Ship Reported Seized Off Coast of UAE  05/14 06:10

   

   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- A ship anchored off the east coast of 
the United Arab Emirates has been seized and is heading toward Iranian waters, 
the British military said Thursday.

   The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said it received reports 
that the vessel was taken by unauthorized personnel while anchored 38 nautical 
miles (70 kilometers, 44 miles) northeast of the UAE port of Fujairah, near the 
Strait of Hormuz.

   The seizure comes as U.S. President Donald Trump was meeting with Chinese 
leader Xi Jinping on a much-anticipated visit to Beijing. The leaders' talks 
are expected to focus on the war with Iran, which has seriously disrupted trade 
in oil, gas and other products and rattled the global economy.

   It happened hours after Israel said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had 
quietly visited the UAE during the Israeli-U.S. war with Iran, though the UAE 
swiftly denied that any secret visit had occurred.

   The Gulf nation normalized relations with Israel in 2020. Iran has 
criticized that agreement and has repeatedly suggested over the years that 
Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the UAE.

   Israeli leaders have made occasional visits to the UAE in recent years after 
normalizing relations.

   UKMTO did not name the ship and said it is investigating. There were no 
immediate claims of responsibility for the seizure.

   Fujairah is an important oil export terminal and the UAE's main port outside 
of the Persian Gulf. It has been repeatedly attacked during the war with Iran.

   Iran has seized a number of ships, including a tanker identified as the 
Ocean Koi last week, saying it was attempting to disrupt oil exports and 
Iranian interests, according to the official IRNA news agency. It said the 
tanker was seized in the Gulf of Oman and was carrying Iranian oil when it was 
boarded and taken to Iran's southern coast.

   The U.S. sanctioned the Ocean Koi in February as part of a "shadow fleet" 
that has been transporting Iranian oil.

   3 Israelis injured by a Hezbollah drone

   A Hezbollah drone exploded inside Israel, injuring three civilians, two of 
them severely, according to the Israeli military and hospitals. Israel and 
Hezbollah have traded near-constant fire across the border despite a 
U.S.-brokered ceasefire on April 17.

   Hezbollah has frequently used drones to attack Israeli forces in southern 
Lebanon and over the border in northern Israel. The Israeli air force has 
struck areas across southern Lebanon.

   Lebanon and Israel are scheduled to hold another round of direct talks in 
Washington on Thursday, as the Trump administration pushes for a breakthrough 
between the two neighbors that have been in a state of war since Israel was 
created in 1948.

   The United Nations has also accused Hezbollah of drone strikes near its 
peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon. Secretary-General Antnio Guterres' 
message to both sides is that they must observe the ceasefire and stop all 
attacks, U.N. deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said.

   Lebanon's Health Ministry said Wednesday that since the war began on March 
2, 2,896 people have been killed and 8,824 wounded. Eighteen Israeli soldiers 
and a defense contractor have been killed in southern Lebanon.