The attack on South Pars, a major component of the world’s largest natural gas deposit shared by Iran and Qatar, drove oil prices higher and intensified concerns over global energy supply disruptions.

Trump said Israel had acted “out of anger” and that Washington had no advance knowledge of the operation.

QatarEnergy reported “extensive damage” and sizeable fires at facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City following missile strikes, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted four ballistic missiles aimed at Riyadh and thwarted a drone attack on a gas installation in its eastern region.

The strikes mark a significant expansion of hostilities into critical energy infrastructure in the Gulf, a region central to global oil and gas markets. Ras Laffan processes roughly a fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas, making it one of the most strategically important energy hubs globally.

Iran carried out additional missile attacks on Thursday targeting Qatari gas facilities and the Saudi capital, according to officials, heightening fears of prolonged disruption to energy flows.

The South Pars field itself is a cornerstone of Iran’s gas production and is geologically linked to Qatar’s North Field, underscoring the cross-border risks posed by military escalation.In a post on X, Trump said Israel’s strike had been a response to developments in the region but warned Tehran against further escalation.

He described Iran’s subsequent targeting of Qatar’s LNG facilities as “unjustified,” adding that Doha had not been involved in the initial attack.

Trump said the United States would prevent further Israeli strikes on South Pars unless Iran “unwisely” targets Qatar again. He also warned that any such move by Tehran would trigger a large-scale U.S. response against the gas field.

Earlier reporting by the Wall Street Journal said Trump had approved Israel’s plan to strike Iran’s gas infrastructure, though the president said Washington had no prior knowledge of the specific operation.

Regional fallout widensIran’s actions reflect a broader pattern since the conflict began nearly four weeks ago, with Tehran targeting not only Israel but also U.S. diplomatic and military facilities across the Gulf. Iranian officials have also warned neighbouring states against facilitating attacks on its territory.

Saudi authorities said their air defences successfully neutralised incoming threats, while Qatar has yet to detail the full operational impact of the damage to its LNG facilities.

The widening scope of attacks on energy infrastructure has raised geopolitical and economic stakes, with markets reacting to the potential for sustained disruption across key supply routes and production hubs.

Katz said in a statement that the operation targeted Khatib as part of Israel’s ongoing military actions against senior Iranian officials. He added that he and Netanyahu had granted the military authority to eliminate additional high-ranking Iranian figures without requiring further approval.

Iranian officials have not publicly confirmed Khatib’s death, and there has been no immediate response from Tehran regarding the Israeli claim. The absence of verification leaves the status of the Iranian intelligence chief unclear.

Katz’s remarks indicate a potential broadening of Israel’s operational mandate, suggesting a shift toward faster decision-making in targeting senior adversaries. The authorization to proceed without additional political clearance points to heightened tensions and a more aggressive posture.

Regional implicationsThe reported strike, if confirmed, could mark a significant escalation in the confrontation between Israel and Iran, particularly given the seniority of the alleged target. Developments are likely to be closely monitored for their impact on regional stability and the risk of further retaliatory actions.

In a statement posted in Farsi on social media platform X, the Israeli military said it would continue to target “every successor” to Khamenei. The statement also warned individuals involved in the process of appointing the Islamic Republic’s next supreme leader that they would be pursued.The warning came as Iran’s clerical body responsible for choosing the country’s top authority prepared to meet to decide who will replace Khamenei.succession process in focusIran’s supreme leader is selected by the Assembly of Experts, a clerical council tasked with appointing and supervising the country’s highest political and religious authority. The position carries sweeping influence over Iran’s armed forces, judiciary and key strategic decisions.The Israeli statement signals a direct attempt to pressure the succession process as uncertainty grows over Iran’s leadership structure following Khamenei’s reported death.mounting regional tensionsThe escalation reflects sharply rising tensions between Israel and Iran, whose rivalry has increasingly played out through military strikes, covert operations and regional confrontations.

Israeli officials have repeatedly said they will act against Iranian leadership, military infrastructure and networks they view as threats to Israel’s security.political uncertainty in TehranThe prospect of a leadership transition in Iran has heightened scrutiny of the country’s political institutions. The Assembly of Experts holds the constitutional authority to select a new supreme leader, a process that can shape the direction of Iran’s domestic governance and foreign policy.Israel’s latest warning suggests the confrontation could extend beyond military targets to the political mechanisms overseeing Iran’s leadership transition.

The attack marked the first Israeli strike to hit the heart of Beirut since hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group resumed last week, widening the regional confrontation linked to the broader U.S.-Israel war with Iran.Israel’s military said the strike targeted key commanders belonging to the Lebanon Corps of Iran’s elite Quds Force, a unit within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), although it did not identify the individuals it believed were present at the site.“The commanders of the Quds Force’s Lebanon Corps operated to advance terror attacks against the state of Israel and its civilians, while operating simultaneously for the IRGC in Iran,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

Strike hits central Beirut building.The strike struck an apartment within the Ramada hotel complex located in central Beirut, an area that had not been targeted since fighting resumed between Israel and Hezbollah.The building was housing displaced civilians who had fled fighting in southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, areas that have experienced repeated Israeli air strikes during the past week.Following the attack, witnesses said people were seen leaving the hotel amid concerns that additional strikes could follow.There was no immediate confirmation from Lebanese authorities regarding the identities of those killed or whether the victims included the Iranian commanders Israel said it had targeted.

Israel said the operation was aimed at disrupting activities by Iran’s Quds Force in Lebanon. The Quds Force oversees Iran’s foreign military operations and maintains close ties with allied groups across the region, including Hezbollah.The Israeli military has intensified strikes against Iranian-linked targets as the regional conflict expands.Last week, Israel said it had killed Daoud Ali Zadeh, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force in Lebanon, during a strike in Tehran. Israel said he had been involved in coordinating military activities linked to Iranian operations in the region.Lebanon drawn deeper into conflictLebanon has increasingly been pulled into the escalating confrontation between Israel and Iran.The latest phase of hostilities intensified on Monday when Hezbollah fired rockets and drones into Israel, according to Israeli officials. Hezbollah is backed by Iran and has been one of Tehran’s key regional allies.Israel responded with a wave of strikes across southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as locations near Beirut.The fighting has raised concerns about a broader regional escalation as the U.S.-Israel campaign against Iranian targets continues and allied armed groups across the Middle East become increasingly involved.The strike in central Beirut underscores the expanding geographic scope of the conflict and the growing risk that urban centres beyond traditional front lines could become targets as the confrontation deepens.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian apologised to neighbouring states affected by Iranian strikes on U.S. military facilities in the region, urging them not to participate in the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.“I personally apologize to neighbouring countries that were affected by Iran’s actions,” Pezeshkian said, according to remarks reported on Saturday.He rejected Trump’s demand for Iran’s unconditional surrender, describing it as unrealistic. Pezeshkian said Iran’s temporary leadership council had approved suspending attacks on nearby countries unless military strikes against Iran were launched from their territory.The comments drew criticism from hardline factions within Iran, prompting Pezeshkian’s office to clarify that Iran’s military would respond decisively to any attacks originating from U.S. bases in the region.Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on state television there was no division among Iranian officials over how the war was being managed.The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The conflict has intensified tensions across the Gulf, where several countries host U.S. military installations.Saudi Arabia warned Tehran that continued attacks on the kingdom or its energy infrastructure could prompt retaliation, four people familiar with the matter told Reuters.The governments of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates reported Iranian drone strikes on Saturday and early Sunday. Officials said the attacks caused varying degrees of damage but no fatalities.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards also targeted U.S. forces at a military base in Bahrain, Iranian state media reported.The escalating exchanges have raised concerns among Gulf states that the conflict could broaden further across the region, threatening energy infrastructure and key shipping routes.Global impact and security concernsThe war has also triggered wider international repercussions. Rising tensions in the region have contributed to higher energy prices and disrupted global logistics and commercial activity tied to Middle Eastern shipping and oil production.In Europe, a blast struck the U.S. embassy in Oslo, though authorities said the cause remained unknown.As military operations continued, governments across the region have sought to balance security concerns with efforts to prevent the conflict from expanding into a broader regional war involving additional states and armed groups.

.The message was conveyed to Tehran ahead of remarks on Saturday by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who apologised to Gulf states for recent Iranian actions that have heightened regional tensions.Two days earlier, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and outlined Riyadh’s position, according to the sources. Saudi Arabia said it favours a diplomatic settlement to Iran’s conflict with the United States but warned that further attacks on Saudi territory or energy facilities could compel the kingdom to respond.The sources said Prince Faisal stressed that Riyadh remained open to mediation efforts aimed at de-escalation and a negotiated resolution to the crisis. He also underlined that neither Saudi Arabia nor other Gulf states had allowed the United States to use their airspace or territory to conduct strikes on Iran.However, the minister cautioned that if Iranian strikes continued against Saudi territory or critical energy infrastructure, Riyadh could permit U.S. forces to use their bases for operations and would consider retaliatory measures.Saudi and Iranian foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The warning comes amid heightened regional tensions following drone and missile strikes launched by Iran against several Gulf states over the past week.Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain have all been targeted by attacks linked to Tehran, according to the sources. The strikes followed the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war that erupted after U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran.Iran responded by launching attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab states that host U.S. military facilities, while Israel has also targeted Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah armed group as part of the expanding conflict.

Despite the escalating violence, diplomatic channels between Riyadh and Tehran remain open. The sources said Saudi Arabia has maintained regular contact with Iranian officials through its ambassador since the U.S. and Israeli campaign against Iran began on Feb. 28 following the collapse of negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme.Araqchi said in an interview on Saturday that he had remained in constant communication with Prince Faisal and other Saudi officials. He said Riyadh had assured Tehran it would not allow its territory, waters or airspace to be used for attacks on Iran.In his remarks, Pezeshkian said Iran’s temporary leadership council had approved a suspension of attacks on neighbouring countries unless those states were used as a launch point for strikes against Iran.The apology appeared aimed at easing tensions with Gulf governments concerned about the risk of the conflict spreading further across the region and threatening energy infrastructure and shipping routes.The exchanges highlight the delicate position faced by Gulf states seeking to avoid deeper involvement in the conflict while balancing security ties with Washington and growing regional instability.

The remarks came as hostilities expanded across several fronts, raising fears of a broader regional confrontation. Trump’s call appeared aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran by opening additional fronts against Iranian authorities, according to statements reported by Reuters.Iranian Kurdish fighters affiliated with the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), a group operating from bases in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, have long opposed Iran’s government and maintain training facilities near the city of Erbil.Trump signals pressure on TehranTrump said Iranian Kurdish forces should join the fight against Tehran, signalling Washington’s willingness to encourage opposition groups inside Iran’s ethnic minority regions as the conflict intensifies.The U.S. president also suggested that Washington might ultimately have to “choose” Iran’s next leader, a remark likely to heighten tensions with Iranian authorities and add to concerns among regional governments about the trajectory of the war.

Analysts say Kurdish militant groups operating near Iran’s borders could potentially stretch Tehran’s security forces if they were to open a new front in the conflict. Kurdish insurgent movements have historically had strained relations with the Iranian state, though their operational capacity and political coordination vary.Israel expands strikes on TehranMeanwhile, Israel said it had begun a broad wave of attacks targeting infrastructure in the Iranian capital, Tehran. The announcement came as Iran continued missile strikes across the region, including attacks targeting Gulf cities.Israeli officials described the campaign as a large-scale escalation intended to degrade Iran’s strategic infrastructure. Details of the specific targets were not immediately disclosed, but the strikes signalled a widening scope of military operations following earlier exchanges between the two adversaries.Iran has not publicly detailed the extent of damage in Tehran, though the strikes mark one of the most direct escalations involving the capital since the current round of hostilities began.

Azerbaijan warns of retaliationSeparately, Azerbaijan warned it would retaliate after Iranian missiles struck its territory, opening another potential front in the conflict and raising alarm across the Caucasus region.Officials in Baku said preparations were under way for a response, though they did not provide details on timing or possible targets. The warning underscores the growing geographic reach of the confrontation as more states become directly affected by the exchange of strikes.Regional governments have been closely monitoring the situation amid fears that a wider war could disrupt trade routes, energy infrastructure and security across the Middle East and neighbouring regions.The latest developments came as Iran continued to launch missiles toward Gulf cities, while Israeli forces intensified attacks on Iranian targets.

The expanding scope of the conflict has heightened concerns among international observers that the war could evolve into a broader regional confrontation involving multiple state and non-state actors.Trump’s remarks urging Iranian Kurdish fighters to take up arms against Tehran added another volatile dimension to the crisis, highlighting the possibility that internal opposition groups could be drawn more directly into the escalating confrontation.