Iranian media say 1 killed in ship strike on the Strait of Hormuz, and other Mideast developments
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2:31 AM on Sunday, September 13
By The Associated Press
An Iranian commercial ship was struck early Sunday near the Strait of Hormuz, with one person killed, Iranian state media say.
Meanwhile, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they fired drones and missiles toward southern Saudi Arabia, putting new pressure on a key U.S. ally in the region. And a new Israeli strike in Gaza has killed two people.
Here’s a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.
State-run media said an Iranian commercial vessel was struck off Qeshm Island, the largest island in the Persian Gulf that sits on the Strait of Hormuz, with one person killed and three wounded.
Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations monitor reported a vessel was hit by a projectile while transiting the strait, with no details. It was not immediately clear if it was the same strike.
There was no immediate statement by the U.S. military, which previously has struck Iranian-flagged vessels as it keeps up a blockade of Iranian ports. On Saturday, the military said its forces had redirected 100 commercial vessels over the past 60 days.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they fired drones and missiles toward neighboring Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis’ military spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, claimed in a statement that they targeted a military base in Sharurah province in the Najran region. He didn’t provide evidence or say when the attack took place. Sirens went off in the province on Saturday, according to the Saudi civil defense, which didn’t report casualties or damage.
The civil defense overnight also said a projectile fell in al-Tawwal governorate near the border with Yemen along the Red Sea, injuring two people and damaging a mosque and several other buildings. The statement blamed the Houthis.
The escalation in fighting between the Houthis and Yemen's Saudi-backed and internationally recognized government risks a return to civil war. Yemen's government has vowed its forces will respond after withdrawing from the rebels' swift advance in recent days along the Red Sea coast to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Across the strait, the small Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti is already seeing the arrival of fleeing Yemenis making the perilous crossing. More than 2,000 people have arrived there, the International Organization for Migration said Sunday.
An Israeli strike hit a car in Gaza City, killing two people, according to al-Shifa hospital, which received the bodies. Smoke rose from the vehicle's mangled, bloodied frame.
“They had no heads,” said resident Ahmad Shreim, who came across the remains while on his way to pick up his daughter from school. He said “nowhere is safe” in Gaza.
The Israeli military said it targeted two Hamas members.
While the heaviest fighting has subsided since a ceasefire took hold in October, Israeli airstrikes have killed 1,369 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants.
Protests broke out in different parts of Syria over increased fuel prices Sunday, with demonstrators blocking a main highway in Idlib province for several hours.
The government announced what it said were temporary price increases for gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products Sunday, citing rising global fuel prices as a result of the U.S.-Iran war. The price of gasoline was increased by about 30% and diesel by 40%.
Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said Saturday that Syria is producing about 102,000 barrels of oil per day, while it needs about 325,000 barrels per day for domestic consumption and is relying on imports to make up the difference.
Iraqi authorities said passenger traffic had resumed at key border crossings with Iran after being closed Saturday following drone attacks launched from Iraq that closed Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline.
An umbrella group of Iran-backed militias in Iraq has denied they were responsible.
Crossings at al-Sheeb in southern Maysan province and Shalamcheh in southern Basra province resumed early Sunday, with trade to resume in the coming days, Iraq’s Security Media Cell said in a statement.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian held talks on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, where the group of emerging economies has expressed concern about rising Mideast tensions. China again offered to play its “due role” to forge peace.
El-Sissi told Pezeshkian that Egypt expects Iran to make all possible efforts to de-escalate and achieve a “comprehensive, sustainable and peaceful settlement to the crisis,” according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.
The Egyptian leader also urged an end to attacks on Arab countries.
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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
