US military confirms firing on ship in Gulf of Oman to enforce blockade of Iran’s ports

The Israel Defense Forces says that its air defenses launched an interceptor toward a target in southern Lebanon that was later determined to be gunfire by Israeli troops operating in the area.

The military says no injuries occurred and that the incident is being investigated.

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Several Palestinians crossed the IDF’s “Yellow Line” in the Gaza Strip overnight and stole plastic pipes used by the army for engineering activity, the military says.

The incident took place some 3.5 kilometers deep into the Strip.

The IDF says that during operations near the Yellow Line, “several plastic pipes intended for engineering activities were left behind.”

Later, troops spotted several Palestinians approaching the area and fired warning shots to disperse them, the army says.

However, the IDF says that “no hit was identified” and the suspects stole several pipes.

“The incident was investigated, and lessons were learned,” the military says.

The army adds that “any approach to the Yellow Line is met with warning fire toward the suspects in accordance with the rules of engagement.”

The US military confirms an earlier report that its forces fired on a Panamanian-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman that tried to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports, a move that comes as US President Donald Trump tries to keep economic pressure on the Islamic Republic.

US Central Command says the vessel had ignored warnings to stop, prompting an American helicopter to fire missiles into the engine room of the M/V Vela Nova, disabling the ship. US Central Command’s statement does not say whether the ship’s crew suffered any casualties.

Central Command says it has redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled three non-compliant vessels and boarded two. The US Navy currently has more than 15 warships, including two aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship, stationed in the waters of the Arabian Sea.

A man in his 30s fell from a height and died this evening in a work accident at a factory in Rahat, first responders say.

Police say they are investigating, and that the accident in the southern Bedouin town has been reported to the Labor Ministry.

The worker suffered penetrating wounds after falling from a “high installation,” and was taken to a local clinic where he was pronounced dead, according to police and the Magen David Adom ambulance service.

The Tel Aviv Municipality announces that the plaza in front of the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, which was the epicenter of the yearslong struggle to return the hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023, is now officially known as Hostages Square.

That name, while very commonly used throughout the public struggle, had been unofficial until now.

The municipality says on Facebook that the decision “is meant to ensure that this chapter in Israel’s history — from October 7, 2023, until the return of the last hostage, Ran Gvili, on January 26, 2026 — will be remembered for generations.”

Calling the struggle “brave and determined,” the municipality says it is proud to have hosted it, saying the square became “a center of solidarity and of one unwavering demand: to bring them, everyone, home.”

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