Egypt backs Saudi defence as Strait of Hormuz tanker strikes escalate
- Egyptian-Saudi Defence Alignment: Egypt’s National Defence Council, chaired by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, pledged all necessary support on Sunday to defend Saudi Arabia’s security and territorial integrity against escalating Houthi missile and drone attacks. Egypt’s parliament convened an emergency session to debate authorising cross-border military deployments and will resume deliberations on Monday. The move follows weeks of intensified strikes on Saudi airports and energy infrastructure, alongside parallel security talks between Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.
- Strait of Hormuz Tanker Mine Strike: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy stated that an oil tanker struck a naval mine south of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, sparking an explosion and fire in its engine room. Tehran claimed the vessel had deactivated its navigation and positioning systems to transit an unauthorised southern route in defiance of Iranian passage rules imposed since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February. The incident follows reports of two other tankers catching fire after mine strikes in the waterway, further threatening a chokepoint that normally carries a fifth of global oil supplies.
- Gaza Ceasefire Violations and Recovery: Israeli shelling and gunfire across the Gaza Strip killed at least five Palestinians, including two children, and wounded 11 others on Sunday, while Gaza health authorities reported receiving seven bodies and 25 wounded over a 24-hour period. Separately, hundreds of mourners in Gaza City buried 75 Palestinians whose remains were recovered from around 20 family homes destroyed in the Daraj neighbourhood during earlier bombardments. Gaza Civil Defence officials warned that severe shortages of heavy machinery continue to obstruct efforts to retrieve more than 8,000 missing people still trapped beneath the rubble.
- GCC-Russia Strategic Dialogue in Manama: Gulf Cooperation Council foreign ministers met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Bahrain on Sunday, urging Moscow to use its UN Security Council seat to press Iran to halt attacks on Gulf infrastructure and respect maritime navigation in the Straits of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb. GCC Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi stated that member states have faced more than 7,000 ballistic missiles and drones since late February, while Lavrov presented an updated Russian framework for collective Gulf security.