Middle East tensions spike as Gaza strike, Sanaa raids and tanker attack unfold

A Gaza strike, air raids on Sanaa and a tanker attack in the Strait of Hormuz were reported on Friday. The incidents highlight widening instability across the Middle East and renewed risks to shipping and security.

In Short

• Health officials said one Palestinian died and eleven others were injured
• Israel said the strike targeted a known Hamas militant in Gaza
• Houthi media blamed Saudi Arabia for midnight raids on Sanaa

Fresh developments were reported from across the Middle East on Friday, including an Israeli strike in central Gaza that killed one person and wounded at least 11 others, overnight airstrikes on Yemen's capital Sanaa, and an attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz that damaged its engine room.

The incidents come amid continuing tensions in the region. In Gaza, Palestinians have reported a rise in Israeli fire and airstrikes over the past month. In Yemen, the latest strikes were reported as fighting escalated again between Saudi Arabia, the Iranian-backed Houthis and the Yemeni government. In the Strait of Hormuz, a projectile hit a tanker, though it was not immediately clear who carried out the attack.

In central Gaza, an Israeli strike on a civilian vehicle on Sunday morning killed one Palestinian and injured at least 11 others, according to health officials at the Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the casualties were taken. Israel's military said it had targeted a known Hamas militant in the strike.

Palestinians in Gaza have reported a surge in Israeli fire and airstrikes across the enclave over the past month. Israel says it is targeting Hamas and other militants who pose a threat, and acting in response to ceasefire violations, including occasional attacks. Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,445 Palestinians in Gaza since a ceasefire was reached with Hamas nearly a year ago, according to the territory's Health Ministry. The figures are seen as generally reliable by UN agencies and independent experts, though the ministry does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants. Seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire.

In Yemen, the Houthis said airstrikes hit Sanaa at midnight as fighting continued in their renewed war against Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government. The Houthi media office reported the strikes without giving further details. It accused Saudi Arabia of carrying them out, but gave no evidence, and there was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.

However, the Yemeni military, which is backed by Riyadh, said it carried out the strikes. Military spokesman Col. Majed al-Nazili said it struck "vital targets" in Sanaa as well as in the northern province of Saada, on the border with Saudi Arabia. Airstrikes that hit Sanaa on Saturday morning were also claimed by the Yemeni military. The attacks were part of a major escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Iranian-backed Houthis that revived Yemen's civil war after a four-year ceasefire.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said a projectile struck a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, damaging the engine room. It was not immediately clear who launched the attack or when it took place. The UKMTO said the crew was reportedly safe.

Ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remains below prewar levels, and so do shipments of energy products, though Iran has lost its near-complete chokehold over the waterway because of US Navy efforts to escort oil tankers through the strait. Along with various pipelines, that has helped Gulf countries restore oil exports to nearly prewar levels. Taken together, the latest developments underline the continuing instability across Gaza, Yemen and the Gulf shipping route.

With PTI Inputs

- Ends