Dubai: Qatar said Thursday that Iranian missile attacks damaged more liquefied natural gas sites in the energy-rich nation, “causing sizable fires and extensive further damage.”Qatar Energy, the nation’s state-owned oil and gas company, announced the damage.It said firefighters were working to halt the blazes and no one had been hurt so far.Qatar is a key source of natural gas for the world’s energy markets. It already shut in its production earlier in the war, but extensive damage could delay Qatar in getting its supplies to the market after the Iran war ends.Israel killed Iran’s intelligence minister as it kept up its campaign against the Islamic Republic’s top leadership and reportedly attacked an Iranian offshore natural gas field on Wednesday, as the war escalated pressure on the region’s economic lifeblood: energy.Iran condemned the strike on its massive South Pars natural gas field, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warning of “uncontrollable consequences” that “could engulf the entire world.”Iran escalated strikes on its Persian Gulf neighbours’ energy facilities, hitting 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. Qatar in response ordered Iranian Embassy officials to leave the country within 24 hours.Tehran also struck the Habshan gas facility and Bab field in the United Arab Emirates, which the government there called a “dangerous escalation” in the Islamic Republic’s war against Israel and the United States. Authorities in Abu Dhabi say the gas operations had been shut down after interceptions over the sites.The attacks on Qatar and the United Arab Emirates are ratcheting up pressure on the Gulf Arab states, which have been defending against Iranian attacks since the war began Feb. 28 but haven’t taken any offensive action against Iran as their military bases, civilian sites and energy operations have come under attack.The price of oil surged another 5% to over $108 a barrel on international markets as Iran continued to squeeze the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel – through which one-fifth of the world’s oil travels. The price of Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, is now up close to 50% since the start of the war. APIran launches multiple-warhead missiles at IsraelMarch 19, 2026 8:19 amResponding to the killing of Larijani, the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said Wednesday it had attacked central Israel with multiple-warhead missiles that have a better chance of evading defense systems. Footage filmed by The Associated Press showed at least one missile releasing a cluster of munitions over Israel.Israel pressures Hezbollah in LebanonMarch 19, 2026 8:19 amKeeping 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.Iran keeps up strikes on Gulf countries’ oil facilitiesMarch 19, 2026 8:19 amQatarEnergy 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 US or its allies.