Israel Halts Natural Gas Exports to Egypt Amid Regional Tensions

Alanbatnews -

Israel has suspended natural gas exports to Egypt, according to a statement from the Israeli Energy Ministry. The disruption follows recent military actions and escalating geopolitical tensions in the region.

Earlier in the day, sources had reported to Reuters that Egypt was no longer receiving natural gas from Israel, a key supplier to Cairo.

The move to halt exports came after Israel, along with the United States, reportedly attacked Iran, prompting a retaliatory response from Tehran. This led to the shutdown of two of Israel's major gas fields.

In response, the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum has moved to reassure its citizens that it has diversified its energy supply sources as part of proactive measures to secure domestic energy needs. The ministry stated it is closely monitoring the situation resulting from recent military strikes and the subsequent disruption of gas supplies from the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Egyptian ministry emphasized that a series of proactive steps had been implemented to secure the supply of natural gas and petroleum products to the local market. These measures were taken in coordination with various ministries and state institutions to ensure that the country's energy needs are met and to enhance preparedness in the face of rapidly evolving geopolitical and regional developments.

The ministry further elaborated that it had been working throughout 2023 to secure additional quantities of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to meet the needs of the electricity, industry, and residential sectors. This was achieved through diversifying supply sources, increasing domestic production, contracting LNG shipments from various sources, and entering into long-term supply agreements with global companies.

The ministry reassured the public of the diversity of gas supply sources and the availability of alternative capacities.