WASHINGTON — The 10-day search to rescue two Navy SEALs lost in the Arabian Sea during a mission to board a ship and seize Iranian-made weapons has ended and the sailors are now considered deceased , the US military said on Sunday.
In a statement, U.S. Central Command said the search has now turned into a recovery effort. The names of the SEALs have not been released as family reports continue.
Ships and aircraft from the U.S., Japan and Spain continuously searched more than 21,000 square miles, the Army said, with assistance from the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command, University of San Diego – Scripts Institute of Oceanography and the Bureau of Naval Research.
“We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare fighters, and we will forever honor their sacrifice and example,” said Gen. Erik Kurilla, head of U.S. Central Command. “Our prayers are with the families, friends of the SEALs and the US. Navy and the entire Special Operations community during this time.”
Officials said the Jan. 11 raid targeted an unflagged ship carrying illegal Iranian-made weapons to Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Officials have said that as the team boarded the ship, one of the SEALs went down in the heavy seas, and a teammate went in to rescue him.
The commandos were launched from the USS Lewis B. Puller, a mobile naval base, and were supported by drones and helicopters. They loaded onto small special operations combat vessels, piloted by Special Operations Navy crew members, to get to the boat.
In the attack, they seized a range of Iranian-made weapons, including cruise missile and ballistic missile components, such as propulsion and guidance equipment and nuclear warheads, as well as air defense components, the Central Command said. It marked the latest seizure by the US Navy and its allies of weapons shipments bound for the rebels, who have launched a series of attacks that now threaten global trade in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip . The seized missile parts included types likely used in those attacks.
The U.S. Navy eventually scuttled the ship carrying the weapons after deeming it unsafe, Central Command said. The ship’s 14 crew members were detained.