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S. military has officially declared two Navy SEALs, who went missing during a mission in the Arabian Sea, as deceased.

The mission, which took place on January 11, involved boarding a ship suspected of carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen. The search for the missing SEALs, which lasted for ten days, has now transitioned into a recovery operation, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

The identities of the deceased SEALs have been withheld pending family notifications. The search operation, which covered over 21,000 square miles, involved ships and aircraft from the U.S., Japan, and Spain. Assistance was also provided by the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center, the U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command, University of San Diego Scripts Institute of Oceanography, and the Office of Naval Research.

Gen. Erik Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command, expressed his condolences, stating, We mourn the loss of our two Naval Special Warfare warriors, and we will forever honor their sacrifice and example. Our prayers are with the SEALs families, friends, the U.S. Navy and the entire Special Operations community during this time.

The mission, which was launched from the USS Lewis B. Puller, a mobile sea base, involved the SEALs boarding an unflagged ship. As they were boarding, one of the SEALs was swept under the heavy seas, and his teammate attempted to rescue him. The team was supported by drones and helicopters and used small special operations combat craft to reach the ship.

During the operation, the SEALs seized a variety of Iranian-made weaponry, including cruise and ballistic missile components, propulsion and guidance devices, warheads, and air defense parts, as reported by Central Command. This seizure is the latest in a series by the U.S. Navy and its allies, targeting weapon shipments intended for the rebels. These rebels have been launching attacks that threaten global trade in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, in response to Israels war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

After the ship was deemed unsafe, the U.S. Navy sunk it, detaining the ships 14 crew members in the process, Central Command confirmed.