2 US Navy SEALs Missing Off Somalia’s Coast Were Hunting for Iranian Weapons, Official Says

The missing sailors were Navy SEALs on a mission to intercept the flow of weapons to Yemen, according to a US official.

In this handout provided by the U.S. Navy, Navy SEALs conduct immediate action drills at the John C. Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, on October 25, 2010. Photo by John Scorza/US Navy via Getty Images

Two U.S. Navy SEALs went missing off the coast of Somalia last week while on a mission to board a ship suspected of carrying Iranian weapons for Houthi-controlled Yemen, according to a defense official.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Jan. 13 that search and rescue operations had been launched to locate two U.S. Navy sailors who went missing during operations on Jan. 11.