Two tankers were hit in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday by either an "unknown projectile" or debris, a maritime security agency said. United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations added that at least two crew members were injured in the first incident, and both vessels will continue to their next port of call.
A maritime security agency said Monday that two tankers were hit either by an "unknown projectile" or debris from one in the Strait of Hormuz, where vessels have come under repeated fire since the Middle East war broke out.
Iran is seeking to maintain a stranglehold on the vital waterway as leverage in its war with the United States, while Washington has imposed a counterblockade of Iranian ports, with both sides striking ships they accuse of noncompliance.
In the first incident to be reported on Monday, "a tanker conducting an inbound transit was struck by an unknown projectile" in the Hormuz, said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) operations centre.
"Two crew have sustained minor injuries and the vessel is reported to be continuing to its next port of call under its own power," it added.
British security firm Vanguard Tech said UK-flagged tanker La Stephanie was hit by a drone while sailing towards the Gulf, also reporting minor injuries to two crew members.
Later in the day, UKMTO said an "LPG tanker has been hit by debris from unknown projectiles".
No casualties were reported in the second incident and the tanker would also continue to its next port of call, it said.
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Some 680 people killed or injured across Yemen
The World Health Organization (WHO) says 680 people were killed or injured across Yemen over the course of a week as fighting between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces continues.
WHO said on Monday in a post on X that 164 people were killed and 516 injured between September 13 and September 18. This brings the total number of casualties since August 6 to 3,672, including 674 deaths and 2,998 injuries.
Lahj province in southwestern Yemen is currently an active front line where 58 deaths and 226 injuries were reported within six days, according to the UN agency. Fighting between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and government forces has so far displaced 129,438 people across seven provinces, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says.
The IOM said in an update Monday that people escaping the conflict inside the country were forced from their homes in only a few weeks, with many already fleeing more than once.
Othman Belbeisi, the IOM Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said 11,352 people were displaced in only three days since September 18.
Iran-Pakistan talks in Tehran
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni received his Pakistani counterpart Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on Monday, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry said.
Naqvi’s visit comes as Pakistan seeks to facilitate dialogue between the United States and Iran, with the help of other regional countries.
Israel on alert for Yom Kippur
Israel's military remained on alert even as the country woke up to the silence and empty streets of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, considered the holiest day for the Jewish faith.
Streetlights blinked yellow Monday as the faithful walked to the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City.
“For the next 25 hours, Israel is offline,” the foreign ministry said on X after sundown Sunday. But the military said it bolstered its frontline forces following the killing of an Israeli settler Sunday in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian suspect was detained after a search.
France summons Iran's ambassador
France says it will summon Iran's ambassador to protest over the closure of a French language centre affiliated with the French Embassy in Tehran.
The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Sunday that Paris would “take appropriate measures in response” but didn't specify. It's also unclear when the Iranian ambassador would be summoned.
The ministry called the “unjustifiable and unacceptable” closure of the language centre a new attack on France's cultural presence in Iran and linked it to an assault on two French Embassy staff members in July.
Red Sea International Film Festival rescheduled
Organisers of the Red Sea International Film Festival say they've rescheduled this year's event for late 2027.
The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia faces heightened regional tensions, including missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The foundation did not link the postponement to the security situation.
Instead, it cited the timing and logistical requirements of staging an international event of its scale in an Instagram post Monday.
The festival is one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent international cultural events and draws filmmakers, actors and other industry figures from around the world to Jeddah.
(FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP)
