US Navy Seizes Iran-Made Missile Parts Headed for Yemen’s Houthis

Two Navy SEALs went missing during the operation to seize components

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Jan. 11, 2024. Saul Loeb/ AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. military revealed on Tuesday that U.S. Navy forces seized ballistic and cruise missile components, made in Iran, from a vessel transporting them to Yemen’s Houthis last week.

In a complex night-time operation on Jan. 10, Navy SEALs boarded a dhow—a traditional sailing vessel common in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean regions—in international waters near the coast of Somalia. The operation was supported by helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.