2 Navy SEALs missing After falling into the sea off the coast of Somalia Officials said the incident occurred while trying to board a ship at night.
The two seals, whose names have not been released, were climbed onto a boat in the Gulf of Aden when they were swept away by waves.
Their protocol is that when one SEAL is overtaken, the next one jumps in after them.
The men were on an interdiction mission to intercept weapons on a ship bound for Houthi-held Yemen when the waves overtook them, officials said. According to reports.
The officials, who spoke only on condition of anonymity and did not provide details about the mission of the missing Seal, said it was not part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an effort by the United States and its allies to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea. He said no. .
They also said the SEALs' activities were not linked to Thursday strikes against the Houthis by the United States and Britain.
Search and rescue teams are searching for the two soldiers. U.S. Central Command declined to release further information until the effort is complete.
The Houthis have carried out 20 attacks on commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea since mid-November, making the Gulf of Aden a hotspot for military activity.
Over the past two days, the United States and Britain have carried out airstrikes on about 30 locations associated with insurgent groups.
President Joe Biden said Saturday that the United States had “unofficially” sent a message to Iran, which backs the Houthis, in support of the ship attack.
Heading to Camp David, the president replied, “We have delivered it privately and I am confident that we are fully prepared.”
On Friday, the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Carney fired a Tomahawk land-based missile, hitting an insurgent-owned radar used to target the ship.
Central Command said the attack was “an additional action to reduce the Houthis' ability to attack maritime vessels, including commercial ships.” I have written With X.
On Thursday, American and British forces attacked more than 20 Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Houthis have promised strong and effective retaliation for the joint attack.
Houthi spokesman Nasruddin Amer told Al Jazeera: “This new attack will be met with a decisive, strong and effective response.”
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