Iran on Saturday accused the U.S. of attacking an Iranian tanker near Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. did not immediately comment, but a new strike would raise the risk of sparking a new round of Iranian attacks on U.S. allies and interests in the region.
Meanwhile in Yemen, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels accused the government of killing three people in an attack and Israeli strikes killed three people in southern Lebanon.
Here’s a look at the news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
Iran accuses the U.S. of striking its oil tanker
Iranian state TV said Saturday that four U.S. missiles struck a tanker about six miles (10 kilometers) from Kharg Island. It said the crew was being evacuated and there were no casualties.
The report did not provide evidence and did not include comment from Iranian officials. U.S. Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kharg Island is Iran’s main oil export terminal and a strategically important hub for the country’s crude shipments. It has been repeatedly targeted during the U.S.-Iran conflict, including U.S. strikes on military sites there in March. The latest report comes days after the U.S. resumed strikes on Iranian targets following a monthlong pause, as fighting around the Strait of Hormuz has intensified.
Houthis accuse Yemen's government of killing three people
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels said that airstrikes by government forces in western and southwestern Yemen killed at least three people.
The attacks Friday occurred in the provinces of Hodeida and Taiz and came as Yemen’s military said it launched more than 15 airstrikes on the Houthis along the front lines in those provinces.
The Houthi authorities in Hodeida said a father and daughter were killed in an attack on their house in the southern Jarahi district. In Taiz, a shelling attack killed a man and wounded another, according to the Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel.
The attacks come as fighting's intensified between the Houthis and government forces along Yemen’s west coast near an important supply route.
Israeli strikes kill three people in Lebanon
Lebanon's health ministry said Saturday that Israeli strikes killed three people and wounded nearly two dozen in southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
Israel's army said it struck Hezbollah positions late Friday in response to a drone launched by the group towards Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. The drone was intercepted and no Israeli soldiers were injured, it said.
In June, Lebanon and Israel signed a U.S.-mediated framework deal under which Israeli forces were to withdraw from areas they are occupying in southern Lebanon in exchange for disarmament of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, but little progress has been made in implementation on the ground.
The latest Israel-Hezbollah war began when the Lebanese militant group fired rockets into Israel days after Israel and the U.S. launched their war on Iran on Feb. 28. Israel invaded Lebanon and has since occupied a large swath of the country’s south.
Hezbollah has been vehemently opposed to the direct Lebanon-Israel talks.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
