Two US Navy SEALs who went lacking within the Gulf of Aden earlier this month throughout a raid on a ship carrying Iranian weapons haven’t been positioned following an exhaustive search and their standing has been modified to deceased, navy officers mentioned on Sunday (Jan 21).
The SEALs have been reported lacking after boarding the vessel in a Jan 11 operation close to the coast of Somali, the US Central Command mentioned on X.
“We mourn the lack of our two Naval Particular Warfare warriors, and we’ll ceaselessly honor their sacrifice and instance. Our prayers are with the SEALs’ households, associates, the US Navy, and the complete Particular Operations group throughout this time,” CENTCOM Commander Basic Michael Erik Kurilla mentioned in a press release.
A joint operation carried out by america, Spain and Japan searched greater than 21,000 sq. miles of ocean for the lacking SEALs, CENTCOM mentioned within the assertion.
That mission had now develop into a restoration operation, CENTCOM mentioned.
The US has carried out a string of strikes towards Houthi targets in response to Houthi assaults on service provider ships within the Pink Sea which have disrupted international commerce and raised fears of provide bottlenecks.
US Central Command forces on Saturday struck a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Gulf of Aden and ready to launch, the US navy mentioned.
The Houthis, who management essentially the most populous elements of Yemen, have claimed their assaults on industrial ships are aimed toward supporting the Palestinians in Israel’s conflict in Gaza.
The Houthi motion has vowed to maintain up assaults regardless of the strikes final week towards radar and missile capabilities.
