The US military said on Tuesday that it seized Iranian-made missile parts en route to the Houthis from a boat in the Arabian Sea, the first such operation since the start of Houthi attacks against commercial ships last year.
The parts, which were seized in a Navy SEAL operation on Thursday in international waters near the coast of Somalia, consisted of both "Iranian-made ballistic missile and cruise missile components," US Central Command said in a statement on X.
The statement revealed that two SEALS already reported as lost at sea were involved in the mission, with "an exhaustive search" still underway, according to US Central Command chief Michael Kurilla.
"Seized items include propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), as well as air defense-associated components," CENTCOM said.
The weapon parts were seized from a dhow, a traditional masted sailing vessel, with 14 crewmembers whose disposition was "being determined by international law."
The boat itself was deemed unsafe and sunk.
The announcement of the seizure comes after US and British forces on Friday hit scores of Houthi targets across Yemen, a move triggered by repeated attacks on shipping.
Around 12 percent of global trade normally passes through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea's entrance between southwest Yemen and Djibouti, but the rebel attacks have caused much shipping to be diverted thousands of miles around Africa.
Katrine Dige Houmøller, with AFP
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