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In a West Side Story version of military diplomacy, the US decided that a little tough love was needed for Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis. On Wednesday night, the mighty Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declared it was time for a “let’s bombard some bad guys” soirée, using B-2 stealth bombers like they were party favors at a kid’s birthday bash—only these toys come with a hefty price tag and a side of collateral damage.

Apparently, our boys in the Pentagon figured it was high time to showcase their shiny new adult toys, targeting five underground weapons storages—because what fun is resolving conflict without a little retroactive demolition? These weapons, stored deeper than your typical conspiracy theory, were going to be used to turn military and civilian vessels into less-than-appetizing Swiss cheese in the Red Sea.

“This was a unique demonstration of the United States’ ability to annihilate the unreachable. It’s like a game of hide and seek, but with fatal consequences,” Austin proclaimed, as if running around in circles with a blindfold and a loaded rocket launcher was a contemporary art exhibit.

Of course, this flashy display of firepower marked the first time the US brought out the B-2 Spirit against the Houthis. Think of it as a nuclear family dropping off the suburban minivan and pulling up in a monster truck for the family reunion—a lot more bang for the buck, just as much family drama.

In a truly Shakespearean twist, Austin authorized this operation straight from the throne of President Joe Biden, no doubt between sips of coffee and muttering something about “deliberate escalation”—or “degrading” as the euphemism du jour goes. The Houthis, it seems, have been a bit too rambunctious for Uncle Sam’s taste, launching attacks like they were trying out for the Olympics of hostility.

In the grand geopolitical game of dodgeball, both the Houthis and the US have been hurling insults—and missiles—across the room. Meanwhile, the Middle East resembles a soap opera where no one seems to get a happily ever after, especially with the looming threat of Israeli retaliation looming like a bad haircut.

On a side note, as if attacking a group of rebels with history’s most expensive hand grenades weren’t enough, the US is also sending troops to Israel, essentially responding to an emotional flare-up after losing a few “good vibes” in the region. You know, the usual remedy for international crises: a combination of military presence and earnest speeches, applied liberally.

And while the Houthis keep on playing the game of “who can make the biggest boom,” civilian mariners are attempting to navigate a deadly game of Minesweeper on the high seas. Just this past August, they turned a Greek-flagged vessel into a smoky pirate ship, causing a wake of environmental disasters that have everyone shouting “sea-sick!”

In the end, while nations rattle their sabers and hurl missiles like they’re playing dodgeball with the world’s safety, one can’t help but admire the absurdity of it all—military might turned into a twisted game show where the stakes are life and death, and the prize is… well, nothing we’d want to win.

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