It was revealed five days after the incident that two U.S. Navy special forces soldiers went missing while the U.S. military was confiscating Iranian weapons supplied to Yemen’s Houthi rebels at sea. It was confirmed that the confiscated missiles were the same type used in the Houthis’ recent attack on merchant ships.
The United States carried out its third targeted airstrike against anti-ship missiles prepared for launch at the Houthi rebel base in Yemen, but the rebels responded by firing missiles at a bulk carrier owned by a Greek shipping company.
According to Reuters and the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), the U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which is in charge of the Middle East, released a statement on the 16th (local time) saying that the Arab sailboat ‘Dhow’ was sailing in the Arabian Sea near Somalia on the 11th. It was announced that Iranian-made missiles and other weapons had been confiscated in the US.
The confiscated items included intermediate-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs), anti-cruise missiles (ASCMs), and air defense weapons. After completing an initial analysis, CENTCOM determined that the Houthi rebels used these weapons to attack commercial ships in the Red Sea.
This is the first time that Iranian-made advanced conventional weapons (ACW) have been confiscated since the rebels began attacking merchant ships in November last year. CENTCOM Commander Eric Kurilla said, “It has become clear that Iran has continued to supply lethal weapons to the Houthi rebels,” and criticized, “Iran is destabilizing the entire Middle East region.”
CENTCOM also released photos of the confiscated missiles on this day. About 30 parts were captured in the photo, and Fabian Hintz, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a British think tank, analyzed in an interview with WSJ that it appears to be an Iranian-made anti-ship cruise missile and a rocket engine with a range of 800 miles (about 1,300 km). .
In addition, CENTCOM announced that two members of the US Navy Special Forces ‘Navy Seal’, who were previously reported missing in Somali waters, went missing during an operation to seize weapons from Houthi rebels on the 11th. WJS quoted a U.S. Department of Defense official as saying that when one Navy SEAL member fell into the water while riding the boat in question, another member followed in accordance with the training manual and all went missing.
A Department of Defense official explained that because there are only a few Navy SEALs, the U.S. military has delayed making an official announcement until relevant information has been delivered to the families of the missing members. He also added that there is a possibility that the crew members will return alive as the water temperature in the Arabian Sea is high and a thorough search operation is currently underway.
CENTCOM, which confirmed Iran’s weapons support, carried out targeted airstrikes against the Houthi rebels’ bases in Yemen and destroyed four anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) that were ready for launch. CENTCOM said in a statement that the destroyed missiles could have posed an immediate threat to local merchant ships and U.S. military vessels, emphasizing the need for airstrikes.
In fact, the Gibraltar Eagle, a bulk carrier owned by an American shipping company that was passing through the Red Sea the previous day, was hit by an anti-ship missile fired by Houthi rebels, and part of its cargo compartment was damaged. The Houthi rebels, who expressed their support for Hamas in the war between Israel and Hamas that broke out in October last year, have launched missiles and drones at least 30 times at commercial ships in the Red Sea since mid-November.
Accordingly, the United States, together with Britain, dropped more than 150 missiles on 60 military targets in 28 areas where the Houthi rebels are based on the 12th in order to eliminate the Houthi rebels’ offensive capabilities. On the 14th, an additional attack was carried out on a Houthi radar facility in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. Therefore, the destruction of the ASBM on this day corresponds to the third airstrike carried out by the United States in two days.
Nevertheless, the Houthi rebels showed off their strength by firing a missile at the Zografia, a bulk carrier owned by a Greek shipping company that was operating in the Red Sea, immediately after the U.S. airstrike. CENTCOM said that there were no casualties on the hit merchant ship and that it was continuing its navigation. According to P2P Group, a British maritime security consulting firm, the Zografia was shot by an assailant on a small boat just before it was attacked by a missile.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.