TWO US Navy SEALs who vanished as they tried to board an Iranian ship carrying weapons to Houthis have been declared dead.
The disappearance of the two SEALs sparked a ten-day search after they went missing in the Gulf of Aden earlier this month following a daring raid.
5
5
5
Military officials have now said the search has been changed to a recovery effort.
The names of the SEALs have not been released as family notifications continue.
Commander General Erik Kurilla said on X: “We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors, and we will forever honour their sacrifice and example.
“Our prayers are with the SEALs families, friends, the U.S. Navy, and the entire Special Operations community during this time.”
The pair disappeared after trying to board a ship that was carrying illegal goods to Yemen on January 1, near the coast of Somalia.
Ships and aircraft searched more than 21,000 square miles of ocean for the missing SEALs in a joint operation by the US, Spain and Japan.
The investigation was also assisted by the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, the US Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command, the University of San Diego – Scripts Institute of Oceanography and the Office of Naval Research.
Officials said the raid targeted an unflagged ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
As the team was boarding the ship, one of the SEALs went under in the heavy seas, and a teammate went in to try and save him.
The commandos had launched from the USS Lewis B. Puller, a mobile sea base, and they were backed by drones and helicopters.
They loaded onto small special operations combat craft driven by naval special warfare crew to get to the boat.
In the raid, they seized an array of Iranian-made weaponry, including cruise and ballistic missile components such as propulsion and guidance devices and warheads, as well as air defense parts, Central Command said.
It marked the latest seizure by the US Navy and its allies of weapon shipments bound for the rebels, who have launched a series of attacks now threatening global trade in the Red Sea.
It comes after US intelligence said the Iranian-backed rebels are trying to acquire more weapons for their Red Sea strikes.
The rising tensions in the Red Sea have led the UK to beef up its defences by upgrading its Sea Viper surface-to-air missile system.
Britain’s ships in the Red Sea have come under attack from Houthi rebels who have vowed to inflict economic pain in the West in revenge for the war in Gaza.
Houthi rebels guaranteed safe passage for Chinese and Russian ships as they continued to wage war on US and UK ships.
Houthi spokesman Muhammed al-Bukhaiti has criticised the US and UK for their role in the operations against Gaza, saying that all vessels in the region are safe as long as they have no links to Israel.
The US destroyed two Houthi anti-ship missiles preparing for attack last week while it previously launched an airstrike on a stash of anti-ship ballistic missiles in Yemen.
Since the UK and the US destroyed dozens of military targets last week in Yemen, the rebel group has vowed “unimaginable” revenge.
5
5
