Two Navy SEALs declared dead after mission to stop Iranian weapons

The US military said on Sunday it had declared two Navy SEALs dead after they went missing 10 days ago during an operation at sea to intercept weapons from Iran bound for Houthi fighters.

They are among the first known American fatalities in Washington's campaign against the Houthis, who have launched dozens of attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November, sending the global shipping industry into turmoil.

In recent weeks, the United States and its allies have launched a barrage of attacks on the Houthis in Yemen, trying to deter future attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The episode involving the SEALs took place in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Somalia on January 11. According to the U.S. military, during that nighttime commando mission, U.S. troops boarded a small boat called a dhow and seized weapons, including Iranian-made ones. parts of ballistic missiles and cruise missiles on their way to Yemen.

As commandos tried to board the dhow in rough seas, a member appeared to slip off the ladder or was swept away by a high wave, a current and a former Pentagon official briefed on the incident said earlier this month. Another jumped into the water to save the first officer, but both disappeared beneath the waves.

The military conducted what they called an “extensive” operation to find the two commandos, searching more than 13,000 square miles.

“The search and rescue operation for the two Navy SEALs reported missing while boarding an illegal dhow carrying Iranian advanced conventional weapons was completed on January 11 and we are now conducting recovery operations,” US Central Command said in a statement declaration. rack on Sunday. The names of the deceased were not released.

The mission led to the first seizure by US forces of Iranian-supplied weapons since the Houthis began attacking ships in the Red Sea, the US military said in a statement. rack last week. Initial analysis showed that the same weapons – including intermediate-range ballistic missile warheads and anti-ship cruise missiles – had been used by the Houthis to carry out attacks on ships in the Red Sea, the statement said.

The Iran-backed Houthis have said they are protesting Israel's killing of Gazans and that their actions are in solidarity with the Palestinians.