By Dan Whitcomb
(Reuters) – Two U.S. 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 situated following an exhaustive search and their standing has been modified to deceased, army officers stated on Sunday.
The SEALs had been reported lacking after boarding the vessel in a Jan. 11 operation close to the coast of Somali, the U.S. Central Command stated on X.
“We mourn the lack of our two Naval Particular Warfare warriors, and we’ll perpetually honor their sacrifice and instance. Our prayers are with the SEALs’ households, pals, the U.S. Navy, and all the Particular Operations neighborhood throughout this time,” CENTCOM Commander Common Michael Erik Kurilla stated in a press release.
A joint operation carried out by the USA, Spain and Japan searched greater than 21,000 sq. miles of ocean for the lacking SEALs, CENTCOM stated within the assertion.
That mission had now change into a restoration operation, CENTCOM stated.
The U.S. has carried out a string of strikes in opposition to Houthi targets in response to Houthi assaults on service provider ships within the Pink Sea which have disrupted world commerce and raised fears of provide bottlenecks.
U.S. Central Command forces on Saturday struck a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Gulf of Aden and ready to launch, the U.S. army stated.
The Houthis, who management essentially the most populous components of Yemen, have claimed their assaults on business ships are aimed toward supporting the Palestinians in Israel’s battle in Gaza.
The Houthi motion has vowed to maintain up assaults regardless of the strikes final week in opposition to radar and missile capabilities.
(This story has been corrected to make clear that the boat was in Gulf of Aden in headline, not an Iranian ship, and to say it was carrying Iranian weapons in paragraph 1)