Two US Navy seals pronounced dead after Jan 11 raid on Iranian vessel.

ALBAWABA – U.S. military authorities have officially confirmed the unfortunate news that the two Navy SEALs who went missing during a raid on an Iranian vessel near the Somali shores are now declared deceased. In a post on X, the U.S. Military Central Command conveyed that, following an extensive 10-day search for the two Navy SEALs who disappeared on January 11, their status has been updated to deceased.

CENTCOM shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, “We regret to announce that after a 10-day exhaustive search, our two missing U.S. Navy SEALs have not been located and their status has been changed to deceased. The search and rescue operation for the two Navy SEALs reported missing during the boarding of an illicit dhow carrying Iranian advanced conventional weapons on Jan. 11 concluded, and we are now conducting recovery operations.

“Throughout this comprehensive search operation, airborne and naval platforms from the U.S., Japan, and Spain diligently covered more than 21,000 square miles to locate our missing teammates. Assistance in the search was also provided by Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command, University of San Diego – Scripts Institute of Oceanography, and the Office of Naval Research – Oceanographic Support. Out of respect for the families, no further information will be released at this time.

“We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors, and we will forever honor their sacrifice and example. Our prayers are with the SEALs’ families, friends, the U.S. Navy, and the entire Special Operations community during this time,” said General Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM Commander.

On January 11, the U.S. Navy had announced the seizure of items, including propulsion, guidance, and warheads for Houthi medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), as well as air defense-associated components. Preliminary analysis suggests that these same weapons have been utilized by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea.