Kuwait, Haifa Refineries Hit in Iran-linked Attacks

Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery and an oil refinery in Israel’s Haifa were hit in separate attacks, as Iran-linked strikes on energy infrastructure continue across the region.

Kuwait’s state oil company KPC said its Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery was struck by multiple drone attacks early on Friday, triggering a fire in some units, according to the state news agency. No casualties were initially reported.

The refinery, one of the largest in the Middle East, has a production capacity of about 730,000 barrels per day. 

Firefighters responded to the incident, while several units at the refinery were shut down as a precaution to ensure worker safety.

In Israel, an oil refinery in the northern city of Haifa, the country's largest, was targeted in an Iranian missile attack. Energy Minister Eli Cohen said power was briefly disrupted following the strike on the Oil Refineries Ltd facility but was later restored for most users.

“The damage to the power grid in the north is localized and not significant,” Cohen said. “Also, in the barrage towards the north, there was no significant damage to Israeli infrastructure sites.”

Earlier this week, Iran targeted multiple oil and gas facilities in the Gulf region in response to an Israeli strike on the South Pars offshore gas field. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that Tehran would show “ZERO restraint” if its infrastructure is targeted again.

The South Pars field, shared between Iran and Qatar, is the world’s largest natural gas reserve, holding an estimated 1,800 trillion cubic feet of gas—enough to supply global needs for roughly 13 years.