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©(William Hardy, AFP)
The missing Navy SEALs in the Gulf of Aden were searching for suspected Iranian weapons for the Houthis in Yemen, two US officials stated on Sunday. The National Security Council clarified that it has no connection to air strikes in Yemen carried out by the US and UK.
Navy SEALs who went missing at sea after a ship-boarding operation near Somalia last week were on a mission to search for suspected Iranian weapons destined for Yemeni militants, as reported by two U.S. officials familiar with the incident, according to The Washington Post.
John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, clarified that the operation aimed to disrupt alleged Iranian military support for the Houthis, stressing its "unrelated" nature to US and UK air strikes on Yemen.
As the two service members prepared to board the ship in rough seas, one of them slipped from a ladder. Upon witnessing his comrade's fall, the second sailor jumped into the water to assist, as reported by officials who spoke anonymously to The Washington Post .
The incident occurred on Thursday in the Gulf of Aden.
It remains unclear whether other military personnel successfully boarded the ship, and if so, whether any Iranian-made weapons were intercepted.
Katrine Dige Houmøller
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