Iran carried out fresh strikes on a major gas hub in Qatar Thursday morning local time, causing extensive damage, as countries around the Middle East reported continued missile and drone attacks.
The attacks come after Iran struck energy infrastructure in Persian Gulf countries causing a surge in already high global oil prices.
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Qatar’s main energy hub, the Ras Laffan Industrial City, sustained “extensive damage” after being attacked twice by Iranian missiles in 12 hours. Emergency responders were dealing with fires at the facility, the world’s largest LNG plant. The ministry of defense said the site was hit by ballistic missiles.
In the United Arab Emirates, gas operations at crucial energy sites in Abu Dhabi were temporarily suspended after debris from intercepted missiles fell on the facilities, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office. And a vessel was struck by an “unknown projectile” causing a fire off the UAE’s east coast, the UKMTO said.
Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed more than a dozen drones in the eastern parts of the country, according to the defense ministry, which added that some of those were intercepted near the capital Riyadh.
Israel was attacked by several waves of Iranian missiles and drones, and Hezbollah launched simultaneous strikes from Lebanon, according to Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency. The Israeli military said it had identified missiles launched from Iran in the north. Hours earlier, Israeli police and rescue teams responded to the site of an Iranian missile attack in Tel Aviv, police said, adding that no injuries or casualties were reported.
Bahrain’s interior ministry said sirens had sounded on two separate occasions and urged citizens to “head to the nearest safe place.”
The Iranian Red Crescent Society posted video showing relief workers responding to what it said was an airstrike on a residential area in Tehran. Meanwhile, the fallout continues after Iranian facilities in the South Pars natural gas field were targeted on Wednesday.
