LIVE: Fire at Israeli oil refinery after Iranian missile strike

A fire has broken out at an Israeli oil refinery following a missile strike earlier today.

Footage captured by Israeli media shows flames bursting from the Bazan refinery in the port city of Haifa which has previously come under attack in the Iran war.

Channel 12 News is reporting the refinery was attacked by Iran and Hezbollah – the Lebanese militant group fighting Israel in southern Lebanon.

According to the outlet, it is unclear whether the fire was caused by a direct missile strike or by debris from an interception.

Israel’s energy minister Eli Cohen said there was no damage to production facilities and fuel supplies will not be affected.

The refinery in Haifa, Israel’s third-largest city, is located in a large industrial zone.

‘Search and rescue forces, both reserve and regular forces, are on their way to a site in northern Israel where reports of impact have been received,’ Israel’s military said in a statement, without specifying the precise location.

Israeli media said the site was also hit on March 19 when Iran fired missiles towards Israel.

Here are the latest developments as the US-Israel war with Iran enters its fifth week:

• Donald Trump said in an interview with The Financial Times that he could ‘take Iran’s oil’ and added Kharg Island could be overtaken ‘very easily’
• A power station worker in Kuwait was killed following a missile strike which caused significant damage at the energy site.
• An Israeli oil refinery has caught fire after a missile strike
• Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirm the death of navy commander Alireza Tangsiri after he was targeted in an Israeli airstrike last week
• Iran has restored electricity across Tehran and nearby areas after strikes damaged power grids and briefly disrupted supply, the deputy energy minister said
• Indonesia has confirmed that one of its peacekeepers was killed in Lebanon where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah
• Attacks are continuing on Gulf states as Saudi Arabia intercepts five ballistic missiles while air defences have also been operating in Dubai
• Pakistan has said it is ready to broker and host ‘meaningful talks’ between the US and and Iran to bring an end to the war
• A teenager has become the sixth Israeli soldier killed in southern Lebanon since fighting broke out with Hezbollah on March 2

Stick with us as we bring you the latest developments throughout the day

by Eliana Silver, Senior Foreign News Reporter

A new barrage of Iranian strikes were launched at the UAE on Monday as authorities in Dubai said reports of explosions across parts of the city were the result of ‘successful air defence operations.’

As the Gulf state continues to censor photos and information about Iranian attacks to maintain a facade of safety, people quickly turned to social media to thank the Emirati defence system.

One person wrote on X: ‘It was a huge sound… everyone is terrified here. We thought it’s a missile sound but thanks Allah it was interception.’

Another added: ‘That’s the loudest I have heard since this all started. Thank you defense team. May God continue to bless you guys as you work hard to keep us safe. Trust government sources only guys.’

Dubai’s Media Office wrote on X: ‘Authorities in Dubai confirm that the sounds heard across parts of the city were the result of successful air defence interception operations. Please rely on official sources for updates.’

This comes as hundreds of people have been arrested in the UAE for taking photos and videos of drone and missile attacks.

UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon were wounded in an ‘incident’ near the Lebanese-Israeli border, a spokesperson for the force has said

‘There has been an incident involving peacekeepers near Bani Hayyan, and we have injuries,’ Kandice Ardiel told the AFP news agency.

It comes a day after an Indonesian peacekeeper was killed by a projectile of unknown origin that struck a UN position near the border.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has urged Donald Trump to stop the Iran war and said fears of the oil price going above $200 were not exaggerated.

‘I tell President Trump: nobody can stop the war in our region in the Gulf but you,’ Sisi said at the Egypt Energy Show 2026 energy conference in Cairo.

Noting the impact of supply shortages and price rises, Sisi cited analysts’ concerns that ‘the price of a barrel of oil could reach more than $200, and this is not an exaggeration.’

Egypt, long a recipient of US military aid and support from wealthy Gulf countries, has condemned Iranian attacks on Gulf Arab states and pushed diplomatic efforts to avoid a wider regional war.

Sir Keir Starmer has insisted British boots will not be placed on the ground in Iran.

Asked if he was considering deploying UK armed forces as the US musters its troops in the Middle East, Sir Keir told broadcasters: ‘This is not our war and we’re not going to get drawn into it.

‘What we have done is taken defensive action: so we’ve had our pilots up in the air since an hour or two after this war started, defending British lives, British interests and, of course, our allies in the region.”

The UK will continue to defend its interests and allies, and work to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Sir Keir said.

‘But we are not going to get dragged into this war,’ he added.

Iran’s military has said Israel is behind an attack on Kuwait’s desalination plant.

‘The brutal aggression by the Israeli regime against Kuwait’s desalination plant, carried out in recent hours under the pretext of accusing the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a sign of the vileness and depravity of the Zionist occupiers,’ said the military’s operational command Khatam Al-Anbiya in a statement carried by state TV.

Iran has today insisted it is not seeking nuclear weapons but the issue of whether to remain part of the non-proliferation treaty was under review in parliament.

‘The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought and does not seek nuclear weapons,’ said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei in a weekly press briefing.

‘Regarding membership in this treaty, regardless of our clear position on the prohibition of all weapons of mass destruction, this is genuinely a debate taking place within public opinion and at the parliamentary level.’

Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed Iran was around two weeks away from developing a nuclear bomb and has said destroying Tehran’s nuclear capabilities is a US objective of the conflict.

The fire at the Bazan oil refinery broke out after an industrial building and a fuel tanker were struck by debris from an intercepted missile, Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service says.

Firefighters say the tanker was parked within the grounds of the oil refinery when it was hit.

Crews are currently working to prevent the blaze from spreading while also searching for trapped individuals. No casualties have been reported.

Israel’s military has announced a 19-year-old soldier has become the sixth to be killed in southern Lebanon since fighting broke out with Hezbollah on March 2.

Sergeant Liran Ben Zion, from Holon, died on Sunday, the IDF said.

In a statement online, the IDF said the teenager was promoted from the rank of corporal to sergeant after his death.

‘The IDF shares the family’s grief and will continue to accompany them,’ the message read.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Russia to agree a mutual halt on strikes against energy sites to help ease a global oil crisis triggered by the Iran war.

‘If Russia is ready to stop hitting Ukrainian energy facilities, we will not respond against their energy sector,’ Zelensky told journalists.

by James Tapsfield, UK Political Editor

UK ministers are scrambling to deal with the threat of diesel shortages within weeks as experts warn the energy shock from Middle East chaos could be worse than the 1970s.

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are holding crisis talks amid mounting fears over the looming impact from the Iran war.

The Government has admitted it is drawing up contingency plans, despite appealing for Brits to continue their lives as normal. Sir Keir will meet Shell, BP and Norwegian energy company Equinor in Downing Street later to take stock.

But warnings are becoming more stark about the scale of the hit to the UK – and how long it might last – with soaring pump prices just the tip of the iceberg.

A former Bank of England chief cautioned this morning that Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz means a ‘long-term reduction in supply’ and the Government has to look at rationing consumption.

A leading shipping expert pointed out that the world was far more interlinked than at the time of the notorious 1970s energy shock. They suggested shortages of fertiliser could send food prices spiralling and could cause political turmoil in poorer countries.