European Union’s Response to Israel-Hamas Conflict Reveals Strain in Relations

The Defense Department has identified the two Navy SEALs who ​died during⁤ a ‌nighttime commando⁢ raid on a small ship carrying weapons components bound for ​Yemen. ⁢The circumstances‍ of their⁢ deaths have‍ raised ​questions about the planning and conduct of the raid. ​Special Operator First Class Christopher J. Chambers, 37, and Special Operator Second Class Nathan Gage ⁣Ingram, 27,‍ were lost ⁣on Jan. 11 ​when SEALs ⁤in two stealthy combat speedboats boarded a dhow in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Somalia. The men tried to climb a rope boarding ladder ⁣in rough seas, but both were quickly lost in the ​waves. A joint search operation by naval forces from the United States, ‍Spain, and Japan spent over a week searching more ⁤than 21,000 square miles of ocean for the⁤ missing SEALs. They were​ assigned to SEAL Team 3, based in Coronado, Calif. The⁢ boarding ⁤mission resulted ‍in the seizure of Iranian-made ⁤ballistic-missile and cruise-missile‍ components ⁢that were intended for Houthi militants in ​Yemen. It was ⁢the first time that ⁤U.S.⁢ forces had seized‌ Iranian weapons being sent to the Houthi militants since ⁤they‌ began launching attacks in November against commercial ships in the Red‍ Sea. Special Operator Ingram, originally⁤ from⁣ Texas, became a SEAL in 2021 and was on⁤ his first deployment, according to Navy records. Special ⁤Operator Chambers, from Maryland, ⁤had⁤ deployed a number of ‌times since becoming⁢ a SEAL in ⁣2013, and ‍had⁤ been in combat against Islamic State militants.‍ Their families could not ⁤be reached for comment.