Middle East: “Unknown projectile” hits tanker in Strait of Hormuz

News blog about the war in the Middle East

“Unknown projectile” hits tanker in Strait of Hormuz

The escalation in the Middle East continues. Trump reacts to the death of three US soldiers. All developments in the news blog.

Israel According to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, has no interest in being drawn into the current conflict between the USA and Iran. “The current situation, in which there is a limited conflict between Iran and the United States, is the right and best one for us,” Smotrich said at a conference, according to several Israeli media outlets. Israel’s ultimate goal is to weaken Iran’s leadership, and the best way to achieve this is through economic measures, the minister said.

The conflict between the USA and that Iran had escalated again in the past few days with US air strikes and Iranian retaliatory attacks in the region. When the war began in February, the USA and Israel were still acting together against Iran.

Jordan’s army says it has once again fended off Iranian attacks. Five drones fired from Iran were intercepted during the night and morning, the armed forces said. There were no injuries or property damage.

The Lebanese army says it has begun deploying troops to the town of Sautar al-Gharbija as part of a security agreement with Israel. The town is one of several so-called pilot zones in southern Lebanon. Here a deduction should continue Lebanon stationed Israeli troops are tested.

In these zones, the Lebanese armed forces are expected to take control and disarm Hezbollah, while at the same time the Israeli army gradually withdraws. The pilot zones are intended to show whether this process works in practice before the approach is expanded to other areas.

Lebanese residents in the locations designated as pilot zones questioned the intentions of the plan in their villages. These areas were not occupied by Israel, but rather were subjected to its shelling, residents told a dpa photographer on site. Lebanese security circles said that the Israeli army did not maintain any permanent bases in Sautar al-Gharbija, but rather usually entered and left the area.

The war in the Middle East has escalated again and Iranian attacks are hitting US bases in the region. However, the Pentagon is increasingly silent about the consequences. Read more about this here.

In the Strait of Hormuz a tanker was attacked again. The British Maritime Safety Authority (UKMTO) reported that he was hit by an “unknown projectile” off the coast of Oman. The incident occurred eight nautical miles (almost 15 kilometers) northeast of the Omani town of Limah.

Just the day before, a ship was attacked off the coast of Oman and caught fire. Iran requires ships to take a route along its own coast.