US Navy courtesy photo
- Two Navy SEALs went missing during an operation off the coast of Somalia last week.
- They were reportedly searching for suspected Iranian weapons on a Yemen-bound boat.
- Western militaries have carried out numerous raids of boats trying to smuggle arms in recent years.
The two Navy SEALs who went missing off the coast of Somalia last week were conducting an operation to find smuggled Iranian weapons when the incident occurred, according to a report.
US Central Command, or CENTCOM, said the pair were reported missing at sea on Thursday evening while "conducting operations" near Somalia and that a search-and-rescue mission was underway. It did not reveal additional information about the individuals or the circumstances of the incident, citing operational security reasons.
"The sailors were forward-deployed to the US 5th Fleet (C5F) area of operations supporting a wide variety of missions," CENTCOM said in a Friday statement. This encompasses some 2.5 million square miles of water around the Middle East and includes key global shipping routes like the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz.
More information about the incident has emerged in the days since.
According to the Washington Post, the SEALs were deployed to search for suspected Iranian weapons on a Yemen-bound boat as it was sailing through the Gulf of Aden, the body of water between Yemen and Somalia.
One of the individuals slipped from a ladder and fell into the water as they were preparing to board the boat in rough seas, before the second individual jumped in to try and help, the Post reported on Sunday, citing US officials familiar with the incident.
Western militaries have, in recent years, carried out numerous raids of small boats attempting to smuggle weapons from Iran to Yemen, where Tehran has long supported and armed Houthi rebels. The US and partner forces have seized massive amounts of guns, explosives, and ammunition during these interceptions.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby appeared to confirm on Sunday that the SEALs were involved in an operation of this type when they went missing last week.
"This was normal interdiction operations that we've been conducting for some time to try to disrupt that flow of weapon supplies to Yemen," Kirby told CBS' "Face the Nation." He noted that the incident was unrelated to the recent US and UK strikes on the Houthis, who have staged dozens of attacks against commercial ships in recent months.
A US defense official told Business Insider in an email on Monday that search-and-rescue operations were still ongoing, but did not elaborate further on the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Gulf of Aden, where the SEALs went missing, has warm but powerful waters. Military experts told BI that the SEALs have little chance of survival after multiple days lost at sea, even though their intensive, world-class training — which lasts for well over two years — does give them a shot at survival.