A Kuwaiti oil refinery was struck early Friday by Iranian drones while air-raid sirens sounded in Israel warning of incoming attacks, and explosions were heard over Tehran as Israel launched fresh strikes during the Persian New Year.
Kuwait said drone strikes at its Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery sparked a fire and crews worked to control the blaze. The refinery, which can process about 730,000 barrels per day, had already been damaged in another Iranian attack the previous day. Mina Al-Ahmadi is one of three refineries in the small, oil-rich Gulf state.
Iran intensified attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure after Israel on Wednesday bombed Iran’s huge South Pars offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf.
Iran’s supreme leader says enemies’ ‘security must be taken away’
March 20, 2026 1:26 pm
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei called on Friday for the enemies of his nation to have their “security” taken away. The statement, issued on his behalf and sent to President Masoud Pezeshkian, followed the killing of Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib by Israel. Mojtaba Khamenei, who succeeded his father Ali Khamenei after the elder Khamenei was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Feb. 28, has not been seen since his appointment; U.S. and Israeli officials have suggested he was injured in the war.
Israel strikes Syrian ‘commander centre’ and weapons depots after attacks on Druze
March 20, 2026 12:21 pm
Israel’s military said it struck sites in Syria in response to attacks on the Druze community in Sweida in southern Syria, targeting infrastructure it blamed for those attacks. Syria’s state news agency SANA had not immediately acknowledged the strikes. This marks the first reported Israeli strike on Syria since the wider U.S.-Israeli campaign targeting Iran began. Israel has a significant Druze population.
UAE arrests five accused of attempting to undermine country’s financial stability
March 20, 2026 11:53 am
The UAE announced it disrupted what it called “a terrorist network funded and operated by Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran,” arresting five men accused of laundering money while operating under a fictitious commercial cover to threaten the country’s financial stability. State-run WAM published images of the five detainees without naming them.
Sirens in Israel, explosions in Tehran
March 20, 2026 11:52 am
Sirens sounded early Friday across Jerusalem and northern Israel, warning residents to shelter; there were no immediate casualty reports. Shortly after Israel said it had begun new strikes on Iran, explosions were heard in Tehran as Iranians observed Nowruz, the Persian New Year. Details remained limited.
Explosions shake Dubai and warehouse in Bahrain set ablaze
March 20, 2026 11:51 am
Heavy explosions rattled Dubai as air defenses intercepted incoming fire; the city was observing Eid al-Fitr and morning prayers were under way. In Bahrain, shrapnel from an intercepted projectile ignited a warehouse. Saudi Arabia reported shooting down multiple drones targeting its Eastern Province. These attacks followed an intense day in which Iran struck regional energy infrastructure and launched more than a dozen missile salvos at Israel after the South Pars strike.
‘A new stage in the war’: Iran’s military
March 20, 2026 8:53 am
Iran’s military said strikes on the country’s energy infrastructure had ushered “a new stage in the war,” including attacks on energy facilities linked to the United States. Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim Zolfaqari warned that further strikes on Iran’s energy sector would prompt continued attacks on the energy infrastructure of Iran’s adversaries until it was “completely destroyed.”
Energy crisis escalates
March 20, 2026 8:49 am
With the conflict showing no sign of abating and the risk of a global oil shock rising, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan issued a joint statement offering readiness to help ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz and to take other steps to stabilize energy markets, including coordinating with producers to increase output.
Israel launches new wave of attacks on Iran as crisis deepens
March 20, 2026 8:45 am
Israel launched another wave of attacks on Iran on Friday, a day after President Donald Trump warned Israel not to repeat strikes on Iranian natural gas infrastructure that had sharply escalated the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran.
Netanyahu says Iran’s military has been severely hit
March 20, 2026 8:18 am
At a news conference on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran’s air defenses had been rendered useless, its navy “lying at the bottom of the sea,” and its air force nearly destroyed. He expressed hope that the Iranian people would rise against the Islamic Republic; however, there has been no sign of organized opposition since the war began, after Iranian authorities suppressed mass protests in January.
UN Security Council meets over Iran’s attacks on Gulf states
March 20, 2026 8:18 am
The U.N. Security Council held an urgent closed meeting Thursday as Gulf states urged Iran to stop attacks on their territories, according to Bahrain’s U.N. ambassador. Iran has continued its campaign. Saudi Arabia reported its SAMREF refinery in Yanbu was hit, and Saudi oil is being rerouted westward to the Red Sea to avoid the Strait of Hormuz. Qatar said Iranian missiles caused extensive damage to the Ras Laffan LNG facility, cutting exports by about 17% and inflicting roughly $20 billion in annual lost revenue; repairs could take up to five years. Two Kuwaiti refineries and Abu Dhabi gas operations were also targeted, officials said. In Israel, millions sought shelter as sirens warned repeatedly following a barrage of Iranian missiles across central Israel, Jerusalem and nearby areas including the West Bank.
