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ISRAEL’S Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted his country acted independently in its strike on Iran’s key gas infrastructure, as tensions intensify over attacks on energy facilities across the Middle East.
The Israeli strike targeted the South Pars gas field, part of the world’s largest natural gas reserve, prompting Iran to retaliate with attacks on regional energy assets, including a major facility in Qatar and other Gulf targets.
The escalation has sent energy prices sharply higher and exposed apparent divisions between Israel and the United States over strategy and coordination.
Reuters cited Netanyahu, at a press conference, saying Israel had acted without direct involvement from Washington and rejected suggestions that his government had drawn the United States into the conflict.
He also acknowledged that Donald Trump had urged restraint, particularly regarding attacks on energy infrastructure.
The dispute follows conflicting reports, with unnamed Israeli officials previously indicating that the strike had been coordinated with the United States, even as Trump later stated he had not been informed in advance.
Netanyahu dismissed claims that Israel had misled Washington, saying no one could dictate the actions of the US president.
The exchange of strikes marks a significant escalation in a conflict that has increasingly targeted global energy supply chains. Iran has also moved to restrict shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor through which around a fifth of the world’s daily oil consumption passes.
Iran’s retaliation included an attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City, home to the world’s largest liquefied natural gas processing facilities. QatarEnergy said the strike had disrupted approximately 17 per cent of its export capacity.
Qatar’s Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Abdurrahman Al-Thani, warned the attack would have "significant repercussions for global energy supplies" and described it as a "very dangerous escalation".
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi signalled a more aggressive stance, warning that Tehran would show "zero restraint" if further strikes targeted its infrastructure.
The impact on markets has been immediate. Gas prices, already rising since the outbreak of hostilities, surged further following the attack on Qatar, with benchmark prices in the United Kingdom briefly reaching nearly 183 pence per therm (a unit of energy, commonly used in the UK gas market) before easing, while European prices rose by more than 10 per cent.
Amid mounting pressure to stabilise markets, the United States is considering easing sanctions on Iranian oil exports as part of efforts to contain the economic fallout.
Netanyahu maintained that Israel’s military campaign had inflicted severe damage on Iran’s capabilities, including strikes against naval assets in the Caspian Sea, and said the broader objective was to weaken the Iranian state.
"We can create the conditions, but they have to exploit those conditions at a certain point," he said.
"If [the regime] survives it will be a lot weaker, shorn of industries it built over decades."
Meanwhile, the conflict has continued to spill over into direct exchanges.
Verified footage showed fire and smoke rising from an oil refinery in Haifa following a reported Iranian missile strike, although Israel’s Energy Minister Eli Cohen said the resulting damage to the northern electricity grid was limited and contained. - March 20, 2026