Iran Threatens Israeli Gas Platforms Tamar and Leviathan

Against the backdrop of growing tension and uncertainty regarding the possibility of further escalation, gas platforms are once again at the center of threats from Iran. The "Fars" news agency, affiliated with the regime, included the Tamar and Leviathan reservoirs in a list of attack targets it published, which includes energy infrastructure throughout the Middle East. Iran has marked the platforms as a target in the past as well, and as is known, Israel shut down some of them to protect them, a move that is estimated to have cost the economy about 1.7 billion shekels even without any physical damage.

At the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs and Security, they pointed to a series of threats from recent weeks against Israel's energy infrastructure. Among other things, an article published in the Iranian newspaper "Kayhan" was noted, in which the Leviathan, Tamar, and Karish gas reservoirs, alongside oil import terminals in Ashkelon, Haifa, and Ashdod, were defined as Israeli vulnerabilities. According to the center, the threats fit into the "eye for an eye" policy declared by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, especially after the Israeli strikes on gas facilities in Asaluyeh and South Pars.

The reservoir was shut down for 32 days

It seems that energy infrastructure has become one of the main targets in the recent rounds of threats. The IDF has, of course, ways to protect them, but in the event of a broad escalation that also includes Israel, it is possible that the state will again be required to shut down at least some of them, as it did in the two previous rounds of confrontation with Iran.

With the start of the war on February 28 of this year, the Leviathan and Karish platforms were shut down, while the Tamar platform, which supplies most of the gas to the local market, continued to operate throughout the fighting period. On normal days, Israel's electricity sector is based mainly on natural gas produced from the Leviathan, Tamar (including Tamar South-West), and Karish (including the Tanin, Katlan, and Dragon reservoirs) reservoirs, alongside production using renewable energies and, to a limited extent, using coal. But with the outbreak of the current campaign, Leviathan and Karish were shut down as mentioned to reduce the risk of an Iranian strike and subsequently also for attacks by Hezbollah.

Only on April 2, after 32 days of fighting, did the Leviathan reservoir return to operation. The decision was made following a decrease in the risk level, partly because the platform is located relatively close to the shore, and also following pressure exerted by Egypt and Jordan through the United States, as they are particularly dependent on gas supplies from the reservoir. Egypt almost entered an energy crisis and was even forced to temporarily darken shops and street lighting to cope with the shock in gas supplies for electricity. The Karish reservoir joined it on April 9.

The shutdown of the platforms was also accompanied by economic damage. The economy had to rely on more expensive energy sources due to the high costs of coal and diesel, compared to natural gas which is considered cheap in Israel. According to a calculation by Chen Herzog, the chief economist of BDO, who advises the Natural Gas Association, the shutdown of the Leviathan reservoir for a month caused the economy damage of about a billion shekels, due to the increased cost of electricity production, loss of state revenue, and losses to gas companies. The shutdown of the Karish platform cost about 500 million shekels a month, so a 40-day shutdown amounted to about 660 million shekels. In total, the damage to the economy was estimated at about 1.7 billion shekels.

Therefore, if another broad campaign develops between Iran and its allies and the USA, Israel, and the Gulf states, it is possible that this time too Israel will be required to shut down some of the gas platforms - at a similar economic price. However, as of now, there is no indication from the gas companies of such a shutdown.