The China Mail - Iran targets Gulf energy sites after gas field strike

The warning came after Israel killed the Islamic republic's intelligence chief Esmail Khatib, the latest in a string of strikes that have decimated its leadership since the war began nearly three weeks ago.

Tehran, following a strike on its South Pars field, said it would respond forcefully to any further attacks on its energy sector.

"We warn you once again that you made a big mistake in attacking the energy infrastructure of the Islamic republic," the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement carried by Iranian media.

"If it is repeated again, further attacks on your energy infrastructure and that of your allies will not stop until it is completely destroyed."

The Israeli military did not comment on the South Pars attack, while US officials said Washington was aware but not involved.

Iran's threat of further retaliation came after Qatar's state energy company said a missile strike sparked a fire causing "extensive damage" at its main gas facility -- the world's largest -- prompting Doha to expel two Iranian diplomats.

Saudi Arabia also said it intercepted drones targeting energy infrastructure in the east, while debris from a ballistic missile landed near a refinery south of Riyadh.

Oil prices, already elevated by the near-total disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, surged again -- with the main US benchmark for crude adding more than three percent on Thursday.

- 'Cowardly assassination' -

French President Emmanuel Macron said he had spoken to his US counterpart Donald Trump and the Emir of Qatar, and called for a moratorium on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure.

"Civilian populations and their essential needs, as well as the security of energy supplies, must be preserved from military escalation," he posted on social media.

The killing of Khatib followed the death of security chief Ali Larijani, as Israel presses a campaign to eliminate senior Iranian officials.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned Khatib's killing as a "cowardly assassination", while the country's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed retaliation.

"Every drop of spilled blood comes at a price," he said in a written message.

Khamenei has not appeared in public since taking power after the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in the opening strikes of the war.

Local authorities said Larijani would be buried at a shrine popular with pilgrims in the city of Qom.

- 'Largely degraded' -

In Washington, US intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard told Congress the Iranian government remained "intact but largely degraded", while also acknowledging Tehran had not resumed nuclear enrichment.

Israel has pursued a strategy of targeting senior Iranian and allied leaders, including Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in 2024 and top Hamas figures since the Gaza war began.

Despite the losses, Iran has continued to strike back.

An Iranian missile barrage killed a man described as a "foreign worker" in central Israel, emergency workers said, bringing the death toll in the country to 15.

Strikes also hit multiple sites overnight, while Iranian media reported fresh bombardment across several regions, including Tehran.

The conflict has spread across the Middle East, leaving hundreds dead and millions displaced.

In Lebanon, Israeli strikes hit central Beirut multiple times on Wednesday, with casualties reported, as fighting with Hezbollah intensified.

The country was drawn into the conflict when the Iran-backed militant group launched rockets at Israel over Ali Khamenei's death.

A line of cars stretched as far as the eye could see along the country's southern coast as residents of affected areas fled to the ancient city of Sidon in search of safety.

Nidal Ahmad Chokr initially intended to stay put but finally decided on Tuesday to leave his village of Jibchit, as the air strikes intensified.

"Bakers died while making bread" in the village square and "municipal workers were martyred while using bulldozers", the 55-year-old said.

France's foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot is to travel to Lebanon on Thursday, in a visit that the ministry said "underlines France's support and solidarity with the Lebanese people, dragged into a war they didn't choose".

In Iraq, the pro-Iranian armed group Kataeb Hezbollah said it would halt attacks on the US embassy for five days, setting conditions including an end to Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and a halt to attacks on residential areas in Iraq.

AFP reported no drone or rocket fire targeting the US embassy in Baghdad from Wednesday night through Thursday morning.

S.Davis--ThChM