WASHINGTON — A 10-day search to rescue two Navy SEALs who went missing during a mission to seize Iranian weapons aboard a ship in the Arabian Sea has ended, and the sailors are now considered dead. The US military announced on Sunday.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the search operation had been changed to a recovery operation. The SEAL's name has not been released as his family continues to be notified.
According to the military, ships and aircraft from the United States, Japan, and Spain, with support from the Fleet Numerical Weather and Oceanographic Center, the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command, and the University of San Diego's Script Oceanographic Institute, continuously covered more than 21,000 square miles. He said he searched. and the Office of Naval Research.
“We mourn the loss of these two Naval Special Warfare warriors and will forever honor their sacrifice and example,” said Gen. Eric Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command. “Our prayers are with the SEAL family, friends, the U.S. Navy, and the entire special operations community during this time.”
The Jan. 11 attack targeted an unflagged ship carrying illegal Iranian weapons for Yemen's Houthi rebels, officials said. As the team was boarding the ship, one of the SEALs sank in the rough seas, and his teammates went inside to try to save him, officials said.
The special forces were launched from a mobile maritime base, the USS Lewis B. Puller, and were supported by drones and helicopters. They loaded onto a small special operations combat boat driven by a Navy special warfare crew and arrived at the boat.
According to the Central Command, a range of Iranian-made weapons were seized in the raid, including cruise and ballistic missile components such as propulsion systems, guidance systems and warheads, as well as air defense components.
marked Recent seizures by the US Navy and its allies Rebels have now launched a series of attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that threaten global trade over Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The missile parts seized included types that may have been used in these attacks.
The U.S. Navy ultimately deemed the weapons-laden ship unsafe and sunk it, according to Central Command. 14 crew members of the ship were detained.
