The special forces of the US Navy seized parts of Iranian-made rockets and other weapons from a ship headed for the Yemeni Houthis, the US military announced today.
In the operation carried out last Sunday, two members of the "Navy Seals" disappeared and are still missing, the army stated.
This is the latest action by the US Navy and its allies in the seizure of weapons sent to the Houthis in Yemen, who have increased the number of attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in support of the Palestinian Hamas in the war with Israel in Gaza, endangering world trade on that waterway.
The confiscated parts included elements that were probably used in those attacks, according to the AP agency.
Attacks by the Yemeni Houthis, retaliatory attacks by the USA and Great Britain and this action raised tensions in the wider Middle East.
The attack by US special forces took place last Thursday, and the commandos departed from the US ship Louis Puller with the support of drones and helicopters, the US Central Military Command announced, specifying that the attack took place in the Arabian Sea, which narrows to the Gulf of Oman in the northwest.
US forces found parts for cruise and ballistic missiles, including guidance devices, as well as warheads and air defense parts, US Central Command said.
"Initial analyzes indicate that these same weapons have been used by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent seafarers on international merchant ships transiting the Red Sea," US Central Command said.
The US Navy sank the ship carrying the weapons after declaring it unsafe, Central Command said, adding that 14 crew members were taken into custody.
The UN resolution bans the supply of weapons to the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. Tehran has long denied arming the rebels despite physical evidence, numerous seizures and experts linking the weapons to Iran.
Since November, the Houthis have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying that they were supporting Israel's offensive in Gaza against Hamas. But they often targeted vessels with no clear ties to Israel, threatening a key waterway for global trade.
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