2 UAE tankers attacked while transiting Strait of Hormuz, and other news from the Middle East

The United Arab Emirates blamed Iran for firing drones at two tankers operated by Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil and gas company ADNOC while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The attacks caused no casualties but highlighted the dangers to vessels navigating this critical waterway. Iran maintains control over the passage, linking the Persian Gulf to the open oceans. Two oil tankers owned by ADNOC were hit by drones Thursday evening during transit. The company reported minor damage and no injuries, though the situation was brought under control. The British military’s Maritime Trade Operations Center confirmed two vessels suffered minor damage from drone attacks in the same incident, though it did not identify them as ADNOC ships. The UAE’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks as a 'flagrant violation' of the United Nations' freedom of navigation principles. It accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps of targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion, framing it as piracy. Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Israeli settlers have besieged Palestinian families in Qusra for days, preventing them from leaving their homes. Israeli troops intervened but settlers kept returning, escalating tensions in the occupied territory. Yemen’s military reported thwarting Houthi attacks in southwestern Yemen, killing dozens of rebels. The Houthis also targeted Saudi Aramco in Najran with a drone strike, raising fears of renewed civil conflict in Yemen. U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is set to travel to the Middle East next week to advance plans for a Gaza ceasefire, following recent Israeli opposition to a previously announced deal. Kushner, along with Nickolay Mladenov and Tony Blair, will meet in Israel and Cairo to discuss Palestinian governance under a U.S.-brokered agreement.