United States Navy officials are looking for two Navy Seals who are missing after falling into water off the coast of Somalia while trying to board a vessel in the nighttime.
The news was shared in a press release from the U.S. Central Command, which noted that the Seals were climbing up a vessel in the Gulf of Aden when they were knocked off by waves.
According to their protocol, when one SEAL is overtaken, the next jumps in after them.
The men were on an interdiction mission, working to intercept weapons on the ships that were bound for the Houthi-controlled Yemen, The Associated Press reported.
Officials who spoke with the AP anonymously did not share details on the mission but did say it was not part of Operation Prosperity Guardian.
Operation Prosperity Guardian is an effort from the U.S. and its allies to keep commercial vessels traveling in the Red Sea safe from any attack.
Officials also shared that the mission the Seals were on had nothing to do with Thursday’s strike against the Houthis by the United States and the United Kingdom.
Search and rescue teams are currently looking for the two soldiers, though U.S. Central Command has declined to release any further information on the situation.
Since last week, there have been airstrikes carried out on around 30 locations as the U.S. and U.K. look to stamp out the militant group. The airstrikes included Tomahawk land missiles that struck a radar owned by the Houthi that was being used to target ships, including commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
Central Command said in a social media post that the airstrikes were a “follow-on action on a specific military target associated with strikes taken on Jan. 12 designed to degrade the Houthi’s ability to attack maritime vessels, including commercial vessels.”
President Joe Biden said Saturday that the U.S. has “privately” delivered a message to Iran, which backs the Houthi, about supporting their ship attacks.
“We delivered it privately, and we’re confident we’re well prepared,” the president said.