New Delhi, Apr 7, 2026 — Israel launched a major assault on Iran’s energy infrastructure at the South Pars gas field on Monday and separately carried out a strike that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence chief Majid Khademi.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed Khademi was a target, saying: “The Revolutionary Guards are shooting at civilians, and we are eliminating the terrorist leaders.” Israeli and U.S. airstrikes over the day killed at least 25 people across Iran, according to reports.
Iran responded by firing drones and missiles at targets in the Gulf and at Israel. Iranian strikes late Sunday included a missile that hit an apartment in Haifa, killing at least two people.
The South Pars area, centered on the coastal town of Asaluyeh, is home to the world’s largest gas reserve and supplies roughly 70 percent of Iran’s gas. Iran’s Fars news agency reported a series of blasts near a refinery in Asaluyeh. Katz said Israeli forces struck “the largest petrochemical facility in Iran,” which he described as responsible for about half of the country’s petrochemical output.
Israeli forces had previously struck another facility in the same region in mid-March. Iran retaliated for that earlier attack by striking a Qatari gas facility, causing significant damage. U.S. President Donald Trump said he was not informed about the mid‑March strike and that Israel had assured the United States it would avoid hitting sensitive South Pars targets.
Since the conflict escalated, several senior Iranian security figures have been killed in U.S. and Israeli operations, including former security chief Ali Larijani and IRGC commander-in-chief Mohammad Pakpour.
The U.S. Central Command posted images of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) — long-range rocket artillery systems that have played a prominent role in Operation Epic Fury — highlighting their deep-strike capability during the campaign.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), after independent analysis of new satellite imagery and site data, confirmed recent military impacts close to Iran’s Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, including at least one strike about 75 metres from the plant perimeter. The IAEA said the plant itself was not damaged. Iran’s head of nuclear energy criticised the agency, accusing it of failing to act on repeated strikes near the site.
The strikes mark a sharp intensification of hostilities, with strategic energy infrastructure and senior security commanders now among the principal targets. Regional tensions remain high as Iran, Israel and partner forces trade strikes and counterstrikes.
