A ship was struck on Wednesday by an "unknown projectile" off the coast of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a fire, a British maritime security agency said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival in October 27 elections, ex-army chief Gadi Eisenkot, said on Wednesday that he would refuse to serve as a minister in a new government led by the current premier.

French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Riyadh where he is due to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday, in a surprise "solidarity" visit after weeks of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel is “committed” to bringing down the Iranian regime, which will in turn topple Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Speaking at the newly-built Tel Hai University in Kiryat Shmona, next to the Lebanese border, Netanyahu said while the Israeli army has made major progress in pushing back Hezbollah, he is “committed to finishing the job.”

Israel goes to the polls on October 27 with results forecast to be close, meaning that the next government will be determined by whoever can cobble together a coalition in a fragmented political landscape.

Iran's security chief Mohsen Rezaei told the visiting Pakistani army chief Asim Munir that Tehran would not allow nuclear material to leave the country, according to state TV.

"Not even a tiny bit of enriched nuclear material will leave Iran; such materials constitute a major asset and national wealth for the Iranian people, intended for use within the country," said Rezaei, Iran's secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

British fighter planes will be deployed to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against increasing attacks from Houthi rebels, the UK government announced on Tuesday.

"The UK will fly defensive counter air missions to support the protection of Saudi cities and critical national infrastructure against aerial attack, using RAF Typhoon fighter jets," the defense ministry said in a statement.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that their naval mines halted two tankers attempting to circumnavigate through the strategic Strait of Hormuz via routes considered illegal by Tehran.

"Two violating oil tankers were set ablaze and halted due to the explosion of mines planted by the brave sailors of the IRGC Navy at an illegal crossing point in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz," the Guards said in a statement published on their official Sepah News website.

The Israeli military struck an apartment in Gaza before dawn, killing two people and injuring others.

The two people killed were a man and his wife, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the bodies.

The death toll from a Houthi missile strike on a government military camp in southern Yemen rose to 60 people, primarily new recruits, making it the deadliest strike since fighting in the country began escalating three months ago, Yemeni officials said Tuesday.

At least a dozen people were still missing a day after the Iranian-backed rebels hit the al-Alam training camp in the southern province of Shabwa with ballistic missiles, three officials said.