Navy SEALs missing off coast of Somalia were chasing Iran-made weapons bound for Yemen

The two U.S. Navy SEALs missing at sea off the coast of Somalia were on a mission chasing shipments of Iranian-made weapons bound for Yemen, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News. 

The SEALs were making an attempt to board a ship they suspected was falsely flagged that might have been smuggling weapons, the U.S. official stated, although it is unclear if any weapons were situated. The revelation comes amid reviews that the SEALs went missing after conducting a nighttime interdiction mission Thursday off the coast of Somalia. 

The two particular forces operators were climbing on a ladder aboard a vessel whereas on a mission within the Gulf of Aden when excessive waves knocked one into the ocean.

The second SEAL jumped in after the primary as half of Navy SEAL protocol to assist a associate in misery and each vanished, The Associated Press stated.

Both are nonetheless missing and a search and rescue mission continues within the Gulf of Aden the place, in accordance with officers who spoke to The Washington Post, highly effective swells and exhaustion are extra of a priority than hypothermia as commanders stay hopeful that the 2 SEALs shall be discovered alive. 

2 NAVY SEALS GO MISSING OFF COAST OF SOMALIA DURING NIGHTTIME BOARDING MISSION

Houthi fighters and tribesmen protest in opposition to the U.S. and the U.Ok. strikes on Houthi-run navy websites close to Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. (AP)

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby addressed the reviews throughout an look on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday. 

“As far as we know, that search is still ongoing for those – for those two sailors that are in the water,” Kirby stated. “This was not related to the strikes in Yemen. This was normal interdiction operations that we’ve been conducting for some time to try to disrupt that flow of weapons supplies to Yemen. So it’s not related to the strikes that we took against the Houthis.” 

“Nobody wants a conflict with the Houthis. We’re not looking for a conflict with Yemen here. We’re trying to get these attacks to stop,” Kirby added.

The U.S. Navy has carried out common interdiction missions, the place they’ve intercepted weapons on ships that were bound for Houthi-controlled Yemen.

Houthi fighters close to Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. (AP)

2 US NAVY SAILORS MISSING OFF COAST OF SOMALIA: CENTRAL COMMAND

One official advised the AP on Saturday that the mission was not associated to Operation Prosperity Guardian, the continuing U.S. and worldwide mission to offer safety to industrial vessels within the Red Sea, or the retaliatory strikes that the United States and the United Kingdom have carried out in Yemen reportedly in opposition to quite a few radar stations, missile launch websites and storage services used to stage the Red Sea assaults over the prior two days.

The SEALs’ mission was additionally not associated to the seizure of the oil tanker St. Nikolas by Iran, one other U.S. official advised The AP. 

Houthi fighters and tribesmen rally in opposition to the U.S. on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. (AP)

Yet, senior U.S. officers who spoke to the Post did blame Iran for having “aiding and abetted” the disaster by offering technological and intelligence help for the Houthis.

Meanwhile, The Associated Press reported on Monday {that a} missile fired from Yemen struck a U.S.-owned ship within the Gulf of Aden – lower than a day after Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired an anti-ship cruise missile towards an American destroyer within the Red Sea.

In an announcement printed on Saturday, U.S. Central Command stated search and rescue operations were ongoing to find the 2 sailors however “for operational security purposes” no further info could be launched “until the personnel recovery operation is complete.”

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“Out of respect for the families affected, we will not release further information on the missing personnel at this time,” CENTCOM stated, with out figuring out the SEALs. “The sailors were forward-deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet (C5F) area of operations supporting a wide variety of missions.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.