(World Oil) – Israel ordered the temporary shutdown of some natural gas fields after launching an attack on Iran in a joint operation with the U.S.
The halt is a security measure, the Energy Ministry said in a statement, without specifying the fields affected. Energean Plc, the operator of the Karish deposit, said it had been instructed to suspend production.
The move is a repeat of steps taken last year when Iran previously came under Israeli attack, and retaliated. Back in June, Israel shut its biggest gas field — Leviathan — as well as Karish, cutting off supplies to import-dependent Egypt.
While Energean supplies gas to the domestic market only, Israel’s other two fields — Leviathan and Tamar — also export the fuel. Chevron Corp., which operates both, declined to comment on any shutdowns on Saturday.
The US-Israeli attacks, and Tehran’s retaliation against American military bases in several countries, raise the risk of a wider war in a region that’s key to global energy supplies.
Leviathan is contracted to send about 4.5 Bcm a year to Egypt, and Cairo’s dependence is set to rise following a $35 billion deal struck last year, which would see 130 billion cubic meters sent from 2026 to 2040.
Egypt became a net gas importer in 2024 and has since bought up large volumes of liquefied natural gas, striking agreements for supplies out to 2028.
Increased Israeli flows would mean Cairo may be able to import less LNG in the future. Leviathan’s gas is cheaper, yet the interruption of production — both last summer and now — highlights the vulnerability of that route.
The disruption in June forced the Egyptian government to halt supplies to some industries, including fertilizer producers.
