Three tankers hit by mines while ignoring warnings in Strait of Hormuz

Iran reported that three oil tankers struck mines and caught fire while attempting to exit the Strait of Hormuz through an unauthorized route. The state broadcaster cited the Revolutionary Guard Corps, stating the incidents occurred over the past 24 hours. No official identified the vessels or provided casualty figures.

The Iranian navy said the tankers turned off their radar and navigation systems. Officials claimed the ships ignored warnings before being abandoned off the southern coast of the waterway. The U.S. military also addressed a separate claim that Iran captured an American surveillance drone near the strait.

U.S. Central Command called the drone report false. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the command, said the Revolutionary Guard had repeatedly lied out of desperation in recent weeks. He did not provide additional details about the specific incident. The U.S. military denied the claim that the MQM-170 Outlaw drone was landed in Iranian territory.

In Israel, final election results were expected to be announced on Thursday evening. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party amplified allegations that Arab-led parties had stolen the election. This followed a request by the elections committee for the Shin Bet intelligence service to investigate alleged interference by foreign entities.

The committee's request did not specifically reference Arab-led parties. Netanyahu stated that no party should cooperate with those groups. Final results are expected to confirm that Netanyahu's bloc lost its majority in parliament. It remains unclear who will form the next government because no single party won the 61 seats needed to control the Knesset.

In Yemen, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said a Saudi strike killed 12 people in the city of Taiz. Three others were critically wounded, including women and children. The ministry blamed the attack for hitting two homes belonging to the same family on Thursday. A separate strike hit a paint factory late Wednesday, according to a Houthi-run human rights body.

The paint factory strike caused a large fire. Yemen’s National Human Rights Authority said the incident could release toxic gases and contaminate nearby soil and groundwater. Taiz province has been a contested front line in recent weeks, split between Houthi and government forces. Health officials in Gaza reported an Israeli strike killed two people in a civilian vehicle on Thursday.

The strike wounded one other person in central Gaza. Israel’s military did not respond to a request for comment. The death toll in Gaza has continued to rise since a ceasefire began in October 2025. The territory’s Health Ministry reported that Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,550 Palestinians since that date.