Two US Navy SEALs who were lost at sea during an operation to intercept Iranian weapon deliveries to the Houthis in Yemen have been declared deceased after an exhaustive 10-day search and rescue operation, military officials said.

The US military is now conducting recovery operations for the SEALs -- members of the Sea, Air and Land Teams special forces -- US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a Sunday (January 21) statement on X.

"We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors, and we will forever honor their sacrifice and example," said CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla.

Kurilla offered condolences to "the SEALs' families, friends, the US Navy and the entire Special Operations community."

Airborne and naval platforms from the United States, Japan and Spain continuously searched more than 21,000 square miles to locate the SEALs, who were reported missing January 11, the statement said.

The SEALs had been operating from the USS Lewis B. Puller, supported by helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), CENTCOM said January 16.

They had been preparing to board a dhow in rough seas off the Somali coast in the Arabian Sea when one of them slipped from a ladder, the Washington Post reported. The second sailor dove in to help after seeing his comrade fall.

During the operation, US forces seized warheads for Houthi medium range ballistic missiles (MRBMs) and anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs), as well as air defense associated components, the CENTCOM statement said.

"Initial analysis indicates these same weapons have been employed by the Houthis to threaten and attack innocent mariners on international merchant ships transiting in the Red Sea," it said.

It was "the first seizure of lethal, Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons (ACW) to the Houthis since the beginning of Houthi attacks against merchant ships in November 2023," it added.

"The interdiction also constitutes the first seizure of advanced Iranian-manufactured ballistic missile and cruise missile components by the US Navy since November 2019."

US Navy forces detained the 14 crew members of the unflagged dhow, which it deemed unsafe and sunk.

Iran 'sows instability'

The episode has illustrated how Tehran continues to undermine global security and commerce via decentralized proxy militias.

Around 12% of global trade normally passes through Bab al-Mandeb strait, the Red Sea's entrance between southwest Yemen and Djibouti.

Amid the Houthis' ongoing attacks on commercial vessels, a number of major international shipping firms have diverted their ships thousands of miles around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa.

"It is clear that Iran continues shipment of advanced lethal aid to the Houthis," Kurilla said in the January 16 statement.

"This is yet another example of how Iran actively sows instability throughout the region in direct violation of UN Security Resolution 2216 and international law."

"We will continue to work with regional and international partners to expose and interdict these efforts, and ultimately to reestablish freedom of navigation," he added.

The United States on Saturday carried out fresh strikes against the Houthis on at around 4 a.m. local time, the military said, targeting an anti-ship missile that was "prepared to launch."

"US forces determined the missile presented a threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region, and subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defense."

"This action will make international waters safer and more secure for US Navy and merchant vessels," the statement said.

The operation marks the fifth round of strikes by the United States on the Houthis in recent weeks.

Dozens of sites in Yemen have been hit, including a Houthi radar site and missiles Washington says posed a threat to civilian and military vessels.

Weapons seizures

The US Navy and its allies have made previous attempts to shut down the flow of weapons from Iran to the Houthis.

On January 15, 2023, CENTCOM supported a raid by French special forces in the Gulf of Oman. The raid hit traditional smuggling routes between Iran and Yemen.

The haul of captured weapons included more than 3,000 assault rifles, 578,000 rounds of ammunition and 23 advanced anti-tank guided missiles.

The seizure was one of four significant illicit cargo interdictions over a two-month period that "prevented more than 5,000 weapons and 1.6 million rounds of ammunition from reaching Yemen," CENTCOM said at the time.

On January 6, 2023, CENTCOM forces intercepted a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Oman and discovered it was smuggling more than 2,100 assault rifles along a maritime route from Iran to Yemen.

"In 2022, CENTCOM Maritime assets and partner forces seized weapons components for the same type of cruise missiles launched in attacks against Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates earlier in the year."

"In December 2022, US naval forces also seized explosive precursor materials that included 140 tons of urea fertilizer, 70 tons of ammonium perchlorate, and 50 tons of ammunition rounds, fuses and propellants for rockets," it said.