A tanker was struck by projectiles off the coast of Qatar in the Persian Gulf, the British military said Thursday, while Iranian state television reported that two tankers and a towboat had hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz.
Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Thursday. Read our full coverage here.
A tanker was struck by two projectiles off Qatar’s coast in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, the British military said, adding that the status of the crew was unconfirmed.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said the attack took place 50 nautical miles (57 miles; 92 kilometers) north of Qatar’s city of Madinat ash Shamal. It did not identify the tanker or which country’s flag it was sailing under. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
It also said the extent of the damage and any environmental impact were unknown.
UKMTO said in a report last month that it was “struggling to accurately report” the true number of attacks as the majority of ships now refuse to report them.
South Korea’s military has proposed expanding the operational area of an anti-piracy naval unit deployed near Somalia to include waters south of Oman, saying that the conflicts in the Middle East have led to increased pirate activity.
Defense Ministry spokesperson Chung Binna said Thursday that the possible expansion of the Cheonghae unit’s mission would not involve South Korea in the U.S. war with Iran. She stressed that South Korea would not directly participate in military operations to ensure freedom of navigation near the Strait of Hormuz unless “allowable circumstances” were created, describing those conditions as an end to the war with Iran or an agreement to stop the fighting.
Under the military’s proposal, the South Korean operational area would be expanded to include waters south of Oman, with its farthest point near the port of Duqm, more than 650 kilometers (403 miles) from the Strait of Hormuz. The unit would also receive additional equipment and personnel, including patrol aircraft and an explosive ordnance disposal team, Chung said.
The changes would require approval from President Lee Jae Myung and the country’s legislature.
Iran’s state TV said Thursday that two oil tankers and a towboat caught fire after striking mines in the Strait of Hormuz. It did not provide details about possible casualties or the vessels' flags. The claim could not be independently verified.
Quoting a statement by the Revolutionary Guard, the report said the Guard also seized two U.S. drones in the airspace over the strait. The Guard routinely makes similar statements about targeting vessels as well as damaging oil tankers in the strait.
Tehran closed the strait, through which some 20% of the world’s oil supply passed during peacetime, after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February, launching the war.
This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.
Jordanian police stand guard in front of the Sri Lankan Embassy, background, after an assailant killed a security officer at a guard booth outside the compound in Amman, Jordan, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)
Relatives mourn as they hold a framed portrait of a victim killed in an attack on a Greek Orthodox church during a funeral ceremony in Karak, Jordan, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh)
A man looks out over the water as a small boat passes cargo ships anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas, Iran, early Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (Amirhosein Khorgooi/ISNA via AP)
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia deployed thousands of police and military personnel to provide security Thursday for a trial involving former President Joko Widodo, as tensions in the capital ran high over allegations that top officers had been involved in intercepting the current president’s telephone conversations.
Three senior generals have already been detained in the wiretapping scandal, including Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who had been named chief of staff to President Prabowo Subianto last month.
Listyo previously served as national police chief under Widodo, though the former president has not been implicated in the wiretapping investigation. There are allegations that Cabinet officials, politicians, journalists, civil society leaders and business executives were also subjected to unauthorized surveillance.
After losing two presidential races to Widodo, Prabowo aligned himself with the popular leader and campaigned as his successor, choosing Widodo’s son as his running mate in a move that fueled concerns about a growing political dynasty in Indonesia’s young democracy.
Widodo and Prabowo were once close political allies, with Widodo backing Prabowo’s successful 2024 presidential bid, but their relationship has come under increased scrutiny amid signs of a growing rift since Prabowo took office.
Retired police Gen. Oegroseno, a former deputy national police chief, told the Forum Keadilan TV podcast on Wednesday that investigators should examine all possible lines of command behind the wiretapping, including whether any directives originated from Widodo.
“Investigators should not hesitate to question a former president if necessary,” Oegroseno said. “The motive behind the alleged wiretapping operation must be fully uncovered under the leadership of the current police chief.”
The wiretapping operation could also constitute a serious human rights violation and could be used to intimidate critics and weaken civil liberties, said Usman Hamid, Amnesty International’s executive director in Indonesia.
“This is not merely about the alleged wiretapping of the president,” Hamid said in a statement. “Authorities must disclose who else may have been targeted and investigate the full impact of the operation.”
The Criminal Investigation Agency, known as Bareskrim, named Slamet Uliandi, who heads the agency’s Information and Communications Technology Division, as a fourth suspect in the wiretapping investigation.
Uliandi served as a supervisory board member of the Monitoring Center, a wiretapping unit, and allegedly approved a request by another suspect in early October to delete wiretap records to conceal evidence and erase traces of the operation, Suhermanto, director of cybercrime at Bareskrim, said.
Uliandi was not detained because he is recovering from a stroke, said Suhermanto, who, like many Indonesians, uses a single name.
Police alleged the unauthorized wiretapping took place between 2025 and 2026, after Prabowo took office and while Listyo was still national police chief. National Police Legal Division head Sonta Nasution and Eko Hadi Santoso, a senior instructor at the National Police Education and Training Institute, were also detained.
Authorities have sent more than 20,000 troops to Jakarta, and on Thursday said that 6,770 police and military personnel had been deployed to secure Widodo’s hearing. Widodo was called to testify in a defamation trial stemming from allegations that he used a fake university diploma. The trial is unrelated to the wiretapping case and Widodo denied the diploma allegations.
As he arrived Thursday morning at the East Jakarta District Court, the former president was welcomed by hundreds of supporters chanting messages of encouragement.
Widodo offered a brief response to the investigation into the alleged wiretapping of Prabowo, which has implicated Listyo, a former national police chief often viewed as a close ally of the former president.
“We should all respect the ongoing legal process, let’s wait for the (investigation) outcome,” Widodo told reporters after attending a court hearing.
The presidential palace has said the wiretaps were being considered an “act of treason” that endangered state interests, but has not linked the deployment of troops to Jakarta to the case.
Indonesian military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Muhammad Nas previously said that the deployment of the 20,000 marines and other personnel to Jakarta was a “normal occurrence.” Despite the number of troops sent to Jakarta, there has been no visible military presence on the streets, and authorities have said most are being held in reserve in barracks and other facilities.
Associated Press writer David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.
Supporters of former Indonesian President Joko Widodo shout slogans during a rally outside the East Jakarta District Court where Widodo testifies in a defamation trial, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Supporters of former Indonesian president Joko Widodo shout slogan during a rally outside the East Jakarta District Court where Widodo testifies in a defamation trial, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Indonesian police guard outside the East Jakarta District Court where former Indonesian President Joko Widodo testifies in a defamation trial in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Former Indonesian President Joko Widodo, center, arrives to testify in a defamation trial at the East Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
Members of Indonesian Armed Forces Reserve Component patrol a street at the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
FLE - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, center, walks with, from left, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi and National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo, upon arrival from an overseas trip at Halim Perdanakusuma Airbase in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, File)
Members of Indonesian Armed Forces Reserve Component patrol a street at the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Former Indonesian President Joko Widodo, center, arrives to testify in a defamation trial at the East Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
