Strait of Hormuz strike kills one as West Asia violence flares

A commercial ship was struck near the Strait of Hormuz as fresh attacks hit Saudi Arabia and Gaza. The violence coincided with regional talks on shipping security and urgent calls for de-escalation.

In Short

• Iran said a ship strike near Qeshm killed one and injured three
• Houthis claimed attacks on southern Saudi Arabia as border shelling injured two
• An Israeli strike on a Gaza City car killed two people

Fresh violence and diplomatic activity marked the latest developments in the Middle East on Sunday, with Iran saying one person was killed after a commercial ship was struck near the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthis claiming attacks on southern Saudi Arabia, and an Israeli strike in Gaza killing two people.

The day also saw Iraq confirm it would attend a regional meeting on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, border crossings between Iraq and Iran reopen after a temporary closure, and the presidents of Egypt and Iran hold talks in New Delhi amid concern over rising regional tensions.

Iranian state media said a commercial vessel was struck off Qeshm Island, the largest island in the Persian Gulf on the Strait of Hormuz, killing one person and wounding three others. Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said a vessel was hit by a projectile while passing through the strait, though it was not immediately clear if it was the same incident. There was no immediate statement from the US military, which has previously struck Iranian-flagged vessels as it maintains a blockade of Iranian ports. On Saturday, the military said its forces had redirected 100 commercial vessels over the past 60 days.

In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they fired drones and missiles towards neighbouring Saudi Arabia. Houthi military spokesperson Brig Gen Yahya Saree said they targeted a military base in Sharurah province in the Najran region, but did not provide evidence or say when the attack took place. Saudi civil defence said sirens sounded in the province on Saturday, but there were no reported casualties or damage. It also said a projectile landed in al-Tawwal governorate near the Yemeni border along the Red Sea, injuring two people and damaging a mosque and several other buildings. The statement blamed the Houthis.

The escalation raises the risk of a return to civil war between the Houthis and Yemen's Saudi-backed and internationally recognised government. Yemen's government has said its forces will respond after pulling back from the rebels' rapid advance in recent days along the Red Sea coast towards the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Across the water, Djibouti has begun receiving Yemenis fleeing the fighting, with the International Organisation for Migration saying more than 2,000 people had arrived there by Sunday.

In Gaza, an Israeli strike hit a car in Gaza City, killing two people, according to al-Shifa hospital, which received the bodies. A resident, Ahmad Shreim, who said he came across the remains while on his way to pick up his daughter from school, said, "They had no heads," and added that "nowhere is safe" in Gaza. The Israeli military said it "eliminated" two operatives from Hamas' military wing. Since a ceasefire took hold in October and the heaviest fighting eased, Israeli airstrikes have killed 1,369 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government, keeps detailed records that international organisations generally consider reliable, though it does not distinguish between civilians and militants.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told Iran's top diplomat that an Iraqi delegation would attend a regional meeting on Monday on managing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency. It was a rare public commitment to the meeting in Oman. Iran and Oman, which lies across the strait, have been discussing shipping traffic and possible fees for weeks, and Tehran has said the meeting would be used to brief neighbouring countries. Bahrain said on Saturday it would not attend because it has no diplomatic relations with Iran.

Iraqi authorities also said passenger movement had resumed at key crossings with Iran after they were shut on 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 denied responsibility. Iraq's Security Media Cell said the al-Sheeb crossing in Maysan province and the Shalamcheh crossing in Basra province reopened early on Sunday, with trade expected to resume in the coming days.

On the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian held talks as the grouping expressed concern over rising tensions in the Middle East. China again said it was ready to play its "due role" in pursuing peace. According to the Egyptian presidency, el-Sissi told Pezeshkian that Egypt expected Iran to make all possible efforts to de-escalate and secure a "comprehensive, sustainable and peaceful settlement to the crisis". He also called for an end to attacks on Arab countries.

Overall, Sunday brought fresh violence near the Strait of Hormuz, on the Saudi-Yemen border and in Gaza, while regional governments continued talks and official contacts on shipping, security and de-escalation.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends