The French President arrives in Riyadh

A ship off the coast of the Sultanate of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz was attacked on Wednesday with an “unspecified projectile,” causing a fire that was extinguished, according to what the British Maritime Trade Operations Authority (UKMTO) reported.

The authority indicated that the ship, which was hit 11 nautical miles (about 20 kilometers) west of the coastal city of Bukha, “is currently anchored in place and all crew members are fine and there are no reports of environmental damage so far.”

In a separate incident, the authority said on Wednesday that it received a late report stating that a tanker was hit on Tuesday by a projectile 30 nautical miles (about 55 kilometers) from the city of Al-Faw in the far southeast of Iraq.

The authority explained that “the captain of a tanker reported that it was hit by an unspecified projectile, and confirmed that the ship’s crew was fine,” adding that “no damage or environmental impacts were reported.”

The Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil passed before the outbreak of war in the Middle East in late February, is the focus of tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Tehran adheres to supervising navigation in the strait and targets ships that attempt to cross it without obtaining its permission. In return, Washington imposes a blockade on Iranian ports.

Attacks have increased in recent days on ships trying to cross the waterway as Tehran seeks to assert its control over navigation traffic in it, while increasing numbers of ships pass through it with American escort.

On Tuesday, Iran issued new threats to oil companies to launch retaliatory attacks “if Washington continues its provocations.”

The Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen announced, on Wednesday, the interception and destruction of 5 drones launched towards Saudi Arabia, in two operations that included the Medina and Eastern regions.

The official spokesman for the coalition forces, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, published two statements on the “X” platform, in the first of which he said that the coalition forces intercepted and destroyed 4 drones launched towards the Kingdom, and in the second he said that the forces intercepted and destroyed another drone launched towards the eastern region.

Al-Maliki explained that the interception and destruction operations were carried out in the Medina and Eastern regions.

These developments come the day after the coalition announced the interception and destruction of a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia towards the Saudi capital, Riyadh, in addition to the destruction of a drone in the region, in addition to the destruction of the ballistic missile launch pad.

The Saudi Civil Defense had issued an early warning in Riyadh, before announcing that the danger had passed minutes later, as part of dealing with threats targeting Saudi territory.

The coalition warned earlier that the terrorist Houthi militias were exploiting traditional maritime means to smuggle weapons, missiles and military equipment to the Yemeni coast, stressing that these activities represent a threat to the security of Yemen and regional and international security, and endanger the lives and safety of civilians.