The British military said an “unknown projectile” struck a tanker as it entered the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, injuring two crew members. The vessel continued toward port under its own power.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military remains on alert as much of the country shuts down for Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.
Fighting across Yemen killed or injured 680 people last week, the World Health Organization said.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Monday.
Projectile strikes tanker passing through Strait of Hormuz, British military says
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center (UKMTO) said a tanker was struck by an “unknown projectile” as it headed into the Strait of Hormuz. Two crew members sustained minor injuries.
The UKMTO said Monday the vessel is reportedly continuing to its next port of call under its own power. No reports indicated any environmental impact at this time.
Tehran has asserted control over much of the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28. In peacetime, about 20 million barrels — roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply — passed through Hormuz each day.
Some tankers are again traversing the strait, but traffic is well below what it once was.
WHO reports 680 new casualties in a week in Yemen
The World Health Organization says 680 people were killed or injured across Yemen over the course of a week as fighting between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed government forces continues.
WHO said on Monday in a post on X that 164 people were killed and 516 injured between Sept. 13 and Sept. 18. This brings the total number of casualties since Aug. 6 to 3,672, including 674 deaths and 2,998 injuries.
Lahj province in southwestern Yemen is currently an active front line where 58 deaths and 226 injuries were reported within six days, according to the U.N. agency.
Fighting in Yemen displaces nearly 130,000 people
Fighting between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and government forces has so far displaced 129,438 people across seven provinces, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) says.
The IOM said in an update Monday that people escaping the conflict inside the country were forced from their homes in only a few weeks, with many already fleeing more than once.
Othman Belbeisi, the IOM Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, said 11,352 people were displaced in only three days from Sep. 18.
Pakistan’s interior minister visits Tehran
Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni received his Pakistani counterpart Mohsin Naqvi in Tehran on Monday, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry said.
Naqvi’s visit comes as Pakistan seeks to facilitate dialogue between the United States and Iran, with the help of other regional countries.
Israeli military on guard on Jewish faith’s holiest day
Israel’s military remained on alert even as the country woke up to the silence and empty streets of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, considered the holiest day for the Jewish faith.
Streetlights blinked yellow Monday as the faithful walked to the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City.
“For the next 25 hours, Israel is offline,” the foreign ministry said on X after sundown Sunday. But the military said it bolstered its frontline forces following the killing of an Israeli settler Sunday in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian suspect was detained after a search.
France denounces shutting down of French language center in Tehran
France says it will summon Iran’s ambassador to protest over the closure of a French language center affiliated with the French Embassy in Tehran.
The French Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Sunday that Paris would “take appropriate measures in response” but didn’t specify. It’s also unclear when the Iranian ambassador would be summoned.
The ministry called the “unjustifiable and unacceptable” closure of the language center a new attack on France’s cultural presence in Iran and linked it to an assault on two French Embassy staff members in July.
Red Sea International Film Festival postponed
Organizers of the Red Sea International Film Festival say they’ve rescheduled this year’s event for late 2027.
The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia faces heightened regional tensions, including missile and drone attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
The foundation did not link the postponement to the security situation. Instead, it cited the timing and logistical requirements of staging an international event of its scale in an Instagram post Monday.
The festival is one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent international cultural events and draws filmmakers, actors and other industry figures from around the world to Jeddah.
