US-Iran war highlights: Blasts heard in Jerusalem; Netanyahu says seeing 'cracks' in Iran leadership

CCTV footage shows smoke rising from Israel's Haifa refinery after a reported Iranian attack, in Haifa, Israel

US Iran war highlights: As the US-Iran war entered its 20th day, strikes intensified across the region even as diplomatic calls to curb the violence grew. However, amid the conflict, US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was not considering “putting troops anywhere.” Iran on Thursday renewed warning regarding energy facilities of US and its allies, while threatening that they were “not yet finished.” This came even as Iran attacked an oil refinery in Israel's Haifa, after it struck a Saudi refinery on the Red Sea, and set Qatari liquefied natural gas facilities and two Kuwaiti oil refineries ablaze.

Israel had on Wednesday targeted facilities linked to the massive offshore South Pars natural gas field in Iran, which it shares with Qatar.

Saudi Arabia has not ruled out military action in response to repeated missile and drone attacks from Iran, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters after a meeting in Riyadh with foreign ministers from across the region, Prince Faisal accused Iran of attempting to pressure neighbouring countries through such attacks.

"The kingdom is not going to succumb to pressure, and on the contrary, this pressure will backfire... and certainly, as we have stated quite clearly, we have reserved the right to take military actions if deemed necessary," he said.

Trump on LNG site attack

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned that Iran’s key South Pars gas field could be destroyed if there are any further attacks targeting Qatar’s main gas facility.

The warning came as Qatar said Iranian missile strikes had caused extensive damage to additional LNG sites in the energy-rich Gulf nation.

Saudi defence ministry says it intercepted and destroyed eight drones over Riyadh and Eastern Province

Israeli defence minister on killing of intel minister

Israeli defence minister Israel Katz said “significant surprises” are ahead after Iran’s intelligence minister Esmail Khatib was killed in an overnight strike. Iran condemned the attack on its South Pars gas field, with President Masoud Pezeshkian warning of “uncontrollable consequences” that could “engulf the entire world.”

A day earlier, Israel had killed senior security official Ali Larijani and Basij commander Gen. Gholam Reza Soleimani, in a continued campaign against Iran’s top leadership.

Former US National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent said there was no “robust debate” before President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran, alleging that he and other senior officials with reservations about the war were prevented from presenting their concerns to the president.

French President speaks to Trump

French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that he had spoken with US President Donald Trump and the Qatari emir following attacks on energy sites in Iran and Qatar.

“It is in the common interest to implement without delay a moratorium on strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, particularly energy and water infrastructure,” Macron said.

Iraq's conditions to halt attacks

Iraq’s Kataeb Hezbollah, an influential pro-Iran armed group, said it would halt attacks on the US embassy in Baghdad for five days, subject to certain conditions. The group called for Israel to stop bombing Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, and demanded that US-Israeli operations not target residential areas in Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent said three Palestinian women were killed in an Iranian missile strike in the occupied West Bank late Wednesday, marking the first deadly Iranian attack there, and the first to kill Palestinians, since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Gas prices jump up to 35% after Gulf energy strikes

European natural gas prices surged after Iran intensified attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf, damaging the world’s largest liquefied natural gas export plant, Bloomberg reported

Benchmark futures rose as much as 35% on Thursday.

This happened as QatarEnergy’s Ras Laffan facility suffered “extensive damage” following a series of strikes that triggered major fires, the company said.

Key highlights:

• Trump warns Iran’s South Pars gas field could be destroyed if attacks on Qatar continue

• Qatar says Iranian strikes caused ‘extensive damage’ to LNG sites

• Saudi Arabia signals it may take military action over repeated Iran attacks

• Israel’s Katz says “significant surprises” ahead after intel minister killing

• Iran warns of “uncontrollable consequences” that could “engulf the entire world”

• Israel killed Ali Larijani and General Gholam Reza Soleimani a day earlier

• Joe Kent alleges no “robust debate” before Trump’s Iran strike decision

• Macron urges halt to strikes on civilian infrastructure after speaking to Trump, Qatar emir

• Iraq’s Kataeb Hezbollah offers 5-day pause on US embassy attacks under conditions

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Mar 20, 2026, 06:49:46 IST

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