Extract from ABC News
The South Pars/North Dome field is one of the world's largest gas fields. (Xinhua / Ahmad Halabisaz via Getty Images) (Supplied: Xinhua/Ahmad Halabisaz via Getty Images))
Hi, I'm ABC Middle East correspondent Matthew Doran, and I'm in Beirut.
I'm giving you daily updates to help you quickly understand what's going on.
Here's what you need to know today:
- Israel has launched unprecedented attacks on gas fields in Iran, in a reservoir jointly owned by Qatar. In response, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued evacuation warnings for oil facilities across Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
- Israel has also killed another senior Iranian official; this time, it was Iran’s intelligence minister targeted by the IDF. Israel's defence minister confirmed new orders had been given to the military that they could attack regime members without authorisation from his office or from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- As the war stretches into its third week, the Trump administration's top intelligence official says the Iranian regime has been significantly degraded, but remains intact.
- At least 10 people were killed in Israeli strikes in the heart of Beirut, after strikes hit buildings far from the traditional Hezbollah strongholds in the south of the city.
- The Israeli military also intensified its attacks in the country's south, targeting bridges over the Litani River – effectively isolating some communities from the rest of Lebanon. The death toll across the country is now 968, according to local health authorities.
What does all that mean?
While the world has been watching what’s been happening in the Middle East over the past few weeks, with war crippling the region, it is something of a distant conflict for many. Flight cancellations may be the only thing people further afield have experienced. That, or rising petrol prices and surging demand.
That's why the latest round of Israeli attacks is so significant. Hitting gas fields and processing facilities in Iran threatens to take this to a dangerous new stage – not only because of what that means for resources in the region, but also because it could literally blow up elsewhere.
The South Pars gas operation is the largest in the world. It is jointly owned by Iran and Qatar. Qatar has copped it in recent weeks, hit with wave after wave of Iranian attacks because it hosts the largest US base in the region. Now, it's facing attacks on its assets from Israel.
It's safe to say there is not much love between Qatar and Israel at the best of times. But these strikes prompted a fierce response from the Qatari government, which labelled them dangerous and irresponsible.
While high-level finger wagging is one thing, the response in global markets is another. Oil prices jumped five per cent after news of the attack. And Iranian state media reported warnings from the IRGC for retaliatory strikes on oil pipelines and refineries across the Middle East – including in Saudi Arabia.
If those attacks happen, they will have a dual impact: they will drag more countries deeper into this conflict and further shake up global markets. Israel has previously said attacks on fuel depots and refineries that are part of the Iranian war machine are a fair target, but this could trigger something far more problematic.
Meanwhile in Lebanon, there is a real fear that the Israeli attacks on claimed Hezbollah targets are going far further than previous conflicts.
Some communities in the south risk being totally isolated from the rest of the country, as Israel targets bridges over the Litani River. And buildings, which locals say were purely residential, were targeted in downtown Beirut.
Lebanese health authorities say at least 10 people were killed in strikes in the heart of the city. But the ABC has been told that the number could be far higher – that Hezbollah-affiliated ambulances picked up the dead and injured, taking them to hospitals out of sight of state authorities.
And one last thing. On Tuesday night, local time, a group of journalists was allegedly attacked by Israeli police in occupied East Jerusalem. The Foreign Press Association (FPA) described it as an "unprovoked assault" and said several journalists were detained, cameras were damaged, and memory cards were confiscated. A respected producer for CNN suffered a fractured wrist.
The group was reporting on people praying outside of the Old City during Ramadan. Israeli authorities have blocked access to the Al-Aqsa mosque, referred to by Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount, for the duration of the holy month, citing the threat of war with Iran.
According to Israeli media, police claimed the journalists did not identify themselves as media, and disturbed public order, breaching public gathering rules during times of war. It is a serious incident, and demands proper and thorough investigation in a country which regularly promotes itself as a bastion of free media in an otherwise authoritarian region.
The war's impact in Australia
- Is there enough fuel to go around? National cabinet is due to meet today with fuel security high on the agenda. In today's episode of the Politics Now podcast, Patricia Karvelas and David Speers touch on the possibility of petrol rationing and the looming threat of recession (🎧 25m22s, petrol talk from about 8min; recession from 11m30s).
And here's how to stay up to date:
You can keep track of the latest updates from Iran and around the world throughout the day via our live blog.
Thanks for joining me. I'll see you at the same time tomorrow.
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