The New York Times reports that a ship struck by a drone in the Strait of Hormuz today was en route from Qatar to the UAE's Port of Fujairah. Earlier, Iran launched two drones toward Bahrain — one was intercepted from the ground, the other fell without causing damage, according to the report.
In its latest report, The New York Times says the vessel hit by a drone in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday was en route from Qatar to Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates. According to the report, relayed by Asaf Rozentzweig (N12), Iran also launched two drones toward Bahrain earlier — one was intercepted from the ground and the other fell without causing damage. This development adds a specific itinerary and destination to earlier, vaguer reports of a strike on a tanker or commercial ship in the same area.
The story unfolded rapidly Saturday evening. Initial unverified reports of explosions (version 2, Sat 12:40 Jerusalem) were followed by UKMTO confirmation of an attack on a tanker (versions 3 & 5, Sat 12:40 Jerusalem). Security channel Abu Ali Express said a merchant ship was hit by a missile (version 4, Sat 12:40 Jerusalem), and the WSJ reported that an Iranian drone struck an oil tanker carrying 2 million barrels, with U.S. forces downing two additional drones (version 7, Sat 12:40 Jerusalem). The NYT now identifies the vessel's route and provides specific drone-launch details for Bahrain. Source quality has evolved from a single security channel to multiple newsrooms, but the NYT report remains the sole source for the Bahrain drone details.
As The Zioneer reported on Friday (Jun 26, 18:55 Jerusalem), President Trump said Iran struck a merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz and that U.S. forces intercepted three Iranian drones. A British tanker was also reported attacked in the strait on Saturday (background, Sat 19:08 Jerusalem), and the U.S. shot down two Iranian drones after an attempted strike on ships in the area earlier this month (background, Fri Jun 12, 11:04 Jerusalem). The attacks follow weeks of Iranian warnings that all vessels must pay for passage through the strategic waterway (background, Thu Jun 25, 19:37 Jerusalem).
The vessel's identity, the extent of damage, and the specific timing of the drone launches toward Bahrain remain unverified by independent sources.
7 developments
- DevelopingCargo ship reportedly struck by Iranian drone in Strait of Hormuz, official tells CNN
- DevelopingUS shot down two Iranian drones after attempted strike on ships in Hormuz, Fox News reports
- StrongTrump says Iran struck a merchant ship in the Strait of Hormuz, US intercepted three drones
- StrongUS official says Iranian drone attack on Bahrain used two UAVs, one hit airfield
Source and signal
- Internal intake