Iran said three oil tankers struck mines and caught fire while attempting to leave the Strait of Hormuz through a restricted route, as tensions mounted in the Middle East amid concerns over possible renewed US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Iran's state broadcaster reported Thursday, citing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), that the incidents occurred over the previous 24 hours. It did not identify the tankers or provide information about casualties. The Associated Press could not independently verify the report.
Iran's navy said the vessels had switched off their radar and navigation systems and ignored warnings before entering the restricted route. The damaged tankers were later abandoned off the waterway's southern coast, according to the report.
Meanwhile, the US military rejected Iran's claim that it had captured an American surveillance drone near the strait. Iranian state television said the IRGC had taken control of an MQM-170 Outlaw drone through an electronic warfare operation and brought it down in Iranian territory.
US Central Command dismissed the report as false.
Houthis report deadly Saudi strike in Yemen
In Yemen, at least 13 people, mostly women and children, were killed in a Saudi airstrike in western Taiz province on Thursday, according to the Houthi-run Health Ministry. The Saudi-led coalition did not immediately comment.
The reported deaths came as fighting intensified around Taiz, Yemen's third-largest city, which Houthi rebels have surrounded since early October.
Taiz Governor Nabil Shamsan said the city was facing famine, with cooking gas supplies completely blocked and hospitals running critically low on oxygen.
Human Rights Watch warned that the siege could amount to the war crime of using starvation as a weapon of war. The World Food Program said earlier this month that it could not reach more than 600,000 people in Taiz who depend on humanitarian assistance.
However, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi rejected reports of a siege, describing them as fabricated Saudi claims. He said routes remained open for food and humanitarian supplies.
Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree also claimed that the rebels had launched missile and drone attacks on several targets in Saudi Arabia, including airports, a military command centre and oil facilities. He did not specify when the attacks took place.
The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims, and the Saudi government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier Thursday, Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired towards Riyadh by the Iran-backed Houthis, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The announcement followed reports of several explosions over the capital.
Saudi civil defence authorities had also issued alerts in Riyadh, the southern city of Najran and Al-Kharj province.
Netanyahu alleges election interference as Israelis await results
In Israel, voters were awaiting final election results expected Thursday evening amid allegations of foreign interference.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party intensified claims that Arab-led parties had stolen the election, although the country's election committee's request for an investigation into alleged foreign interference did not mention those parties.
The final results were expected to confirm that Netanyahu's political bloc had lost its parliamentary majority. However, it remained unclear who would form the next government, as no party secured the 61 seats required for a majority in the Knesset.
Netanyahu seized on a request by the election committee for the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency to investigate alleged interference by unidentified foreign actors acting against Israeli interests.
Netanyahu and his party also called on other political groups not to cooperate with Arab-led parties.
Israeli strike kills two in central Gaza
In Gaza, an Israeli strike on a civilian vehicle in the central part of the territory killed two people and wounded another, according to health officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where the casualties were taken.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Palestinian deaths have continued despite a fragile ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas in October 2025. Although the heaviest fighting has eased, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,550 Palestinians since the ceasefire began, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run administration, maintains detailed casualty records that are generally considered reliable by UN agencies and independent experts. However, its figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
Iran says it received message from US Vice President
Separately, an Iranian security official said Tehran had received a message from US Vice President JD Vance, according to a report by the semi-official Fars news agency.
The message was reportedly addressed to Major General Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. The report did not disclose its contents and said Iran had not yet responded.
Diplomats said US officials had advised Middle Eastern countries and regional allies to prepare for the possibility of renewed military action against Iran following next week's US midterm elections.