Navy SEALs carried out a nighttime seizure Thursday of a dhow carrying Iranian-made propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium-range ballistic missiles and anti-ship cruise missiles; during the mission, two SEALs went missing in the water.
According to US Central Command, this is the first seizure of what is termed “advanced conventional weapons,” which in this case seems to refer to man-portable air defense systems since the Houthis began attacking maritime traffic in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in November. It is also the first capture of Iranian ballistic and cruise missile components since 2019.
Though this is the first seizure of missile components and “advanced conventional munitions,” it is not the first boarding and seizure operation. Interdiction operations to stop arms smuggling in the Horn of Africa are ongoing. In January 2023, the destroyer USS The…
