The U.S. Navy successfully seized Iranian weapons bound for Yemen-based Houthis in the military branch’s first reported interdiction operation. Two Navy SEALs went missing during the maneuver.
Navy SEALs operating from the USS Lewis B. Puller obtained missile components and warheads on a dhow sent from Iran to Houthi rebels on Thursday, U.S. Central Command announced Tuesday, in an attempt to stop the Iranian supply flow backing the terror group’s recent attacks on Red Sea commercial shipping. The Navy boarded the dhow off the coast of Somalia in the Arabian Sea, seizing various weapons parts belonging to ballistic and anti-ship cruise missiles.
The raid was the “first seizure of lethal, Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons (ACW) to the Houthis” since they began attacking merchant ships crossing the Red Sea in mid November, the CENTCOM statement read. It is also the Navy’s first seizure of Iranian weaponry since November 2019, when Donald Trump was president.
General Michael Erik Kurilla, a CENTCOM commander, confirmed the two missing Navy SEALs were directly involved in the latest operation, adding that the U.S. military is “conducting an exhaustive search for our missing teammates.”
The two special-operations personnel in question have not been identified as the search for them continues. One was climbing a ladder aboard a vessel during the overnight mission when high waves knocked him into the water, prompting the other to rescue him. Neither man has been seen since Thursday, according to initial reports, citing unnamed U.S. officials.
The Navy sunk the dhow transporting the Iranian weapons. “Disposition of the 14 dhow crewmembers is being determined in accordance with international law,” CENTCOM said.
Any transport vessel involved in the direct or indirect supply, sale, or transfer to Houthi rebels is considered to be in violation of U.N. Security Resolution 2216 and international law, said Kurilla.
“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 in direct violation of U.N. Security Resolution 2216 and international law,” he stated. “We will continue to work with regional and international partners to expose and interdict these efforts, and ultimately to reestablish freedom of navigation.”