NAIROBI, Kenya- An oil refinery in northern Israel has been hit in a missile strike, marking a significant escalation in Tehran’s retaliatory campaign following attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Israeli authorities confirmed that the refinery in Haifa was struck during the latest wave of Iranian missile attacks, though initial reports indicated no major damage and only temporary disruption to the power supply in the surrounding areas.
The strike is part of a broader retaliation by Iran after Israeli and US-linked attacks targeted key Iranian energy sites, including the strategic South Pars gas field.
Retaliation reverberates across the region
Iran’s response has extended beyond Israel, with missile and drone attacks reported across the Gulf, targeting oil and gas facilities in multiple countries. The widening scope of the strikes has raised fears of a full-scale regional war and sent shockwaves through global energy markets.
Officials in Tehran have warned of “zero restraint” if further attacks on Iranian infrastructure continue, signalling the potential for even more aggressive responses in the coming days.
Strategic energy targets in focus
The targeting of the Haifa refinery highlights a shift in the conflict, with both sides increasingly focusing on energy infrastructure — a move analysts say could have severe implications for global oil and gas supplies.
Missile fragments were reported to have hit parts of the refinery complex, underscoring the vulnerability of critical infrastructure even when direct damage appears limited.
Rising global concern
The latest developments come amid heightened international alarm over the security of key energy routes and facilities, including the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of the world’s oil passes.
As retaliatory strikes continue to reverberate across the region, world leaders are increasingly warning that sustained attacks on energy infrastructure could destabilise global markets and deepen the ongoing crisis.
The situation remains fluid, with further escalation likely as both sides signal readiness to intensify their military responses.
Iran has warned it will show “zero restraint” if the country’s energy facilities are targeted again, a day after Israel struck Iran’s critical South Pars gasfield and Tehran hit energy facilities across the Gulf region in retaliation.
“Our response to Israel’s attack on our infrastructure employed FRACTION of our power. The ONLY reason for restraint was respect for requested de-escalation,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has wrote in a post on X on Thursday.
“ZERO restraint if our infrastructures are struck again.”
South Pars is Iran’s biggest source of domestic gas supply, providing 80 percent of the country’s natural gas needs.
The warning comes as Qatar continues to assess damages at its Ras Laffan Industrial City site, which processes around 20 percent of the global supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG), after an Iranian attack.
The strike wiped out about 17 percent of Qatar’s LNG export capacity, causing an estimated $20bn in lost annual revenue and threatening supplies to Europe and Asia, according to QatarEnergy’s CEO.
Saad al-Kaabi told the Reuters news agency that two of Qatar’s 14 LNG trains, the equipment used to liquefy natural gas, and one of its two gas-to-liquids facilities were damaged in Iranian strikes this week.
The repairs will sideline 12.8 million tonnes of LNG production per year for three to five years, he said.
