US-Iran War News Live Updates: Strikes Hit Largest Natural Gas Field In Qatar As Tehran Launches More Attacks

Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City, the complex that houses the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export plant, suffered “extensive damage” after an Iranian attack, state-owned QatarEnergy said. One missile struck after four were intercepted late Wednesday, and another attack early Thursday sparked a fire.

The Qatar Foreign Ministry called the assault “a dangerous escalation, a flagrant violation of state sovereignty.”

Brigadier General Effie Defrin, Israeli military spokesman: "We have air defence systems, and I can already say they are among the best in the world; this is proven. Unfortunately, the defence is not airtight. We use our systems to intercept these missiles. These cluster missiles are a war crime if this terrorist regime targets them at population centres. There is no difference from a regular missile except for its dispersion . I will say once again that adhering to the Home Front Command's instructions and the public's resilience is the best solution to this issue.
 

Keeping up pressure on Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, Israeli strikes hit multiple apartment buildings in Beirut, killing at least a dozen people.

Israel flattened an apartment building in central Beirut about an hour after issuing an evacuation notice — the fourth time the building was targeted. Israel's military claimed it was being used by Hezbollah to store 'millions of dollars intended to finance its activities,' without providing evidence.

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard says, "The intelligence community assesses that Russia, China, North Korea, Iran, and Pakistan have been researching and developing an array of novel, advanced, or traditional missile delivery systems with nuclear and conventional payloads that put our homeland within range. The IC assesses that threats to the homeland will expand collectively to more than 16,000 missiles by 2035 from the current assessed figure of more than 3,000 missiles..."  

She also says, "Pakistan's long-range ballistic missile development potentially could include ICBMs with a range capable of striking the homeland. The IC assesses that Iran has previously demonstrated space launch and other technology it could use to begin to develop a militarily viable ICBM before 2035 should Tehran attempt to pursue that capability..."

Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia: "This conflict will end at some point. But I have to tell you, what little trust there was before has completely been shattered. Has been shattered on multiple levels. First because Iran knows that most of the countries in the room today worked very hard to support diplomatic outcomes. Also because we were quite clear with Iran that we would not be combatants in any confrontation that came. Not only that , that we would not allow our facilities to be used to target Iran, that would be restricted to self defence."

Statement from IRGC
🔺 The IRGC's naval forces successfully targeted significant locations at the "Minhad" and "Al-Dhafra"(UAE) bases, the "Al-Adairi"(KUWAIT) helicopter base used by American forces, and the "Mina Salman" base, which is the headquarters for the US Fifth Fleet.

🔺 This operation involved a combination of missile and drone strikes, effectively hitting command centers, fuel storage tanks, and equipment hangars at the "Minhad" base.

🔺 Additionally, early warning radars and the central ramp of the "Al-Adairi" base were struck by ballistic missiles.

🔺 The operation also targeted fuel tanks and early warning radars at the "Al-Dhafra" air base and the "Mina Salman" headquarters, utilizing drones and both cruise and ballistic missiles for heavy strikes.

QatarEnergy said on X that a missile hit its massive Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility, sparking a fire that caused "extensive" damage before it was extinguished. The company had already halted production there because of Iranian attacks.

Since the war started, a small number of ships from Iran, Turkey, India and elsewhere have gotten through the Strait of Hormuz, which leads from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. Iran insists the waterway is open, just not to the U.S. or its allies.
 

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz promised 'significant surprises' to come after Iran's intelligence minister, Esmail Khatib, was killed in an overnight strike. 

Iran retaliated by unleashing missile strikes against Israel. Israel said an Iranian missile hit the occupied West Bank, marking the territory's first fatalities during the Iran war, though missile debris has damaged homes and businesses.

Iran also attacked Saudi Arabia's vast Eastern Province, home to many of its oil fields, as well as Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
 

Iran hit a major natural gas facility in Qatar, keeping up attacks on its Persian Gulf neighbors' energy facilities as it continued to squeeze the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel — through which one-fifth of the world's oil travels.

The United Arab Emirates early on Thursday denounced Iran's attacks targeting its Habshan gas facility and Bab field as a 'dangerous escalation' as Israel and the United States escalate their war on the Islamic Republic.

Authorities in Abu Dhabi say the gas operations had been shut down after interceptions over the sites. Iran also had attacked gas facilities in Qatar after Israel launched an attack against Iran's South Pars offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf that it shares with Doha.