The US military said on Tuesday that it had seized a shipload of “advanced conventional weapons” sent by Iran to the Houthi rebels in Yemen – evidence, according to General Michael Erik Kurilla of US Central Command, that ” Iran continues to deliver sophisticated lethal supplies to the Houthis as they attack merchant ships in the Red Sea.
“Two U.S. Navy SEALs who were previously reported lost at sea were directly involved in this operation,” Kurilla, the CENTCOM commander, said in the statement, adding that an “extensive search” was underway elite troops who have not been seen since January 17th. 11 Seizure of Iranian boat.
Defense officials told CBS News over the weekend that the missing sailors fell overboard while trying to board the Iranian ship that was carrying weapons from Iran to Yemen. The boarding took place in rough seas, the officials said.
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USCENTCOM seizes Iranian advanced conventional weapons intended for Houthis
On January 11, 2024, during a nighttime flag check, U.S. CENTCOM Navy forces seized a dhow that was illegally transporting advanced lethal supplies from Iran to supply the Houthis. pic.twitter.com/yg4PuTZBh7
– US Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 16, 2024
A U.S. official told CBS News on Tuesday that more attacks were carried out overnight against Houthi targets in the large swath of Yemen controlled by the Iran-backed rebels.
The official said four anti-ship ballistic missiles that had been prepared for launch from Houthi-controlled territory were hit and destroyed. According to the Pentagon and the British Ministry of Defense, earlier strikes carried out on Friday jointly with the United Kingdom and other allies targeted Houthi missile and drone storage and launch sites and other military infrastructure.
Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea continue
Despite ongoing attacks against the Houthis and the loss of two U.S. troops, what CENTCOM said was the “first seizure of lethal Iranian-supplied advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis since the group's attacks on commercial vessels began” in November These attacks continued on key shipping routes in the Middle East.
The Houthis have vowed to continue attacking ships they believe are linked to Israel or its international allies, justifying the rocket and drone launches as retaliation for Israel's ongoing military operation in Gaza against the Iran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The U.S. commercial cargo ship Gibraltar Eagle is seen in an archive photo provided to CBS News.
On Monday, a missile hit a U.S. merchant ship in the Red Sea, causing a fire in a cargo hold but causing no serious damage or casualties.
The British military's Maritime Trade Operations Agency said on Tuesday it had received “a report of an incident” west of Houthi-controlled Yemen, while private British maritime security firm Ambrey said a Malta-flagged cargo ship was “attacked and been hit.” Rocket crossing the southern Red Sea.
Ambrey was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency The ship had been docked in Israel since the start of the Gaza war and was en route to the Suez Canal, but changed course to return to port after the attack.
Qatar warns against 'focusing on the symptoms'
The prime minister of Qatar, which has served as a valuable intermediary for the United States and Israel in negotiations with Hamas throughout the Gaza war, suggested Tuesday that efforts by the United States and its allies against the Houthis may prove futile , and said the Yemeni rebels were unsuccessful. The causes of these actions were due to the ongoing Gaza war, and military measures alone will not be able to “contain” them.
At the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said that focusing on the Houthis' attacks on shipping meant “focusing on the symptoms and not on addressing the real problem,” namely Israel's war with Hamas.
“We should focus on the main conflict in Gaza, and once it is defused, I believe everything else will be defused as well,” the Qatari prime minister said, pushing for a two-state solution with an independent state for the Palestinians alongside Israel to end the conflict. President Biden continues to push for negotiations on the long-elusive two-state solution, as has been U.S. policy for decades, but the current Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is opposed to such talks.
Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani looks on during the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 16, 2024. DENIS BALIBOUSE/Portal
“What we have in the region right now is a recipe for escalation everywhere,” Al Thani warned, pointing to the danger that the ongoing war in Gaza could escalate or manifest itself in violence across the Middle East.
David Martin and Eleanor Watson of CBS News in Washington contributed to this report.
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