Israel halts gas exports amid Iranian missile strikes

Israel has halted natural gas exports after curtailing production amid missile attacks from Iran, a spokesperson for the country's energy ministry told Platts Feb. 28.

The Iranian missiles are being fired against Israel following the joint US-Israel attack against Iran earlier in the day.

"Due to the security situation, the operation of some natural gas fields has been temporarily suspended, which has, among other consequences, led to a temporary suspension of exports at this stage," the spokesperson said.

Israel is a key exporter of pipeline gas to Egypt and Jordan.

The spokesperson said Israel would "make every effort to resume supply as soon as possible."

Israel directed Energean to suspend operations at the Karish gas field floating production, storage and offloading unit, the company said Feb. 28.

"Energean confirms that it has been instructed by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure to temporarily suspend production and operations at the Energean Power FPSO, following the recent geopolitical escalation in the region," the company said in a statement to Platts.

"The safety of our personnel and the integrity of the asset remain the company's top priority," it added.

Chevron, which operates the Leviathan and Tamar gas fields, did not comment, and directed Platts to Israel's energy ministry.

According to ministry comments sent to Platts earlier Feb. 28, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen has ordered a "temporary" halt to some gas field operations, without referring to specific fields. Platts is part of S&P Global Energy.

The ministry also said that, given the security situation, Cohen was expected to declare a state of emergency in the gas sector.

Major producer

Israel is a major gas producer thanks to the development of three major offshore fields -- Leviathan, Tamar, and Karish -- with output expected to rise further from field expansion projects and discoveries in the prolific East Mediterranean.

According to the most recent full-year data from Israel's energy ministry, the country produced 27.4 Bcm of gas in 2024.

During the Iran-Israel conflict in June 2025, Israel ordered the suspension of operations at Leviathan and Karish, with Israeli gas exports to Egypt and Jordan also halted as a result.

Gas supply to the domestic Israeli gas market from the Tamar Field continued during the conflict, and operations at Leviathan and Karish resumed on June 25 following the announcement of a ceasefire.