Two U.S. Navy SEALs Missing During Mission to Intercept Iranian Missile Components

Search and Rescue Operations Continue in Gulf of Aden After SEALs Fall Overboard During Attempt to Board Suspected Arms Smuggling Vessel

Two U.S. Navy SEALs are missing after falling into the Gulf of Aden during a mission to intercept a vessel suspected of transporting Iranian missile components to Yemen.
The SEALs were attempting to board a dhow, a type of vessel known for transporting illegal weapons, when one fell into the water and the other followed in an attempt to rescue him.
The mission was not related to Operation Prosperity Guardian, the ongoing U.S. and international mission to provide protection to commercial vessels in the Red Sea, or the retaliatory strikes that the United States and the United Kingdom have conducted in Yemen over the past two days.
The crew of the dhow, which did not bear a country flag, was taken into custody, the weapons were confiscated, and the boat was sunk.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing in the Gulf of Aden, with officials noting that powerful swells and exhaustion are more of a concern than hypothermia.