(ConservativeJournal.org) – On Sunday, January 21 the US military announced the deaths of two Navy SEALs who had been missing a week and a half ago following an operation in the ocean near Somalia. Their mission goal was to intercept weapons from Iran being sent to Houthi fighters. This marks the first US deaths in the current military actions against the Houthis, who have been responsible for numerous attacks on ships in the Red Sea since November, causing disruptions in the global shipping industry.
Recently, the US and its allies have started to strike the Houthis within Yemen, with the goal of discouraging any future attacks on ships in the Red Sea. This incident involving the SEALs happened in the Arabian Sea, off the coast of Somalia. The operation involved them attempting to board a dhow, which is a small boat, so that they could seize missiles and equipment heading for Iran, that would then be sent to the Houthis.
During the nighttime mission, the SEALs tried to board the dhow in a rough patch of the sea, one of them fell into the water, then the other commando jumped into the water to rescue the first officer, but both were lost beneath the waves, according to current and former Pentagon officials briefed on the matter.
The military undertook an extensive search and rescue operation, covering over 20,000 square miles, ultimately leading to the recovery of the two Navy SEALs. The US Central Command stated that the search and rescue operation had concluded, but the names of the deceased were not released.
The mission resulted in the first seizure of Iran-supplied weapons by US forces since the Houthis began their attacks on Red Sea ships. It was indicated that the confiscated weapons, including warheads for medium-range ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles, were similar to those used by the Houthis in their Red Sea attacks, according to the US.
The Houthis, with Iranian backing, claim their actions are a protest of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, saying they stay in solidarity with Gaza.
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