The US authorities are revising their initial findings regarding the deaths of two Navy SEALs, who lost their lives while attempting to board an unregistered vessel that was purportedly transporting unlawful weapons to Houthi forces in Yemen, as reported by AP News.
After conducting additional reviews and interviews with military personnel who participated in the mission, US officials revealed on Wednesday that Navy Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Christopher J. Chambers accidentally fell into a narrow gap between the SEALs' vessel and the unflagged ship they were boarding on January 11. In an effort to rescue Chambers, Navy Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Nathan Gage Ingram bravely jumped in, as confirmed by officials familiar with the incident.
After a 10-day search and rescue mission covering an area of over 21,000 square miles in the Arabian Sea came up empty-handed, the US military called off the operation and declared the service members dead.
According to officials who spoke to AP News anonymously, the revised account of the incident involving Ingram and Chambers has been provided based on new information. US officials initially claimed that Ingram fell into the sea and Chambers jumped in to rescue him. However, ongoing investigations by the US Naval Special Warfare Command are aimed at obtaining more details about the incident.
Meanwhile, the Arabian Sea and adjoining maritime areas like the Gulf of Aden have become flashpoints between Yemen’s Houthis and the US and the UK. Houthi support for the Palestinians in Gaza through targeted attacks on ships with links to Israel and the West has led to joint coordinated strikes on targets in Yemen.
The maritime clash has led to a 40-percent downturn in trade volumes in the Suez Canal, an 85-percent plunge in shipping activity in the Israeli Port of Eilat, and substantial costs affecting global trade.
Iran has persistently refuted accusations by the West about its alleged complicity in the Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea. Tehran has insisted that it does not give instructions to Middle East resistance groups like the Houthis.
Russia has consistently castigated the actions of the Houthis in the Red Sea, as well as the Western strikes on Yemeni territory, citing significant threats to global peace and security.