The Barzan plant had a capacity of almost 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of sales gas per day.

By The Associated Press

An explosion tore through Qatar’s key natural gas export terminal Sunday night as workers tried to resume operations there after Iran bombed it during the war, causing a fire that hurt at least 54 people as another 18 were still missing hours later.

The blast at the Ras Laffan industrial area could cause further chaos in global energy markets, particularly as Qatar remains one of the world’s top natural gas producers.

Qatar shut down its production after Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz meant it couldn’t get shipments out to its clients.

With Iran loosening its grip on the strait as negotiations continue over a permanent end to the war, Qatar began work to try to restart its export terminal.

On Sunday night, that work sparked an explosion and fire at the Barzan gas supply facility, the state-run firm QatarEnergy said.

The scale of the damage remains unknown after the blast, with officials initially saying only a few people had been hurt.

But hours later, Qatar’s Interior Ministry offered the far-greater casualty figures.

The Barzan plant had a capacity of almost 1.4 billion standard cubic feet of sales gas per day, which Qatar used primarily for local electricity generation and to power its crucial water desalination plants in the desert reaches of the Arabian Peninsula.

Qatar owns nearly all of the plant, with a small share also held by ExxonMobil. The oil company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In March, an Iranian missile hit Ras Laffan, sparking a fire that caused “extensive” damage before it was extinguished, authorities said.

Qatar had already halted production there because of Iranian attacks.

Qatar shares its massive offshore natural gas field in the Persian Gulf with Iran. That natural gas production has made Qatar wealthy.

It has used that money to raise its profile worldwide through hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, creating the Al Jazeera news network and funding its work as an international mediator, including the talks in Switzerland between Iran and the United States.

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Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded during an engine test in Florida; no staff injuries were reported.

WATCH: A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket exploded during a routine ground engine test at Cape Canaveral on Thursday night.

The explosion occurred while the rocket was on the launch pad, but no one was injured and all personnel were reported safe.pic.twitter.com/lfWxTsGV4Q

— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 29, 2026

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Many locals criticized authorities for failing to provide advance warning before the nighttime explosion.

By World Israel News Staff

A massive explosion and fireball shook residents of Beit Shemesh on Saturday evening, following what a local defense company said was a “pre-planned” test.

At around 11:30 p.m., the sky near the Jerusalem suburb was lit up by large plumes of smoke and a bright orange glow, alarming residents who reported being caught off guard by the blast.

Tomar Defense Industries, a state-owned defense manufacturing firm, later said in a statement that residents should not be alarmed, describing the incident as “a pre-planned experiment that was carried out according to plan.”

Despite the company’s reassurance, many residents criticized authorities for failing to provide advance warning about the explosion, which occurred without notice and caused widespread concern.

It remains unclear why the test was conducted so late at night.

According to a report by Channel 12 News, the experiment involved rocket propellants used in long-range projectiles capable of traveling thousands of kilometers.

Defense journalist Udi Etzion sharply criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the event, warning that the handling of the situation risked undermining public trust.

Writing in the Hebrew-language outlet Walla, Etzion said that unlike other defense companies such as Rafael, which routinely inform nearby communities of potentially disruptive testing, Tomar had remained silent in the hours after the blast.

He added that the company’s response “does not really inspire trust,” arguing that “in 2026, even major security firms” must recognize their responsibility to keep civilians informed and “operate as transparently as possible.”

Defense firms “must remember that they serve the residents, and not the other way around,” Etzion wrote.

During the recent conflict with Iran, Beit Shemesh was targeted by missile fire, including intercepted projectiles and falling fragments that landed in the city.

Just two days after the outbreak of hostilities, a direct Iranian missile strike on a bomb shelter in Beit Shemesh killed nine people, including three children from the same family.

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The synagogue was established in 1899. It also serves as a Jewish museum.

By JNS

A strong explosion rocked the façade of a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, early on Monday morning, resulting in no injuries.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the explosion that took place around 4 a.m., damaging buildings and property, the Le Matin daily reported. The incident has not yet been determined to be an attack on the synagogue, AFP reported.

The blast shattered some of the windows of the Synagogue de Liège on Léon Frédéricq Street, police told AFP. The area has been cordoned off as federal and local police investigate the blast, the report said,

The synagogue was established in 1899. It also serves as a Jewish museum.

The building features a striped stone façade with alternating light and reddish horizontal bands.

Its design reflects neo-Romanesque architecture with Moorish references, rounded arches, symmetrical towers and decorative stonework.

A large circular rose window sits at the center above a row of arched windows and entrances, while two square towers with dark, rounded roofs frame the façade.

The structure faces a quiet city street lined with bollards and neighboring buildings.

Liège Mayor Willy Demeyer (PS) denounced the explosion, describing it as “an extremely violent act of antisemitism contrary to Liège’s tradition of respect for others.”

Minister of Interior Bernard Quintin (MR) labeled the incident “an abject antisemitic act.”

Leaders from several other political parties also voiced their reactions on social media, condemning the attack and expressing concern over rising antisemitism.

Prime Minister Bart De Wever also weighed in on the incident. “Antisemitism is an attack against our values ​​and our society, and we must fight it unequivocally,” he declared on X.

“We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community of Liège and the entire country,” he added.

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Two Israeli officials claimed that Israel was not involved in Saturday’s blasts.

By Reuters and The Algemeiner

At least one person was killed and 14 injured in an explosion in the southern Iranian port of Bandar Abbas on Saturday, a local official told Iranian news agencies, but the cause of the blast was not known.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency said that social media reports alleging that a Revolutionary Guard navy commander had been targeted in the explosion were “completely false.”

Iranian media said the blast was under investigation but provided no further information. Iranian authorities could not immediately be contacted for comment.

Explosion reported in Iran #BandarAbbas. IRGC denies Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the IRGC Navy targeted. pic.twitter.com/BJDQjzB8Bw

— Betty Yousefi بتی یوسفی (@Betty_Yousefi) January 31, 2026

Separately, four people were killed after a gas explosion in the city of Ahvaz near the Iraqi border, according to the state-run Tehran Times. No further information was immediately available.

Two Israeli officials told Reuters that Israel was not involved in Saturday’s blasts, which come amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests and over the country’s nuclear program.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

US President Donald Trump said on January 22 an “armada” was heading toward Iran. Multiple sources said on Friday that Trump was weighing options against Iran that include targeted strikes on security forces.

Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused US, Israeli, and European leaders of exploiting Iran’s economic problems, inciting unrest, and providing people with the means to “tear the nation apart.”

Bandar Abbas, home to Iran’s most important container port, lies on the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway between Iran and Oman that handles about a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil.

The port suffered a major explosion last April that killed dozens and injured over 1,000 people.

An investigative committee at the time blamed the blast on shortcomings in adherence to principles of civil defense and security.

Iran has been rocked by nationwide protests that erupted in December over economic hardship and have posed one of the toughest challenges to the country’s clerical rulers.

At least 5,000 people were killed in the protests, including 500 members of the security forces, an Iranian official told Reuters.

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After the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel seized control of large parts of southern Syria, establishing a security zone and maintaining a military presence amid ongoing clashes and airstrikes.

By JNS

An Israel Defense Forces reserve officer was severely wounded on Monday in an explosion at a military outpost in southern Syria, the army said.

The officer was evacuated to a hospital for treatment, and his family has been notified.

No further details were provided.

After the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, Israel seized control of large parts of southern Syria, establishing a security zone and maintaining a military presence amid ongoing clashes and airstrikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sept. 22 dismissed reports that Jerusalem was willing to give up the country’s buffer zone in Syria as part of a potential deal with the new government in Damascus.

The idea is a “joke,” the premier said in a recording on X.

“I’ll tell you what we’re discussing. We’re discussing with Syria something that wasn’t even imaginable before our great victory over Hezbollah. We’re discussing a security arrangement in which they demilitarize southwest Syria, and we ensure the security of our Druze allies in Jabal al-Druze,” said Netanyahu.

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An aerial shot released by Iranian media after the blast showed fires burning at multiple locations in the port, with authorities later warning about air pollution from chemicals in the air.

By The Associated Press

A massive explosion and fire rocked a southern Iranian port on Saturday, purportedly linked to a shipment of a chemical ingredient used to make missile propellant, killing eight people and injuring around 750 others.

Helicopters dumped water air on the raging fire hours after the initial explosion, which happened at the Shahid Rajaei Port just as Iran and the United States met Saturday in Oman for the third round of negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.

No one in Iran suggested that the explosion came from an attack. However, even Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who led the talks, on Wednesday acknowledged that “our security services are on high alert given past instances of attempted sabotage and assassination operations designed to provoke a legitimate response.”

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni gave the casualty figure in an interview on state television. But there were few details on what sparked the blaze just outside of Bandar Abbas, which burned into Saturday night, causing other containers to reportedly explode.

Security firm says port received chemical for missile fuel

The port took in a shipment of “sodium perchlorate rocket fuel” in March, the private security firm Ambrey said. The fuel is part of a shipment from China by two vessels to Iran, first reported in January by the UK’s Financial Times newspaper.

The fuel was going to be used to replenish Iran’s missile stocks, which had been depleted by its direct attacks on Israel during the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

“The fire was reportedly the result of improper handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles,” Ambrey said.

Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press put one of the vessels believed to be carrying the chemical in the vicinity in March, as Ambrey said. Iran hasn’t acknowledged taking the shipment. The Iranian mission to the UN didn’t respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

It’s unclear why Iran wouldn’t have moved the chemicals from the port, particularly after the Beirut port blast in 2020.

That explosion, caused by the ignition of hundreds of tons of highly explosive ammonium nitrate, killed more than 200 people and injured more than 6,000 others.

However, Israel did target Iranian missile sites where Tehran uses industrial mixers to create solid fuel.

Social media footage of the explosion on Saturday at Shahid Rajaei saw reddish-hued smoke rising from the fire just before the detonation. That suggests a chemical compound being involved in the blast — like in the Beirut explosion.

“Get back get back! Tell the gas (truck) to go!” a man in one video shouted just before the blast. “Tell him to go, it’s going to blow up! Oh God, this is blowing up! Everybody evacuate! Get back! Get back!”

On Saturday night, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) said that the Customs Administration of Iran blamed a “stockpile of hazardous goods and chemical materials stored in the port area” for the blast, without elaborating.

An aerial shot released by Iranian media after the blast showed fires burning at multiple locations in the port, with authorities later warning about air pollution from chemicals such as ammonia, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide in the air. Schools in Bandar Abbas will be closed on Sunday as well.

Port, a major destination for Iranian cargo

Shahid Rajaei has been a target before. A 2020 cyberattack attributed to Israel targeted the port. It came after Israel said that it thwarted a cyberattack targeting its water infrastructure, which it attributed to Iran. Israeli officials didn’t respond to requests for comment regarding Saturday’s explosion.

Social media videos showed black billowing smoke after the blast. Others showed glass blown out of buildings kilometers, or miles, away from the epicenter of the explosion.

State media footage showed the injured crowding into at least one hospital, with ambulances arriving as medics rushed one person by on a stretcher.

Hasanzadeh, the provincial disaster management official, earlier told state television that the blast came from containers at Shahid Rajaei port in the city, without elaborating. State television also reported that there had been a building collapse caused by the explosion, though no further details were offered.

The Interior Ministry said that it launched an investigation into the blast. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also offered his condolences for those affected in the blast.

Shahid Rajaei port in Hormozgan province is about 1,050 kilometers (650 miles) southeast of Iran’s capital, Tehran, on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil traded passes.

The post Massive explosion at Iranian port kills 40, injures over 1,000 appeared first on World Israel News.

A massive explosion at Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, likely caused by improperly stored chemicals or missile fuel, killed at least eight people, injured over 750, and disrupted operations at the country’s largest commercial port.

Initial footage from the aftermath of the explosion.

Note that the Shahid Rajaee Port is Iran’s largest port, handling 85% of all loading and unloading of containers in the country

It is also the 2nd largest container port in the entire Middle East region. https://t.co/ehQjC77kAk pic.twitter.com/pXB4vxSpTV

— BZ (@BZKanging) April 26, 2025

The post WATCH: Massive explosion at Iran’s largest port, 24 killed, over 1,000 wounded appeared first on World Israel News.

Bus drivers in the Tel Aviv area have been instructed to search their vehicles for possible explosives.

By World Israel News and JNS

Israeli security agencies are investigating three explosions that occurred in parked buses across the central Israeli city of Bat Yam on Thursday night as suspected terrorist attacks.

According to reports, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) was called to the scenes, and bus drivers in the Tel Aviv area have been instructed to search their vehicles for possible explosives.

In addition, operations of the Tel Aviv light rail has been grounded, Channel 12 News reported.

Israel Police said that multiple explosive devices weighing approximately 5 kilograms each were placed into buses, intending to explode Friday morning, possibly killing hundreds of civilians.

There were no injuries as a result of the blasts, the Israel Police stated.

Bat Yam Mayor Zvika Brot told local media, “The incident began at two locations just minutes apart. Two bombs were detonated on two buses that were empty.”

He added that while there were no casualties in the suspected terror attacks, “there are suspicions of an additional bomb.”

Shortly after Brot issued his statement, Israeli media outlets aired video footage of what was said to be a third bus explosion in the Bat Yam area.

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A Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crashed into a wall, killing 177 of 181 passengers after a landing gear malfunction caused by a bird strike, marking one of the deadliest air accidents in South Korean history.

WATCH

Footage captures the tragic crash of Jeju Air Flight 2216 in South Korea.

Details so far:
•Passengers on board: 181
•Cause: Attempted landing without deploying landing gear
•Impact: Plane collided with a wall at the end of the runway

According to the fire… pic.twitter.com/MwR1ajoIJS

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) December 29, 2024

South Korea’s MBC TV has released Footage appearing to show an Explosion, possibly a Bird Strike, in the Right-Wing Engine of Jeju Air Flight 2216, right before it Crashed earlier at Muan International Airport in South Korea. pic.twitter.com/Vsy23dmuFZ

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 29, 2024

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Israeli forces struck Hezbollah infrastructure intended to facilitate long-term stays and the planning and execution of attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers, according to the IDF.

The post WATCH: IDF blows up underground bunker appeared first on World Israel News.

One injury was due to an explosion triggered by attempting to remove a roadside Palestinian flag rigged with explosives.

By Sveta Listratov, TPS

IDF forces successfully thwarted an attempted terrorist attack earlier this morning in Hebron area.

Two terrorists arrived at the Beit Anon junction, with one attempting to stab IDF soldiers at the location, while another one opened fire on the troops.

Prompt action by the forces resulted in neutralizing both terrorists without any casualties among the troops.

Simultaneously, another terror event unfolded between Kochav HaShahar and Malachei Shalom in Binyamin region.

Initial reports indicated an explosion in the area, prompting the dispatch of large forces to the scene.

Further investigation revealed that the incident was a pull attack, triggered when a charge connected to a Palestinian Authority flag on the roadside was activated.

As a resident of East Binyamin approached to remove the flag, the charge detonated, causing light injuries.

The injured resident, who is on IDF active reserve service, received on-site treatment and declined hospitalization.

Additional scans are currently underway to ensure the area is secure from further threats.

Tensions in the Binyamin region have escalated over the past week following the brutal murder of fourteen-year-old shepherd Binyamin Achimair.

His body was discovered in the Malachei Shalom area within the Binyamin region last Saturday.

The post Two terror attacks in Judea and Samaria since morning appeared first on World Israel News.

Six of the deaths and most of the injuries were caused by an explosion at a Hamas rocket factory.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

On Monday, nine IDF soldiers were killed and eight were wounded in three separate incidents during operations in Gaza.

Six of the deaths and most of the injuries resulted from an explosion while IDF soldiers were close to a Hamas rocket factory, the largest of its kind, discovered recently in al-Bureij in central Gaza.

To destroy terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, the soldiers were preparing to blow up the facility, and a truck was transporting explosives.

An error in timing or a technical problem could have led to the fatal explosion or the deaths could have resulted from a delayed explosive device placed there by Hamas terrorists.

In addition, two soldiers were killed in Khan Younis and another soldier died in a third incident in Gaza.

On Tuesday morning, four names were announced by the IDF.

Sgt. Roi Tal (19) from Kfar Yehoshua was a fighter in the 94th Battalion Kfir Brigade and fell in battle southern Gaza.

Maj. (res.) David Schwartz (26) from Elazar was a fighter in the 8219th Engineering Battalion Haci Hash formation (551) and fell in battle in southern Gaza.

Maj. General (res.) Yakir Hexter (26) from Jerusalem was a fighter in the 8291 Engineering Battalion Hace Hash formation (551) and fell in battle in southern Gaza.

Maj. (ret.) Gavriel Bloom (27) from Beit Shemesh was a fighter in the divisional engineering team of the 36th division and fell in battle in southern Gaza.

Five more names were announced by the IDF on Tuesday afternoon.

Maj.(res.) Amit Moshe Shahar (25) from Ramat Yochanan was a soldier in the Yahalom unit of the Combat Engineering Corps and fell in battle in the center Gaza.

Capt. (ret.) Denis Krokhmalov Veksler (32) from Be’er Sheva was a combat engineering officer in the Yahalom unit of the Combat Engineering Corps and fell in battle in the center of Gaza.

Capt. Ron Efrimi (26) from Hod Hasharon was a combat engineering officer in the Yahalom unit of the Combat Engineering Corps and fell in battle in the center Gaza.

Maj. (res.) Roi Avraham Maimon (24) from Afula was a combat paramedic in the Yahalom unit of the Combat Engineering Corps and fell in battle in the center of Gaza.

Maj. (res.) Akiva Yasinskiy (35) from Ramat Gan was a soldier in the 8173 Engineering Battalion the ‘Etzioni’ Brigade (6) and fell in battle in the center of Gaza.

Bloom, and the five names released on Tuesday afternoon all died in the same incident in Gaza.

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Neither the US nor Israel was involved in the bombings that killed over a hundred, said the State Department.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

The Islamist terror group ISIS may have been behind the attack at a memorial ceremony for a top general in Iran that killed over a hundred people, a senior American official said Wednesday.

“It does look like a terrorist attack, the type of thing we’ve seen ISIS do in the past,” the official said. “As far as we’re aware, that’s … our going assumption at the moment.”

Two bombs exploded minutes apart among thousands of Iranians who had gathered Tuesday near the grave of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, whom the Americans had assassinated exactly four years ago due to his position as head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps that orchestrated numerous murderous attacks against U.S. targets over his years in charge.

ISIS is a Sunni Muslim terrorist group, so even though it hates and targets the West much as Shiite Iran does, Tehran fought against it when it took over large swathes of Iraq and Syria in the 2000’s because of the overwhelming enmity between these two branches of Islam. ISIS has carried out attacks in Iran before, and using explosives in crowds to indiscriminately murder civilians is one of its hallmarks.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi blamed Israel for the attack.

“I warn the Zionist regime, don’t doubt it, you will pay the price for this crime…you will deeply regret [it],” he said to a roaring crowd.

Esmail Ghaani, head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, added, “And you will see by the power of God that the one who has failed in this field and will leave this field more disgraced than today is the Zionist regime and the criminal America.”

The United States rejected all the Iranian accusations.

Saying that he wants “to address the irresponsible claims we have seen,” he has seen,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a press briefing Wednesday, “Number one, the United States was not involved in any way, and any suggestion to the contrary is ridiculous. And number two, we have no reason to believe that Israel was involved in this explosion.”

When asked why not, he responded, “We just do not have any information to believe that that’s the case.”

He also noted that American and Israeli officials are speaking frequently these days, in reference to the ongoing Hamas-Israel war in the Gaza Strip, but that the U.S. got no information about a planned attack.

Jerusalem often – but not always – informs Washington before it strikes a particularly important target, in order to keep its most important ally in the loop and prepare for possible backlash.

However, Israel’s modus operandi overseas has never included mass bombings. Actions attributed to Israel over the years against its most dangerous foe have been carefully focused targeting of Iranian individuals such as nuclear scientists, or pinpoint strikes on sites in Iran connected to the building of its incipient nuclear arsenal.

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Two people died and a 27-year-old man has been hospitalized from a suspicious explosion initially assumed to be a terror attack.

“The FBI Buffalo Field Office is investigating a vehicle explosion at the Rainbow Bridge, a border crossing between the US and Canada in Niagara Falls,” the FBI said in a statement.

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Explosion reported in power plant near Tehran; Iran downplays incident, blaming it on ‘negligence’ of facility’s workers.

By World Israel News Staff

An explosion was reported at a power plant in central Iran Sunday evening, according to Iranian media outlets.

A report by the semi-official Fars agency said that the incident occurred at the Parand power plant, located in Robat Karim County, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) southwest of Tehran.

According to Fars, one person was killed in the explosion and four more injured.

The blast is said to have occurred at a pipeline used to transfer fuel to the plant’s turbines.

Iranian officials downplayed the incident, with regional governor Omid Ahmadi claiming the explosion was the result of “staffers’ negligence,” with no mention of sabotage.

Ahmadi added that the explosion damaged only a small part of the gas line, claiming that the blast did not interrupt the power plant’s operation nor the supply of electricity.

Last Thursday, the Tehran region’s electrical grid was partially disabled for roughly two hours, apparently the result of a cyber attack.

A group of Israeli hackers, known as “WeRedEvils” claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a message issued to the group’s Telegram channel, the hackers threatened a “harder” strike against Iran’s power grid.

“We cut off their electricity, and we left tens of thousands of residents without a means of communication and electricity for two hours until this moment. This is a message from us to Iran: don’t play with fire. The next strike will be harder with many more harmed, and it will be different from the cyber attacks that you’re familiar with.”

Israel and Iran have long engaged in cyber warfare, including targeting each other’s infrastructure.

In addition, a string of explosions at Iranian power plants in the summer of 2020 – resulting in regional blackouts – were widely speculated to have been the work of Israeli saboteurs.

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