Despite Trump comments, Israeli officials say US knew of Iran gas field strike

Summary

• Israel attacked Iran's South Pars gas field, escalating the US-Israeli war with Iran, but hasn't claimed responsibility.
• Trump stated the US "knew nothing" about the attack, mirroring a past incident where the Pentagon denied involvement in strikes.
• Iran retaliated with aerial assaults on energy infrastructure in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, causing extensive damage.

JERUSALEM – Israel’s attack on an Iranian gas field on March 18 was coordinated with the US but will likely not be repeated, three Israeli officials said on March 19, despite US President Donald Trump saying he knew nothing about it.

The attack on Iran’s South Pars gas field drew an Iranian aerial assault on energy infrastructure in Qatar and across the Middle East, marking the biggest escalation in the nearly three-week US-Israeli war on Iran.

Israel has not publicly acknowledged responsibility for the South Pars attack.

On the night of March 18, Mr Trump said in a social media post that Washington “knew nothing about this particular attack” and that Israel would not attack the gas field further unless Iran again attacked Qatar.

The three Israeli officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israel was not surprised by Mr Trump’s comments.

They described the dynamic as similar to that played out after Israel struck fuel depots in Iran several weeks ago.

After those attacks, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said that in “that particular case, those weren’t our strikes”.

Since the Israeli attack on South Pars, Iranian attacks have caused extensive damage to the world’s largest gas plant in Qatar, have targeted a refinery in Saudi Arabia and have forced the United Arab Emirates to shut gas facilities. REUTERS