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Second part of the daily update in the US/Israel-Iran war from March 18 between the hours of midnight and noon (GMT), including news from around the globe.
A statement released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Army stated that damage had been done following a wave of drone attacks that targeted strategic refuelling aircraft at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, according to Fars News Agency.
Israel media later reported that four private jets had suffered light damage has a result of ‘debris’ that fell from an interception above the airport.
Israeli Defence Minister Katz confirmed that both he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had given the IDF authorisation to eliminate any senior Iranian figures without the need for further approval, should the opportunity arise, while adding that: “During this day, significant surprises are expected across all arenas that will escalate the war we are conducting against Iran and Hezbollah.
It’s believed that this statement by Katz is what led to the following incident at Asaluyeh Refinery and Pars Gas Facility in Iran:
Soon after the sound of several loud explosions was heard from several Asaluyeh outlets, field investigations by a Fars reporter indicated that some tanks and the gas facility area in various places of the refinery had been hit, targeting at least six different outlets, but employees had been moved to safe locations while rescuers tackled the fire, which was contained around 2 hours later.
According to Axios, a US defence official had confirmed that the Israeli strikes on the South Pars gas facility in Iran were coordinated with and approved by the Trump administration, and Israel stated they were meant as a warning strike in order to encourage Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, adding that “Trump would see regime change in Iran as a bonus, but he intends to end the war once his main objectives are achieved.”
An Israeli official told the Broadcasting Authority that a large Iranian gas facility in Bushehr in the south of Iran had been targeted, noting it was the first time that economic infrastructure had been bombed, adding that the promised escalation was carried out by targeting a gas processing plant in Iran.
Gas supplies from Iran were halted soon after the attack, reported the Iraqi Electricity Ministry.
Qatar issued a statement condemning Israel’s targeting of the Iranian gas facilities, noting that it would likely lead to further escalation in the region.
Iran issued a warning stating that the escalation by the US and Israeli forces gave Iran the permission to retaliate in kind against US-based energy assets such as gas and oil in the region, putting several refineries in different countries on alert, as later reports noted that petrochemical facilities that had received warnings had begun evacuating.
Bahrain Ministry of Interior announced that warning sirens had sounded, asking citizens to remain calm and go to safe places, while local news outlets reported hearing several explosions.
Explosions were also filmed and published by locals in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, as Iranian missiles appeared to have struck several locations, but Saudi Ministry of Defence claimed successful interception and destruction of 4 ballistic missiles, with debris falling as a result of interceptions that fell in scattered areas of the city, however, a huge explosion followed by thick black smoke was well documented at two impact sites in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port in Yanbu stopped oil loadings following an attack, reported sources, as NASA FIRMS data indicated active fires at the terminal, which has become a key export hub amid the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, with recent shipments reaching 2 and a half to almost four million barrels per day, while infrastructure capacity is estimated at up to roughly 3-4 million barrels per day.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud gave a statement with harsh words against Iran following a meeting with foreign ministers in Riyadh, noting that the Kingdom would not succumb to pressure, which would eventually backfire, and Saudi Arabia reserved the right to take military action if deemed necessary or if the Kingdom decides to take the required actions, noting that Iran must understand their actions have consequences.
According to the Ministry of Defence, a drone crashed at the SAMREF refinery in Yanbu and the damage was being assessed, noting that SAMREF was a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil, a major refining complex with a capacity of approximately 400,000 barrels per day.
Iran also struck the Ras Laffan industrial city in Qatar which is the main site for Qatar’s gas production, as Qatar is noted as being the world’s leading country in LNG production and export, and Qatar’s Ministry of Interior announced on Telegram that the Civil Defence were dealing with a fire in the area of Ras Laffan Gas Processing Plant, later stating it had been contained.
QatarEnergy, the Qatari state company owning the Ras Laffan LNG refinery, reported that the Iranian attacks had caused extensive damage to their facility, noting that LNG output would take weeks if not months to restore to pre-war levels.
In response, Qatar condemned the attacks and stated that “Qatar reserves the right to respond to the Iranian attacks in accordance with international law.”
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs today declared all Iranians working in the military and security attaches offices in Doha as persona non grata, ordering them to leave Qatar and return to Iran within the next 24 hours.
Retaliatory strikes also struck both the al-Ahmadi port refinery and the Abdullah port refinery in Kuwait, triggering large fires in both, while it was noted that these refineries have a combined output of just over 1 million 200 thousand barrels of oil per day.
Kuwaiti Information Ministry released an update stating that one of the operational units of the Mina Abdullah refinery, which belongs to the Kuwait National Petroleum Company was the target of a drone attack, causing a fire, while the same company also owned the Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery which was simultaneously struck.
Foreign Ministers from Qatar, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey and the UAE called on Iran to immediately halt its attacks following a meeting in Riyadh, which also condemned Iranian missile and drone strikes on civilian infrastructure and urged respect for international law and regional sovereignty.
Despite messages from President Trump stating the opposite, officials told Axios that the US knew in advance about Israel’s attack on the South Pars gas field and approved it, because they saw it as a way to put pressure on Iran, noting that the site was the 3rd largest LNG plant, and that the attack caused a 47% increase in gas prices overnight.
Russia’s Energy Ministry said a ban on fuel exports could be introduced as a preventative measure in response to rising prices and global energy volatility, as prices have also soared at Russian pumps due to the war in Iran, disruptions to Gulf supply routes, which in turn have increased demand for alternate exports, including Russian.
Conspiracy theorists have suggested that the attack on Iran’s infrastructure was a ruse to get Iran to retaliate against civilian infrastructure in the Arab countries, because soon after, Kann News Israel reported that the US was building up forces for an extended operation to secure the Strait of Hormuz, and it would be US and Arab forces providing troops, while Israel would provide the intelligence.
Developing Story that may be updated
