Iran expanded its military campaign across the Gulf early Friday, targeting energy infrastructure and intensifying a conflict that has already sent shockwaves through global oil markets.
Kuwait said its Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was struck again in a fresh wave of drone attacks, triggering a fire that emergency crews were working to contain. The facility, one of the country’s key oil processing hubs, had also been hit a day earlier, raising concerns over sustained damage to the country’s energy capacity.
The escalation comes days after Israel targeted Iran’s South Pars gas field, a critical offshore energy source that supplies the bulk of Iran’s electricity needs. Tehran has since stepped up retaliatory strikes, focusing heavily on oil and gas installations across the Gulf.
Air defenses were activated across multiple countries. Explosions were reported over Dubai as incoming projectiles were intercepted, while Bahrain said debris from a downed aerial threat caused a fire at a warehouse. Saudi Arabia also reported intercepting several drones aimed at its eastern oil-producing region.
In Israel, sirens sounded across Jerusalem and northern areas, sending residents to shelters as fresh missile warnings were issued. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Soon after, Israeli forces launched new strikes on Iran, with explosions heard in Tehran as people marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
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Israel also said it carried out strikes in southern Syria, linking the action to recent violence involving the Druze community. The development signals a widening theatre of operations, as Israel continues parallel attacks in Lebanon against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group. Despite Israeli claims that Iran’s missile production capacity has been significantly weakened, Iranian officials insisted their capabilities remain intact and warned that the conflict would not end quickly.
The fighting has heightened fears over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime route through which a large share of the world’s oil passes. Oil prices, which surged sharply earlier in the week, remained elevated amid continued uncertainty.
The toll of the conflict continues to rise across the region, with casualties reported in Iran, Israel, Lebanon and beyond, alongside large-scale displacement in parts of Lebanon following sustained Israeli strikes.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates said they had also uncovered and dismantled a network allegedly linked to Iran and Hezbollah, accusing it of financial activities that threatened national stability. With neither side signaling de-escalation, the conflict is entering a prolonged phase with growing regional and global implications.
