Middle East live: US downs two Iranian drones targeting Hormuz shipping traffic

Article excerpt

The US military shot down two Iranian attack drones over the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, the latest military encounter in an escalating regional conflict. The drones were targeting shipping traffic in one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints, through which roughly one-third of global seaborne oil passes daily. The incident marks another flash point in months of rising tensions between American and Iranian forces across the Middle East, with both sides conducting strikes and counter-strikes. France 24 is tracking developments in real time as the situation unfolds.