Israel's outgoing Foreign Minister Israel Katz during the handing over ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on November 10, 2024. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Monday that Israel had conducted a “powerful strike” on Iran’s largest petrochemical complex, with the operator saying it was assessing the damage from the attacks. The military “just carried out a powerful strike on Iran’s largest petrochemical facility, located in Asaluyeh — a central target responsible for about 50 percent of the country’s petrochemical production”, Katz said in a video statement. Israel carried out a similar strike on the Mahshahr Petrochemical Special Zone in the southwestern Khuzestan province on Saturday, a local Iranian official said, adding that five people were killed. On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli strikes had destroyed around 70 percent of Iran’s steel production capacity, significantly undermining Tehran’s ability to manufacture weapons.

Source: Punch April 06, 2026 13:38 UTC