Middle East Live: Israel army orders evacuation of zone in south Lebanon ahead of strikes

US denies that Iran struck an uncrewed US military ship in the Strait of Hormuz

The US military denied that Iran struck an uncrewed American military vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, calling the claim a “total lie.” A top Iranian official said Tehran plans to announce an “exclusion zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway.

Meanwhile, Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed seven people and leveled a vacant hospital, according to Lebanese authorities, near an area that has become a flash point in fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Hormuz traffic dips to lowest since May after US, Iranian strikes on ships

An ⁠average of 10 ​commodity ships transited the Strait of Hormuz per day over the past 10 days, ​the lowest since May, according to shipping data on Monday, after US and Iranian strikes on tankers.

The 10-day moving average was 10 on Sunday, down from more than ​15 on ‌Friday and nearly 13 on Saturday, data from ⁠analytics firm Kpler found.

Only two vessels passed through the strait on Saturday while six went through on Sunday, mostly ‌using the Iranian route.

Iran says it plans to announce a new ‘exclusion zone’ near the Strait of Hormuz

The new head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council on Sunday said Tehran plans to announce an «exclusion zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway.

Mohsen Rezaei’s comments to Iran’s state broadcaster came with few details, a day after the US struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to Tehran launching ballistic missiles at US warships. Experts called the launches a dangerous escalation after Iran’s previous attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping.

The new zone should be announced in the coming days and weeks and “will begin from the line of the US naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and from this side continue into the Persian Gulf,” Rezaei said. «Any ship that enters this area with the intention of passing through the Strait of Hormuz and is identified will be placed on our sanctions list.”

Oil extends gains after US and Iran strike ships

Oil prices extended gains on Monday as tit-for-tat strikes between the US. and Iran on vessels ​sailing in ‌the Strait of Hormuz and other areas heightened concerns of a prolonged supply ⁠disruption from the Middle East.

Brent crude futures climbed 52 cents, or 0.54%, to $96.80 a barrel by 2354 GMT while US West Texas Intermediate crude was ‌at $92.14 a barrel, up 66 cents, or 0.72%.

Israel army orders evacuation of zone in south Lebanon ahead of strikes

The Israeli army demanded early Monday that residents of Deir Zahrani in southern Lebanon leave a specific zone ahead of strikes against Iran-backed Hezbollah.

«Hezbollah’s terrorist activity compels the IDF to act forcefully against it,» the army said, adding that it was targeting a «Hezbollah terrorist facility».

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television channel later reported Israeli airstrikes on Deir Zahrani.