Israel has ordered a temporary halt to operations at some gas fields after the start of a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, Bloomberg reports, according to UNN.
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The shutdown is a precautionary security measure, the Ministry of Energy said in a statement. It did not specify which fields were affected. Energean Plc, operator of the Karish field, said it had been instructed to suspend production.
The move mirrors actions taken last year when Iran was subjected to an Israeli attack and responded with retaliatory strikes. In June, Israel shut down its largest gas field, Leviathan, as well as Karish, leading to a halt in supplies to import-dependent Egypt.
While Energean supplies gas only to the domestic market, two other Israeli fields, Leviathan and Tamar, also export fuel. Chevron Corp., which operates both fields, declined to comment on possible shutdowns on Saturday.
US-Israeli attacks and Tehran's retaliatory measures against American military bases in several countries raise the risk of a wider war in a region critical to global energy supplies.
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The Leviathan fields are obligated to supply Egypt with about 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas per year, and Cairo's dependence will grow after a $35 billion deal signed last year, which provides for the supply of 130 billion cubic meters from 2026 to 2040.
Egypt became a net gas importer in 2024 and has since purchased significant volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG), signing contracts for supplies until 2028.
Increased supplies from Israel could allow Cairo to reduce LNG imports in the future. Gas from Leviathan is cheaper, but disruptions in production, both last summer and now, highlight the vulnerability of this route.
The June supply halt forced the Egyptian government to cut off gas supplies to some industries, including fertilizer producers.
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