Iran launched a strike against an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, according to the United Arab Emirates. The ship belonged to Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, the state-owned oil giant known as ADNOC. No injuries were reported in the attack, which hit the vessel's hull.
The strike came one day after President Trump declared at a rally Friday evening that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz a U.S. territory. Iranian leaders quickly dismissed the statement. NBC News reported that Iran rejected what it called Trump's delusions, with Tehran asserting that the strait remains under its control.
CBS News reported that Trump also dismissed concerns Friday about conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, which has been deployed for almost nine months in the Middle East and is expected to be replaced by the USS George Washington.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes killed nine people Saturday in Lebanon, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency, in some of the deadliest attacks since a truce was reached between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah. Israel said it struck Hezbollah, but Lebanon's prime minister said the strikes did not target military infrastructure. Hezbollah put the death toll higher, at 11 people including women and children, with 12 others injured.
Hezbollah issued a statement criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly. "This Israeli escalation, through targeting civilians and expanding the circle of areas targeted, reflects the desire and will of the criminal enemy Prime Minister Netanyahu to escalate the war in order to bolster his domestic political standing, serve his electoral objectives, and satisfy the far right," the group said. The statement also said that "the continuation of this aggression and violation of Lebanon's sovereignty is the responsibility of the enemy government and the United States, which provides it with support and cover."
Despite agreeing to a U.S.-led trilateral agreement that was to include Israeli forces exiting security zones in southern Lebanon to be replaced by the Lebanese army, Israel has said it has no plans to evacuate the area soon.
Al Jazeera reported separately that Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz has raised new fears that China may seek to replicate similar tactics in the Taiwan Strait. With the United States engaged in the conflict with Iran, analysts and observers in Taiwan have raised concerns about whether Washington would be able to respond to a Chinese blockade. A blockade of the Taiwan Strait would carry severe consequences for global supply chains, given the island's dominant role in semiconductor manufacturing.
