2 Marines attacked by members of an anti-American group during a port stop in Turkey

Two off-duty Marines with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit were attacked by a group of men on a busy road in Turkey over the weekend, according to a video of the incident posted on social media and a spokesman for the U.S. Sixth Fleet.

The Marines were on a scheduled port visit in Izmir, Turkey, on Sunday when a group — the Associated Press said was the Turkish Youth Union — attacked the soldiers and put a sack over the head of one of them. Turkish authorities arrested 15 people allegedly involved in the attack, the intelligence agency reported.

The U.S. Embassy in Turkey said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday that the Marines were “now safe” and thanked Turkish authorities for their “quick response” and investigation.

Read more: Navy SEAL commander who oversaw training during Mullen's death blames drugs, not leadership

“The two Marines were assisted by other Marines in the area and subsequently transported to a local hospital for evaluation as a precautionary measure, but were uninjured and returned to the USS Wasp,” Commander Timothy Gorman, a spokesman for the U.S. Sixth Fleet, said in a statement sent to Military.com on Monday. “Local Izmir police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service are cooperating in the investigation of the incident.”

“No Marines have been arrested by authorities and those involved are cooperating with investigators,” he added. One Marine repeatedly screamed for help as the crowd held the two soldiers.

The Turkish Youth Union posted a video of the attack on social media and claimed responsibility for the attack on the soldiers, who are part of the Wasp Amphibious Ready Group, which includes the USS Wasp. The 24th MEU is currently aboard the Wasp ARG on a “routine deployment” to support deterrence during the war between Israel and Hamas.

According to AP, the youth group is linked to a nationalist political party in Turkey.

Although Turkey and the United States are NATO allies, Istanbul – particularly Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – has been critical of Israel during the war. Sunday's incident appeared to be motivated by the conflict and U.S. involvement, according to a social media post by the Turkish youth group.

“US soldiers, who have the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands, must not defile our land,” the group said on social media.

In 2014, the same group threw red paint and put bags over the heads of three U.S. sailors on shore leave in Istanbul after they disembarked from the destroyer USS Ross, Military.com previously reported.

Neither the Marine Corps nor the Navy responded by press time to questions about whether the incident would affect soldiers' ability to take leave in Turkey.

Related: Anti-American group attacks three US sailors on the Liberty in Istanbul

The story continues