Navy Seals lost in anti-Houthi raid on ship with Iranian weapons declared dead
Two US Navy Seals who went missing during a raid to seize Iranian weapons bound for Houthis in Yemen earlier this month are now presumed dead, the US military said.
After 10 days of trying to rescue the two Navy Seals lost in the Arabian Sea, the US Central Command said the search has now been changed to a recovery effort. Their names have not been released as family notifications continue.
Ships and aircraft from the US, Japan, and Spain continuously searched more than 21,000 square miles, the military said, with assistance from the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, the US Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command, University of San Diego - Scripps Institute of Oceanography, and the Office of Naval Research. "We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors, and we will forever honour their sacrifice and example," said Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of US Central Command.
READ MORE: Houthi rebels 'eager to take US on' and escalate conflict after missile strikes
They seized items including weapons (USCENTCOM/SWNS)
Some of the items seized during the raid (USCENTCOM/SWNS)"Our prayers are with the SEALs' families, friends, the US Navy and the entire Special Operations community during this time." US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said "our hearts are with" the families of the "two brave Navy Seals".
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"The entire Department is united in sorrow today. We are grateful to all who worked tirelessly to try to find and rescue them," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. According to officials, the January 11 raid targeted an unflagged ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The items included missiles and air defense associated components (USCENTCOM/SWNS)Officials have said that 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 defence parts, Central Command said.
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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 and Gulf of Aden over Israel's war in Gaza. The seized missile components included types likely used in those attacks.
The US Navy ultimately sunk the ship carrying the weapons after deeming it unsafe, Central Command said. The ship's 14 crew were detained.
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