Today's updates in regard to the Straits of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandab, the anchorages inside and outside the Persian Gulf.......and suspicious behaviour, potential false flag or a little bit of something fishy
As we all know, in the last few days there have been some drones flying around the Gulf States.....at least three were intercepted over Saudi Arabia and, of course, there was a drone attack in the UAE close to the nuclear reactor (already discussed up thread). Thankfully Saudi Arabia intercepted their batch of inbound drones.....and they know exactly where they came from. In a similar vein, the inbound drones to Abu Dhabi have been tracked back.
The Gulf States are renowned for being suspicious of each other. But the drones didn't come from the place they anticipated, that being Iran. They came from Iraq. In the Saudi's case this is not the first time that drones have been launched at them from Iraq this month, indeed the Iraqi ambassador was summoned to Riyadh to explain himself last week. Needless to say that ambassador has been summoned again.
This from the Saudis....
The Saudi Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday evening, May 17, 2026, that its air defense forces successfully intercepted and destroyed three unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) after they crossed into the Kingdom’s airspace from Iraq.
According to an official statement by the Ministry of Defense spokesperson, Major General Turki Al-Malki, the infiltration occurred on Sunday morning. Al-Malki emphasized that the Kingdom reserves the full right to respond to this breach at the appropriate time and place. He added that the ministry will implement all necessary operational measures to counter any aggression threatening the Kingdom’s sovereignty, internal security, or the safety of its citizens and residents.
While Saudi authorities did not immediately identify the specific faction responsible for the launch, the incident follows a pattern of heightened cross-border friction. Last month, the Saudi Foreign Ministry summoned Iraq’s ambassador to Riyadh to protest continued drone threats originating from Iraqi territory. Iraqi authorities have not yet issued an official comment on the latest interception.
More here :
Saudi Arabia intercepts three drones entering airspace from Iraq (Iraq News - May 18, 2026)
The Iraqi response.....
Iraq has confirmed that it is investigating an attempted drone attack launched from Iraqi territory against Saudi Arabia on Sunday.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that air defenses had not detected any drones launched from Iraqi airspace.
The ministry further stated that Iraq had received no information about the attack against Saudi Arabia through its own means.
Iraq has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attempted attack on neighboring Saudi Arabia using three drones, according to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. It also urged Saudi Arabia to disclose information on the attempted strike.
Furthermore, it emphasized its opposition to any attacks against neighboring countries.
More here :
Iraq investigates attempted drone attack against Saudi Arabia (Iraq News - May 18, 2026)
The UAE, also very (and understandably) angry at being attacked by three drones.....
With no clear information on who is behind the attack, Gargash said the "terrorist" incident, "whether carried out by the principal perpetrator or through one of its agents, represents a dangerous escalation and a dark scene that violates all international laws and norms, in criminal disregard for the lives of civilians in the UAE and its surroundings".
"This prohibited escalation serves to reaffirm the nature of the challenges facing the region in confronting the forces of evil, chaos, and sabotage," said the top official.
Standing firm on UAE's position and strength during these regional tensions, the advisor said: "No one will twist the UAE's arm, nor will they succeed in undermining its vision, its success, and its inspiring message to the peoples of the region in security, stability, development, and prosperity."
More here :
Nobody can twist UAE's arm, says top official after attack on nuclear plant (Khaleej Times, UAE - May 18, 2026)
At the same time that drones were launched at Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi......Israel is found to have two secret bases, having been there since 2024, in Iraq (though apparently not secret from the US administration) and they lose a very large stockpile of weapons at a defence contractor's (Tomer) factory in Beit Shemesh, Israel.
The information regarding the secret bases and Beit Shemesh incident :
Israel built two military bases in Iraq before war on Iran (Al Jazeera - May 18, 2026)
Massive explosion in Beit Shemesh area was coordinated test with defense company, officials say (Jerusalem Post - May 17, 2026)
In relation to the test at Beit Shemest....why would you decide to test anything explosive in the midst of a war with sticky ceasefires?
As someone outside the military, a layperson if you will...this all seems very contrived and convenient. Given Netanyahu's burning desire to continue the fight against Iran......would it be so far off the mark for the drones against Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, the bases within Iraq and the Beit Shemesh incident to be some sort of false flag to get the war going again?
Afterall...no-one can deny that Netanyahu's whispers about a nuclear weapon pointing at Washington DC started this conflict...even after the various intelligence agencies and IAEA stated categorically that no such threat existed.....no-one can deny Netanyahu's strong desire to wipe Iran off the earth. Would he / could he have been behind the weekend's "activities"?
To add a little extra to all of this, Pakistan have deployed 8000 troops, an entire squadron of JF-17 jets, drones and their Chinese HQ-9 air defensive system to Saudi Arabia.....this was done despite Pakistan being one of the main mediators tween the US and Iran.
More here :
Exclusive: Pakistan deploys jet squadron, thousands of troops to Saudi Arabia during Iran war (Reuters - May 18, 2026)
So like it or not, more and more countries are being dragged into this war...a war that alot of people have said should never have happened. Hence the layperson's thoughts and pondering that the weekend's "activities" were orchestrated by the one nation's leader who has a record of going rogue in the past...and being pulled up by the US for doing so. Food for thought.
On to the Straits of Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandab
At time of writing there are no recorded incidents on either Strait. Hormuz is exceptionally quiet again this morning with very little heavy ship traffic, just an occasional Iranian patrol boat or ekranoplan. The Bab-el-Mandab is flowing freely, a little quieter than normal but nothing untoward as yet being reported either with Houthi or piracy.
Anchorages within the main body of the Persian Gulf are busy from Doha to Kuwait. Ships are still being loaded in Umm Qasr (Iraq), Al Jubayl (Saudi Arabia) and from offshore platforms / floating storage vessels.
The anchorages of Mina Saqr, Ras al Khaimah, Umm a Quwain, Sharjah, Dubai, Jebel Ali and offshore Das Island are extremely congested, very tight anchoring once again with the usual Iranian herders in close proximity
On the other side, the Gulf of Oman, the anchorages / ports of Dibba, Khor Fakkan and Fujairah are still very quiet (all three ports little of no ships showing on AIS). The anchorages of Al Widyyat, Liwa, Khor Fakkan and Sohar are very busy, as is the port of Muscat
There is no further update regarding the remaining crew who were injured aboard CMA CGM San Antonio apart from yesterday's post in the thread above,
That's it for today....back tomorrow