They might be Diwali sky lantern balloons
*You this - Houthis
Army Identifies 5 Special Operations Soldiers Killed in Black Hawk Crash in Mediterranean Sea
The five soldiers were part of the Army's Special Operations Command and assigned to 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne). A senior defense official wouldn't say whether that the unit was in the area to support Israel but did say that they were "there in response to the dynamic security environment in the region."
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2023/11/13/army-identifies-5-special-operations-soldiers-killed-black-hawk-crash-mediterranean-sea.html
>cover story?
Who knows, with special ops you can never tell, plausible deniability and all that.