Guy D. McCardle

Unclassified: Drug-smuggling boat off Venezuela spotted and struck. (Screenshot)

Evening rundown for Wednesday, September 17, 2025.

 

US Sinks Third Suspected Drug-Smuggling Boat off Venezuela

President Donald Trump said recently that US naval forces have sunk a third suspected drug-smuggling boat off Venezuela, following earlier strikes that reportedly killed 11 people on September 2 and three others this week.

Trump claimed the vessels carried cocaine and fentanyl and called those aboard “narcoterrorists.”

The operations come as US-Venezuela tensions escalate, with Washington deploying eight warships, F-35 jets, and 4,500 personnel to the Caribbean in its largest regional show of force in decades.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused the US of plotting an invasion, while Trump warned such strikes would continue.

Legal experts raised concerns that targeting suspected traffickers outside war zones may violate international law if civilians are killed.

 

US Army Veteran Pleads Not Guilty After Flag-Burning Protest Near White House

US Army veteran Jan Carey pleaded not guilty to federal charges after burning an American flag near the White House on August 25 to protest President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting flag burning.

Carey faces two misdemeanors for igniting an unauthorized fire and causing property damage, not for flag desecration itself. He argued his act was protected political expression, citing his 20 years of military service.

The charges, filed by US Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office, come despite Supreme Court rulings protecting flag burning under the First Amendment.

Carey’s lawyers plan to challenge the case on constitutional grounds, calling it an attempt to suppress dissent.

 

Ukraine to Receive $3.5B for US Weapons as New Investment Fund Launches

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that about $3.5 billion will be available by next month through the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL) to buy US weapons and equipment, including Patriot missiles and HIMARS munitions.

The fund pools contributions from NATO members except the US Russia said it remains open to talks, though negotiations have stalled.

Meanwhile, Russian strikes disrupted rail and power services and wounded four civilians in southern Ukraine.

Separately, Ukraine and the US announced a $150 million investment fund to develop Ukraine’s mineral sector, with both sides contributing $75 million to support energy, infrastructure, and critical mineral projects.

 

European Officials Warns Iran Time Running Out to Avert UN Sanctions Snapback

European officials warned Iran on Wednesday that it has not taken the steps needed to prevent the return of UN sanctions over its nuclear program and that time is running out.

After talks with France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, the EU urged Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and allow immediate inspections of all nuclear sites.

Iran’s foreign minister rejected the threat as unjustified but said Tehran had agreed to grant the IAEA access and report on its nuclear material, though it remains unclear when it will do so.

If no progress is made, sanctions under the 2015 nuclear deal’s “snapback” mechanism will automatically resume at the end of September, reimposing asset freezes, arms bans, and missile restrictions on Iran.

 

EU Proposes Sanctions and Tariffs to Pressure Israel Over Gaza War

The European Union unveiled its toughest plan yet to push Israel to end the war in Gaza, proposing sanctions on Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, 10 Hamas leaders, and increased tariffs on some Israeli goods.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the measures aim to pressure Israel’s government to halt the conflict, release hostages, and address humanitarian suffering, not to punish Israelis.

The plan would freeze targeted individuals’ EU assets, ban their travel, suspend about 32 million euros ($37.5 million) in bilateral funds, and impose tariffs worth about 230 million euros ($166 million) on 37 percent of Israeli imports currently exempt under an EU trade agreement.

The proposal faces division among EU members, as Israel warned it will not yield to sanctions.

Gaza’s death toll has surpassed 65,000 since the war began in October 2023.

 

Israeli Forces Push Deeper Into Gaza City as Death Toll Tops 65,000

Israeli troops and tanks advanced further into Gaza City on Wednesday while heavy strikes cut phone and internet services, hindering rescue efforts.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said the death toll has risen to 65,062, with over 165,000 wounded since the war began after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.

Israeli forces have struck the city more than 150 times in recent days and opened a corridor for evacuations as residents fled the devastated area. Overnight strikes killed at least 16 people, including women and children, and damaged the Rantisi children’s hospital, forcing many patients to flee.

Aid groups condemned the offensive as genocide, while Qatar also issued a strong denunciation. Hamas official Ghazi Hamad resurfaced to accuse the US of bias after a deadly Israeli strike in Qatar.

Meanwhile, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Gaza could become a “real estate bonanza” after the war, saying he is discussing redevelopment plans with the Trump administration.

 

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia Sign Mutual Defense Pact

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a “Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement” on Wednesday declaring that any attack on one nation will be treated as an attack on both.

The pact was signed during Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Riyadh for talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The agreement commits both countries to bolster defense cooperation, strengthen joint deterrence, and support regional and global peace. It comes amid heightened regional tensions following a September 9 Israeli airstrike in Qatar that killed six people.

Saudi Arabia is a major oil supplier and longstanding ally of Pakistan.

 

Indonesia’s Prabowo Appoints Former Rival as Security Minister After Deadly Protests

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto appointed retired General Djamari Chaniago as coordinating minister of politics and security on Wednesday, replacing Budi Gunawan after violent protests in August left 10 dead.

The unrest erupted over lawmakers’ housing allowances and escalated following the death of a ride-hailing driver struck by a police vehicle.

Analysts say Gunawan was removed for failing to coordinate during the crisis.

Chaniago, once a rival and part of the 1998 council that investigated Subianto for the kidnapping of activists, is seen as key to consolidating support from the military and political elite.

Subianto also reshuffled three other ministers, including Erick Thohir, who became minister of youth and sports.

 

Thai and Cambodian Clashes Erupt in Disputed Border Area, Threatening Fragile Truce

Thai security forces clashed with Cambodian protesters Wednesday in a disputed border area, injuring at least 28 people and endangering a ceasefire reached in July after five days of armed combat.

The confrontation occurred near Prey Chan village in Cambodia’s Banteay Meanchey province, which Thailand calls Ban Nong Ya Kaeo in Sa Kaeo province.

Thai forces used tear gas, rubber bullets, and long-range acoustic devices, while Cambodian civilians threw rocks and used slingshots.

Both sides blamed each other for provoking the violence during Thailand’s attempt to install new border barriers. The July truce, mediated by Malaysia and pressured by the US, followed deadly clashes that killed dozens and displaced over 260,000 people.

Longstanding territorial disputes rooted in colonial-era maps continue to fuel tensions.

 

Sources: News Agencies