Two tankers were attacked on Friday while crossing the Strait of Hormuz, according to the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority, in the latest threat to shipping traffic in the strategic waterway.
In the first attack, the authority said that the captain reported that the tanker was “struck by an unspecified projectile while it was sailing out of the strait, which led to a small fire and a power outage on board.”
She added, "The fire has been extinguished, and the ship continues its voyage," noting that there were no reports of injuries or environmental impact.
Hours later, a crude oil tanker reported being hit by an “unidentified projectile” east of Oman, also without any casualties among crew members or any environmental damage, according to the British Authority.
The authority stated that the authorities are investigating these incidents.
The Strait of Hormuz, which was a passage for about a fifth of the world's energy supplies, has become at the heart of the conflict that the United States and Israel sparked in late February by launching strikes against Iran.
Since then, the Islamic Republic has been obstructing navigation in the strait and firing at ships it accuses of crossing unauthorized routes, while Washington is imposing a blockade on Iranian ports in response.
Speaking about the attacks, the Saudi Civil Defense said early on Saturday that a ballistic missile was intercepted in the Uhud Rufaidah Governorate in the Asir region, and the fragments caused one person to be injured.
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The Civil Defense added, according to what was reported by the Saudi Press Agency, that the missile was launched by the Houthis allied with Iran on Friday.
On Friday, regional and Western officials said that Saudi Arabia was planning to launch an attack on the militants of the Yemeni Houthi movement allied with Iran, according to Reuters.
Six people familiar with the preparations for the operation, which is expected to launch in the coming weeks, said that the Yemeni forces supervised by Riyadh will lead the operation on the ground, with support from Saudi air strikes.
They stated that one of the main goals of the planned Saudi attack is to stop the rapid gains made by the Houthis last month when they advanced on the coast and took control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Gulf and Yemeni officials said that Saudi Arabia is considering two possible attack options: either a limited-scale attack on the area surrounding the Bab al-Mandab Strait, or another, broader attack that also includes simultaneous attacks on multiple fronts throughout Yemen, in the governorates of Al-Bayda, Ma’rib, Taiz, and Al-Jawf.
It is expected that American support for this operation will be limited to providing intelligence information, while countries such as Türkiye, Pakistan and France have provided defensive military assistance to the Kingdom, according to Reuters.
Two Pakistani officials reported that last month, their country sent four cargo planes loaded with military equipment to Aden - the headquarters of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, in addition to deploying between 30 and 40 thousand Pakistani soldiers in Saudi Arabia to help defend the Kingdom's land borders.
As for Türkiye, Saudi Arabia purchased Turkish drones before the current war, and they were also deployed over Yemen.
Meanwhile, France announced that it would send defense systems and forces to Saudi Arabia to help protect the coastal city of Yanbu overlooking the Red Sea.
"40 flights a day between Iraq and Iran"
In another context, Baghdad announced on Friday that it had obtained an American exemption from the sanctions allowing Iranian airlines, with the exception of Mahan, to operate dozens of flights daily to and from Najaf airport, days after a similar exemption was granted to Iraqi Airlines.
The media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi said that the agreement came within the framework of the government’s efforts to resume air traffic and facilitate the travel of visitors, patients, tourists and students, and after a series of communications and follow-ups with the concerned parties.
The Prime Minister appreciated what he described as the US government's "positive response" to the Iraqi efforts and its cooperation in granting the requested exception, considering that dialogue and diplomatic channels contributed to finding practical solutions to the issue.
Al-Zaidi said that air traffic “does not merely represent transport traffic between two airports,” pointing out its importance to patients, visitors, and families, in addition to its role in tourism, the economy, and community communication.
He stressed that Iraq's external communications are based on the interests of its people and its keenness to build balanced relations with various countries, noting the continued work with the concerned parties to overcome obstacles to the movement of transport and aviation.
The United States accuses the Iranian airline Mahan Air of transporting members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, as well as weapons and drones.
Last week, Iraqi Airways announced the resumption of its flights to Iranian airports via Najaf International Airport, after obtaining a special American exception.
Accordingly, the Israeli airline "El Al" announced the cancellation of flights scheduled for Friday to return Israelis from Dubai, after "Fly Dubai" suspended its flights to and from Tel Aviv, while the Ministry of Transport clarified that Israel has not yet obtained the required approval from the United Arab Emirates to operate flights.
