Iran Accuses Qatar of Detaining Missing Pilots as Regional Tensions Rise
Iran says Qatar is holding three pilots missing since March, while a UAE-owned tanker was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz and Israeli airstrikes killed 11 in southern Lebanon.
Iran's armed forces' Missing Persons Committee announced that Qatar is detaining three Iranian pilots who disappeared in March after their aircraft were shot down. The committee said Qatar has not allowed the pilots to communicate with their families or Iranian officials, and Tehran has asked the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene. Qatar has not responded to the allegation.
A tanker owned by Abu Dhabi's state oil company ADNOC was struck while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the UAE news agency WAM reported. No injuries were reported, and the United Arab Emirates called on Iran to cease what it described as unprovoked attacks. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre also noted a bulk carrier was hit by an unknown projectile in the same period.
In southern Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 11 people, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry and state news agency. One strike hit a home in the village of Ansar, killing seven, including three children, while another strike in Deir al-Zahrani killed four and wounded 17. Israel's military said the attacks targeted a Hezbollah battalion commander and militants, and asserted that family members present were not the intended targets.
The Yemen military reported that Houthi forces fired six ballistic missiles at the Red Sea port of Mokha, killing three people, including two marines, and halting port operations. The incident is part of a broader escalation involving Iran-backed groups in the region.