The governorate of Izmir said in a statement that the U.S. soldiers were “physically attacked” by 13 men and two women, all members of the Turkey Youth Union, a nationalist youth association that harbors anti-American and anti-European Union beliefs.

The 15 suspects were apprehended by local authorities as five additional U.S. soldiers who had witnessed the altercation from a distance attempted to intervene, Izmir said, adding that an investigation into the incident as been launched.

The U.S. Embassy in Turkey confirmed the assault in a statement, identifying the U.S. soldiers as having arrived in the country aboard the USS Wasp.

The assaulted soldiers were now “safe,” the embassy said as it thanked the Turkish authorities “for their rapid response and ongoing investigation.”

An X account linked to the website of the Turkish Youth Union published an edited video of the assault showing the U.S. soldiers scream for help as they were being detained by several men.

At one point in the short clip, men are seen trying to pull sacks over the heads of the Americans as members of the crowd assembled chant “Yankee, go home!” The assault appears to be a reference to an incident in 2003 when, during the Iraq War, U.S. soldiers detained Turkish soldiers whose heads they covered with sacks, which caused a diplomatic row between the two countries.

“No one will be able to respond to the cries for help from U.S. soldiers,” the the caption to the video published to the Turkish Youth Union X account states. “Your hands are stained with the blood of our brave soldiers and thousands of Palestinians.”

The USS Wasp assault ship was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean Sea in late June to act as a military deterrent to the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran proxy militia Hamas.

According to the U.S. Defense Ministry, the USS Wasp arrived in Izmir for a regularly scheduled port visit on Sunday.