Two members of the US Navy special forces who went missing in the Gulf of Aden earlier this month during a raid on a ship carrying Iranian weapons have not been located after an extensive search and have been declared dead, they said. on Sunday military officials.
The two Navy SEALS were reported missing after boarding the ship in an operation carried out on January 11 near the coast of Somalia, the US Central Command in X said.
“We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors and will always honor their sacrifice and example. Our prayers are with the SEAL families, friends, the U.S. Navy and the entire Special Operations community during this time,” CENTCOM Commanding General Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement.
A joint operation carried out by the United States, Spain and Japan searched more than 21,000 square miles of ocean for the missing SEALs, CENTCOM said in the statement. That mission has now become a recovery operation, CENTCOM said.
The United States has carried out a series of strikes against Houthi targets in response to Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea in response to Israel’s war in Gaza that have disrupted global trade and raised fears of bottlenecks in the supply.
US Central Command forces on Saturday eliminated a Houthi anti-ship missile that was targeting the Gulf of Aden and prepared to be launched, the US military said.
The Houthis, who control the most populated areas of Yemen, have claimed that their attacks on commercial ships are aimed at supporting the Palestinians in Israel’s war in Gaza.
The Houthi movement has vowed to continue attacks despite last week’s attacks on its radar and missile capabilities.
