Two Navy SEALs are missing and presumed dead after a U.S. warship intercepted a ship off the coast of Somalia that was carrying weapons from Iran intended for Yemen’s Houthi movement, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
The U.S. Lewis Puller was conducting patrols in the Indian Ocean to disrupt the flow of weapons from Iran to their Houthis allies, who have repeatedly targeted international shipping over the past two months in protest of the Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip.
Videos by VICE
Last week the U.S. and U.K. struck dozens of Houthi targets in an effort to halt the attacks, which have stressed international shipping lanes by limiting access to the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
After determining that a small transport ship – regionally called a ‘Dhow’ – near Somalia and Yemen lacked proper paperwork, the Navy dispatched several small boats filled with SEAL commandos to search the ship on Jan. 11. While boarding the Dhow in rough seas – such searches are considered among the most dangerous naval missions – one SEAL team member fell into the ocean and a second tried to recover him. Both remain missing in the Indian Ocean and there’s little optimism they’ve survived five days at sea.
“We are conducting an exhaustive search for our missing teammates,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla, the commander of U.S. forces in the region.
The raided vessel was carrying an array of weaponry the Pentagon said were intended for the Houthis, including ballistic missile warheads, anti-ship missiles and ‘air defence components.”
“Initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea,” said the Pentagon release. “This is the first seizure of lethal, Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons (ACW) to the Houthis since the beginning of Houthi attacks against merchant ships in November 2023.”
Since the start of the Gaza conflict, which began on Oct. 7 after Hamas attacked Israel killing more than 1,200 people, the Houthis have denounced the Israeli response and invasion of the tiny coastal enclave that’s killed at least 23,000 people. In November, the Houthis, who control much of Yemen including the capital Sanaa, began targeting Red Sea shipping with shore launched missiles and drones in protest of the offensive. Several ships have been struck with minor damage and one Japanese flagged cargo carrier was hijacked and remains in Houthi hands.
The Red Sea and Suez Canal account for an estimated 15 percent of international trade and the interruptions led the U.S. and U.K. coalition to conduct a series of air strikes over the past five days to little effect. On Monday, the Houthis fired on U.K. and U.S. warships and missed, but on Tuesday reports that a Greek flagged commercial vessel had been hit, presumably by a Houthi launched missile.
“It is clear that Iran continues shipment of advanced lethal aid to the Houthis. This is yet another example of how Iran actively sows instability throughout the region,” said Kurilla. “We will continue to work with regional and international partners to expose and interdict these efforts,and ultimately to reestablish freedom of navigation.”
