Three Tankers Ablaze in Hormuz as U.S. Denies Drone Capture

Oil tankers faced new risks in the Strait of Hormuz after Iranian state media reported that three vessels struck mines and caught fire within the last 24 hours. The Revolutionary Guard Corps said the tankers attempted to leave the strait through a restricted route while their radar and navigation systems were off. According to the report, the crew abandoned the damaged ships off the southern coast of the waterway. The Associated Press has not yet confirmed the details or the identities of the vessels.

A British military monitor tracked one of the burning ships transiting the strait on Thursday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center stated it did not know the condition of the crew or the extent of the damage. It remained unclear whether that specific vessel was one of the three cited by Iran. Tensions in the region have risen amid fears that U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran could resume.

Washington rejected a separate Iranian claim that its forces captured an American drone. Iranian state television said the Revolutionary Guard performed an electronic warfare operation to take control of an MQM-170 Outlaw drone and land it in Iranian territory. The report did not specify when the seizure occurred. U.S. Central Command called the claim false. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for the command, said in an email that the Revolutionary Guard has repeatedly lied out of desperation. He noted that Iran made a similar claim in 2011 regarding an RQ-170 Sentinel drone, which U.S. officials attributed to a malfunction.

In Yemen, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said a Saudi strike killed 12 people and critically wounded three others in Taiz. The ministry said the attack hit two homes belonging to the same family on Thursday. The Associated Press could not independently verify the toll. A separate strike hit a paint factory late Wednesday, according to a Houthi-run human rights body. Yemen’s National Human Rights Authority warned that the fire could release toxic gases and contaminate nearby soil and groundwater.

In Israel, citizens await final election results scheduled for Thursday evening. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party have amplified allegations that Arab-led parties stole the election. Final counts are expected to show that Netanyahu’s bloc lost its majority in parliament. No party won the 61 seats needed to control the Knesset. Netanyahu pointed to a new request by the elections committee for the Shin Bet intelligence service to investigate alleged foreign interference. The request did not mention Arab-led parties, but Netanyahu argued that no party should cooperate with them.

In Gaza, health officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said an Israeli strike on a civilian vehicle killed two people and wounded another in central Gaza on Thursday. The Israeli military did not respond to a request for comment. The territory’s Health Ministry reports that more than 1,550 Palestinians have died since a ceasefire began in October 2025. The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and militants in its totals.