UAE blames Iran after Hormuz tanker hit as Middle East tensions deepen

The UAE accused Iran of hitting an ADNOC-linked vessel in the Strait of Hormuz as Israeli strikes and a Houthi missile attack flared elsewhere. The clustered attacks signal a wider regional escalation that is choking shipping routes and straining fragile truces.

In Short

• ADNOC tanker was attacked in Hormuz, the third strike this week
• The waterway handles major global oil trade and remains heavily disrupted
• Israeli raids on Ansar and Deir al-Zahrani left civilians dead

Tensions across the Middle East sharpened on Saturday as the United Arab Emirates accused Iran of attacking a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, Israeli airstrikes killed nine people in southern Lebanon, and the Iran-backed Houthis struck a key Red Sea port in Yemen.

The developments point to a wider escalation linked to the Iran war, with disruption in a major global shipping route, one of the deadliest days in southern Lebanon since a June truce, and fresh missile fire in Yemen despite a ceasefire that had halted heavy fighting.

The Emirati state-run WAM news agency said a tanker owned by Abu Dhabi's state-owned oil and gas company ADNOC was attacked on Friday evening while passing through the Strait of Hormuz. It said there were no injuries. This was the third such attack on vessels operated by ADNOC in the waterway over the past week. In a statement on Saturday, the UAE blamed Iran for the attack and called on it to stop the unprovoked strikes. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said a bulk carrier was hit in the hull by an unknown projectile on Friday, though it was not immediately clear if it was the same vessel.

Shipping has been disrupted and the strait has been virtually closed since the Iran war began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Before the war, about one-fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas passed through the waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. The attacks have continued as Iran seeks to control the route as leverage. Talks between the US and Iran have stalled, while Iran is in discussions with Oman on managing the passageway.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed at least nine people on Saturday, in some of the deadliest attacks since a shaky truce between Israel and Hezbollah came into effect on June 20. Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency said one strike on a home on the edge of the village of Ansar killed seven people, including three children, and wounded two. A second strike on the village of Deir al-Zahrani killed two people and wounded nine. The toll made it one of the deadliest days since the Lebanese government and Israel announced a "framework agreement" in June under which Israeli forces would withdraw from southern Lebanon in exchange for the disarmament of Hezbollah. Hezbollah refused direct talks and was not part of the agreement. Israel said it struck Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon in response to actions taken by the group against Israeli soldiers operating in the security zone.

In Yemen, the military said the Houthis attacked the government-held Mokha port on Friday evening, killing at least one security guard. Military spokesman Colonel Majed al-Nazili said in a statement that the Houthis fired six ballistic missiles at the port in a "new terrorist aggression that targeted a vital civilian facility". He said eight people were wounded and two marines were missing. The strike was the latest by the Houthis on government-held areas and on Saudi Arabia, and part of an escalation that threatens to push Yemen into a full-fledged conflict. A 2022 ceasefire had stopped heavy fighting in the country's civil war. Analysts say the Houthi escalation reflects how Iran is increasing pressure on the United States and its regional allies.

Overall, the day saw a fresh attack in the Strait of Hormuz, heavy Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon, and a Houthi missile attack on Yemen's Mokha port, underlining the spread of tensions across the region.

With PTI Inputs

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