Israel on Thursday (March 19, 2026) said its attack on Iran’s Assaluyeh gas facility was done independently and that Tel Aviv, on a request from the US, put on hold all such future strikes.
Qatar, on the other hand, called Iran’s strikes on its energy facilities a “dangerous escalation,” while terming the attacks “unacceptable, unjustified.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a media briefing that his nation carried out the strike on Assaluyeh, following which US President Donald Trump asked it to refrain from further such attacks.
“Fact number one: Israel acted alone against the Assaluyeh gas compound. Fact number two: President Trump asked us to hold off on future attacks, and we’re holding off,” Netanyahu said, responding to a question.
His clarification came after media reports suggested that the US was involved or had prior knowledge of the Israeli airstrike on Iran’s largest oil and gas facility.
The Israeli Prime Minister rejected claims that Tel Aviv dragged the US into its conflict with Iran.
“It’s been said that Israel somehow dragged the US into a conflict with Iran… that is another fake news…Does anyone really think that someone can tell President Trump what to do? Come on. President Trump always makes his decisions based on what he thinks is good for America.”
Netanyahu also suggested that there were “a lot of signs” of internal strain in Iran, but stopped short of predicting the Tehran regime’s collapse.
“I wish I could divulge all of them,” he said, adding, “We’re working to create the conditions for it to collapse. But it may survive, it may not,” he said.
“If it survives, it’ll be a lot weaker… shorn of industries that it built over decades,” he said, referring to Iran’s military and industrial capabilities.
Netanyahu asserted that Israel gained an upper hand in the war with Iran, claiming Tehran’s military capabilities were significantly weakened.
“We are winning, and Iran is being decimated. Iran’s missile and drone arsenal is being massively degraded and will be destroyed,” he said, views echoed by US War Secretary Pete Hegseth in a Pentagon briefing the same day.
“What we’re destroying now are the factories that produce the components to make these missiles and to make the nuclear weapons that they’re trying to produce. We’re wiping out their industrial base in a way that we didn’t do before,” he added.
Earlier, Netanyahu accused Iran of attempting to “blackmail the world” by disrupting a key global oil route.
He asserted that “won’t work,” as he outlined how Israel’s ongoing military operations alongside the United States have destroyed Iran’s capabilities.
Meanwhile, Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani called for an immediate ceasefire in the West Asian war and warned against further escalation.
At a media briefing along with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the Qatari leader said: “The current war must stop immediately.”
He urged Iran to halt its attacks and avoid expanding the conflict beyond its current scope.
The Qatari Prime Minister further criticised Iran’s claims that it was targeting US military bases located in neighbouring countries.
“Iran’s claims that it is targeting US bases in neighbouring nations is unacceptable and unjustified,” he added.
Al-Thani condemned Iran’s strike on its territory, calling it a “dangerous escalation” and an “unacceptable violation.”
In an X post, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Iranian attack, which targeted Qatar’s Ras Laffan energy complex, marked a serious escalation in tensions.
“Iranian attacks on the State of Qatar, including the targeting of the Ras Laffan energy complex on Wednesday, represent a dangerous escalation and an unacceptable violation,” Al-Thani said.
He noted that while Qatar had earlier condemned Israeli strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, Tehran’s response had directly targeted Qatar.
“The Iranian response, unfortunately, came through directly attacking the State of Qatar,” he said, describing it as part of a broader pattern of strikes over the past two weeks.
Al-Thani termed the targeting of the Ras Laffan facility an act of “aggressive and irresponsible policy,” stressing that the complex is a critical source of livelihood for Qatar and supports humanitarian efforts worldwide.
Rejecting Iran’s claim that the strikes were aimed at US interests or bases in the region, Al-Thani said, “This claim is rejected and cannot be accepted under any justification.”
He warned that continued escalation could further destabilise the region, particularly at a time when maritime security is already under strain.
“Recent days have witnessed disruption to navigation and freedom of passage… in a vital corridor such as the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.
Calling for restraint, Al-Thani urged an immediate halt to attacks and emphasised that regional security is a “collective responsibility.”
He also said Qatar reserves the right to respond through legal means, adding that such actions “will carry consequences under international law.”