JERUSALEM, April 2 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure on Thursday announced the resumption of operations at Israel's largest natural gas field, Leviathan, off the country's northern coast in the Mediterranean Sea.
The gas field's rig was shut down ahead of the joint U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran starting from Feb. 28, amid fears that it could be hit by missiles.
Israel's domestic natural gas supply had since relied on the second-largest gas field, Tamar, located near the Leviathan field. Unlike Leviathan, Tamar's rig is located off Israel's southern coast, with gas being transported there via undersea pipelines.
"Following assessments of the situation and consideration of all relevant factors, it was decided at this stage to return the Leviathan rig to operation," the ministry explained in a statement.
It added that domestic natural gas supply has remained uninterrupted, and will now be increased with the integration of an additional rig into the production network.
On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East. ■
