[1andrew1]

Some significant escalation from Israel here - the first strike on Iran's energy infrastructure and one shared with Qatar.

Explained: Why Israeli strikes on world's largest gas field mark an escalation

As we reported at 13:18, South Pars, the world's largest natural gas field, has been hit by Israeli strikes.

What happened? Iran's Fars news agency reported that gas tanks and parts ​of a refinery have been hit, though workers were evacuated.

A fire broke out at the facility as well, though it is under control, as the semi-official Tasnim Iranian news agency reports.

Iranian *gas flows to Iraq were *halted, a *senior Iraqi official told Reuters.

Why is the gas field so important? As the biggest known gas field, South Pars covers about 9,700 square kilometres in the Persian Gulf and is estimated to hold about 51 trillion cubic metres of gas, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Ownership of the field is split between Iran and Qatar. The larger Qatari side was discovered first, in 1971.

Why is this a major escalation? This notably marks the first reported strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure in the Gulf during the war. Moreover, it targets a facility shared with Qatar.

https://news.sky.com/story/iran-war-...-news-13509565