Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has struck back at Israel with a dramatic missile attack on Haifa’s largest oil refinery, igniting a sprawling inferno along the northern coast and jolting global energy markets, defence officials say.

Just after 2:00 a.m., sirens wailed across Haifa Bay as Israeli radar detected a salvo of Khaibar Shekan and Ghadr ballistic missiles launched from western Iran. Arrow and David’s Sling interceptors clawed at the sky, destroying several warheads, but at least one heavy missile punched through the shield, slamming into the refinery’s storage farm.

Residents filmed a blinding flash followed by a rolling boom as fuel tanks erupted in sequence, sending fireballs hundreds of metres into the air and a column of thick black smoke stretching out over the Mediterranean. Shockwaves shattered windows across city neighbourhoods; families huddled in shelters as secondary explosions continued to roar for nearly an hour.

Emergency services report multiple ᴅᴇᴀᴅ and scores wounded, including refinery workers on night shift and civilians in nearby residential blocks hit by glᴀss and debris. Hazmat teams are racing to monitor air quality as authorities warn of toxic fumes and urge residents to stay indoors with windows sealed.

The IRGC is hailing the raid as “direct retaliation” for US–Israeli strikes on Iranian oil infrastructure, claiming Israel’s “northern energy heart” has been crippled. Israeli officials concede “serious damage” but insist national supplies remain stable, vowing a “mᴀssive and sustained response” against Iran’s missile network and command nodes.

As flames still rage over Haifa’s coastline and tankers divert from the eastern Mediterranean, one fear now hangs over capitals from Jerusalem to Brussels: has the war just crossed into a full‑scale campaign to destroy each side’s energy lifeline?