Israel-Iran War Day 20 Hegseth Vows Iran Strikes on Thursday Will See ‘Largest Strike Package Yet’
Iran has stepped up its attacks on its neighbors across the region, targeting critical energy infrastructure in response to an Israeli strike on an Iranian natural gas field in the Persian Gulf, as the war in the Middle East entered its 20th day on Thursday.
In response to the IDF’s strike against the South Pars natural gas field, Tehran targeted Qatar‘s Ras Laffan Industrial City – the country’s main natural gas production facility – in two separate waves. According to the defense ministry, five missiles were fired at the facility on Wednesday evening – four of which were intercepted and one struck Ras Laffan. Overnight into Thursday, Iran fired more ballistic missiles at the facilities.
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Smoke and fire rise near the South Pars gas field following an Israeli attack; screengrab obtained from a social media video. Credit: Social Media/ REUTERS
Smoke and fire rise near the South Pars gas field following an Israeli attack; screengrab obtained from a social media video. Credit: Social Media/ REUTERS
QatarEnergy, which administers Ras Laffan, said the first attack caused “extensive damage,” while the second strike, which targeted a gas-to-liquid facility, resulted in “sizable fires and extensive further damage.” In both cases, no casualties were reported.
Qatar’s foreign ministry issued a condemnation which said Iran is continuing “its escalatory policies that are pushing the region toward the brink,” later declaring the Iranian military security attaches at the embassy in Doha as persona non grata.
Saudi Arabia‘s energy infrastructure has also been targeted by Iran since Wednesday evening. Two ballistic missiles and eight drones were fired at energy facilities in the country’s eastern region and were intercepted, while Riyadh was targeted with a barrage of drones and missiles throughout the night. According to the civil defense authority, four people were wounded in Riyadh when shrapnel from an interceptor hit a residential building.
In addition, the defense ministry said on Thursday morning that a ballistic missile was fired at Yanbu, located on the Red Sea, targeting the city’s port. While that missile was intercepted, the ministry said a drone struck the nearby Samref refinery, with a damage assessment currently underway.
In the United Arab Emirates, the ministry of defense announced that it was “responding to incoming missile and drone threats from Iran” on two separate occasions. Following the first announcement, Abu Dhabi’s media office said that “debris from successful interceptions” caused incidents at two the Habshan gas facilities and the Bab oil field, adding that both had been shut down and no casualties reported.
The UAE’s foreign ministry condemned the strikes, describing them as an “Iranian terror attack” which “represents a direct threat to regional security and stability.”
Bahrain‘s army said on Thursday that it “continue[d] to confront successive waves of the sinful Iranian terrorist attacks,” intercepting two missiles and four drones fired at its territory overnight. The announcement comes as the country’s interior ministry said sirens were activated on three occasions throughout the night.
In Kuwait, the national guard said it successfully downed five Iranian drones overnight. Hours earlier, the country’s interior ministry said it arrested 10 members of a Hezbollah cell that were planning to target “vital facilities” – the second such mass arrest of a terrorist cell affiliated with the Lebanon-based group. Earlier this week, authorities detained 16 members of a Hezbollah cell, including two Lebanese nationals.
