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Drone strike halts production at Khor Mor, a major Kurdistan gas field

A drone attack hit Iraq's Khor Mor gas field, which feeds most of the Kurdistan region's power stations, and production has been suspended.

The Israel.com Newsroom··3 min read·
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Illustration of a gas processing plant with pale storage tanks on a dusty plain beneath brown foothills in Iraq's Kurdistan region at dawn

Production at the Khor Mor gas field in Iraq's Kurdistan region has been stopped after a drone struck the site, The Times of Israel reported, citing two security sources. Both sources said smoke could be seen rising from the field after the attack.

An engineer at the site told the outlet that the drone hit a facility used to store gas, and that every crew member was sent to shelters because further strikes were feared. Separately, the Hebrew-language Telegram channel News.co.il reported, citing Arab sources, that explosions were heard at the installation and that it sustained damage. Neither outlet reported any casualties.

On the ground

🔴 A drone attack targets Iraq’s Khor Mor gas field in the Kurdistan region and smoke is seen rising near the field, security sources say 🔴 Iraqi source tells Al Arabiya English that reports indicate that production at the Khor Mor gas field has been suspended

Image
Posted by Al Arabiya English on X. Not a source for this article, and not verified by Israel.com.

Who is blamed, and where the reports differ

The two reports do not tell the same story about responsibility. The Times of Israel did not name an attacker for this strike. News.co.il, relying on unnamed Arab sources, said the drone was launched by Shiite militias operating in Iraq. That attribution has not been confirmed in the material available, and no group is reported to have claimed the attack.

The Hebrew report described the weapon using the Israeli acronym for an unmanned aerial vehicle, the standard Hebrew military shorthand for a drone. It framed the strike as a blow to an economic artery, a reflection of the field's importance to the region's energy supply.

Why Khor Mor matters

Khor Mor is among the largest gas fields in the Kurdistan region, the semi-autonomous area of northern Iraq governed by its own regional authorities. According to The Times of Israel, the complex supplies most of the power stations in Kurdistan, so its gas is directly tied to electricity generation for the region's population. A halt in production therefore raises questions about power supply, though no report has yet described an effect on electricity.

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The field is owned by Dana Gas, a company based in the United Arab Emirates. The Times of Israel noted that the complex has been struck a number of times in recent years, meaning this attack follows an established pattern rather than standing alone.

A region repeatedly targeted

For years the Kurdistan region has faced repeated rocket and drone attacks, most of them aimed at oilfields, The Times of Israel reported. Kurdish local authorities have in the past placed the blame for such strikes on armed Iraqi groups backed by Iran.

The outlet added that during what it called the Middle East war, the region became a frequent target of attacks carried out either by Iran directly or by Iraqi armed groups allied with it. These Iran-aligned militias are largely Shiite, which is consistent with the attribution in the News.co.il report, although neither outlet presented evidence linking this specific strike to a named group.

The Israeli angle

For readers following Israel, the attack is part of the wider picture of Iranian influence across the region. Iraq hosts a network of armed factions aligned with Tehran, and their activity, including against energy infrastructure in the Kurdistan region, has been a recurring feature of regional tensions. The Times of Israel carried the report on a live blog alongside other regional news, including remarks by US President Donald Trump about a task force aimed at disrupting land routes into Iran.

What the reports do not say

Neither report says how long production will remain suspended, how much damage the storage facility suffered, or whether anyone was hurt. No group has been reported as claiming responsibility, and the attribution to Shiite militias rests on unnamed Arab sources cited by a single outlet. There is no reported statement yet from Dana Gas, the Kurdistan regional authorities or the Iraqi federal government, and no account of any effect on the region's electricity supply.

Topicsiraqkurdistanenergyiran

Sources and further reading

Every link below was opened and checked when this page was written. Official statements are marked as such: they are the subject's own account, not an independent one.

  1. Reportingtoitimesofisrael.com
    The Times of Israel
  2. Reportingnewssilt.me
    News.co.il

How we checked this

The attack and resulting damage were reported by The Times of Israel, citing two security sources and an engineer, and by News.co.il, citing Arab sources. The attribution to Shiite militias appears only in the News.co.il report and has not been confirmed.

Our sourcing and corrections policy →

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