Dubai, Oct 30 (AP) Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Friday that three oil tankers exploded and caught fire while travelling through

Dubai, Oct 30 (AP) Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Friday that three oil tankers exploded and caught fire while travelling through

Dubai, Oct 30 (AP) Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Friday that three oil tankers exploded and caught fire while travelling through

Dubai, Oct 30 (AP) Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Friday that three oil tankers exploded and caught fire while travelling through an unauthorised route in the Strait of Hormuz. It said one was a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil that struck a naval mine.

     Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels near Mecca, Islam's holiest city. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca.

     Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Friday. Read our full coverage here.

     Iran says supertanker struck mine and caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz

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     Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Friday that a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil struck a naval mine, exploded and caught fire while using an unauthorised route in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported.

     The Guard said it was the third oil tanker to explode and catch fire Friday after attempting to use unauthorized routes through the strait.

     Iran has repeatedly warned vessels against passing through the strait without Tehran's permission.

     It has claimed responsibility for attacks on ships which it accused of using unauthorised routes and said others struck mines laid early in the war.

     The Guard's navy said last month that vessels attempting to pass through the strait without authorisation would face “destruction.” Tehran has asserted control over much of the waterway since the US and Israel launched the war on February 28.

     The US military denies the naval mines claims, saying that all internationally recognised, primary transit routes through the critical waterway have been cleared of sea mines by US forces.

     Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Friday that the supertanker had been abandoned at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz and remained on fire.

     The report did not identify the vessel or provide details about its crew. The AP could not independently verify those claims.

     Earlier Friday, the Guard's navy said two other tankers caught fire after striking mines in the strait, Iranian state TV reported. They claimed the vessels had switched off their navigation and positioning systems, attempting to leave through unauthorised routes with US military support and ignored repeated radio warnings.

     The British military reported earlier Friday that a tanker caught fire after a small boat attached two explosive devices to its hull while it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz, temporarily disabling the vessel. It is unclear if the incident is related to the fires that Iran claimed.

     The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said the explosives were attached above the waterline, triggering blasts that caused a fire in the engine room.

     UKMTO did not identify the tanker, which was sailing about 25 nautical miles northeast of Khasab, Oman, or say who was responsible for the attack. The agency said the crew was safe and there was no environmental impact. The fire had been extinguished and the vessel was continuing to its next port of call, it added.

     Oman's Maritime Security Center, meanwhile, said the country had evacuated 25 crew members from a vessel. It is unclear if that incident is related to the fires described by the Iranian and British authorities. Oman said the Panama-flagged tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, 1.6 nautical miles off the coast of Musandam Governorate, and caught fire.

     Saudi Arabia says drone launched by Houthis intercepted near Mecca

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     The Saudi-led coalition said Friday it intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

     A coalition spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, said the drone was intercepted in the region surrounding Mecca, Islam's holiest city and a destination for millions of Muslim pilgrims each year.

     Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree denied carrying out any operations targeting Mecca, saying in a statement that the group's military operations are aimed at Saudi oil facilities and military bases.

     Saudi Arabia has previously reported intercepting missiles and drones headed toward Mecca and Medina, another holy city. The Houthis have repeatedly denied targeting either city.

     Meanwhile, the United Nations said the number of displaced people in Yemen has surpassed 281,000, as fighting continues unabated across parts of the country between Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government forces.

     The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA, said the figures cover the period between August 1 and October 25, adding that the overwhelming majority of civilians had fled fighting in Taiz and along the West Coast, where clashes between the warring parties have intensified in recent months.

     It added that a new surge of displacement from Lahj province in mid-October “shows that the crisis is spreading rather than stabilising.”

     OCHA said it had documented 263 civilian casualties, including 67 people killed, as of October 27. It said children account for 97 of the casualties and about half of those killed. (AP)

     GRS

GRS

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)