USS Jason Dunham intercepts large weapons shipment in Gulf of Aden

US Navy destroyer USS Jason Dunham has intercepted an unflagged boat transporting small arms in the Gulf of Aden.

According to CNN, who first reported the seizure, the number of arms seized in the operation on Tuesday could exceed one thousand.

Defense officials told CNN that the unflagged dhow’s destination was not immediately clear.

Past weapons shipments intercepted in the Gulf of Aden were usually destined for either Somalia or Yemen’s Iran-supported Houthi rebels.

The origin and final destination of the intercepted vessel are still under investigation.

USS Jason Dunham deployed from Norfolk in April 2018 as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and operated in the US 6th Fleet area of operations before transiting to the US 5th Fleet. The 5th Fleet AOP connects the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points around the Arabian Peninsula.