Iran hits Israel’s biggest oil refinery? CENTCOM posts about missile strikes on Haifa refinery, then edits it; all about the key energy installation

As the US-Israel war on Iran rages on, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Sunday (March 1, 2026) said that Iran has been targeting civilians and has launched attacks on dozens of locations, including Dubai International Airport, Kuwait International Airport and the Port of Dubai.

CENTCOM made the claims in a post on X, where it mentioned that the list of locations that came under attack by the Iranian regime also included the Haifa Oil Refinery. The social media post was later edited by CENTCOM, and the name of the refinery was removed. However, the change made in the post grabbed the attention of eagle-eyed social media users who were quick to flag it.

Haifa refinery is Bazan Group’s oil refinery in Haifa Bay. According to the Bazan Group website, Oil Refineries Ltd is located in the Haifa Bay area and is one of the most complex and largest energy groups in Israel.

CENTCOM's X post draws reactions

The change made to the post drew reactions from X users. Some claimed that the post had been deleted by CENTCOM, but it is crucial to note that it was only slightly edited to remove the name of the refinery and remained active at the time of filing this report.



"The US Central Command listed the targets of the Iranian attack... but made a mistake. Everyone: "Wait, the Haifa oil refinery was hit?" ?? The Central Command: "Wait, no one knew about this?" Everyone: "Interesting. We had no idea it was actually hit at all," a user wrote.




“In a now deleted post, US military said Iran is "actively targeting" Haifa Oil Refinery in Israel,” wrote another user.




Iran’s Press TV also reacted to the CENTCOM’s now-edited post, saying, “The US military briefly acknowledged an Iranian strike on Haifa's oil refinery before deleting the post on X.”

Haifa oil refinery shut down some units

In the wake of the US-Israel war on Iran, Israel’s 197,000 b/d Haifa oil refinery shut down some units on February 28, 2026, according to Argus Media. The US and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28, 2026. Tehran has responded by firing missiles against Israel and against US military assets in regional countries.

The Haifa refinery operator, Bazan, said it has shut down some unspecified units. According to the media company, the shutdowns in Israel are part of the initial effects of the conflict on regional energy infrastructure. These are apparently precautionary measures, as the Haifa refinery was severely damaged in a missile attack during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June 2025. Three people were killed on site, according to the Times of Israel.

There had been no reports of an attack on the refinery by Iran since the start of the latest conflict on February 28, 2026. At the time of filing this report, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) had also not issued any clarification regarding the change made to remove the Haifa refinery’s name from the X post.

How big is the Haifa oil refinery?

The Haifa oil refinery is owned and operated by the Bazan Group. Also known as Oil Refineries Ltd., the Bazan Group is located in the Haifa Bay area and is one of the most complex and largest energy groups in Israel, according to the Bazan Group website.

The website also states that the company operates a refinery and is a petrochemical conglomerate. Its production facilities enable the production of a wide range of refined petroleum products for industry and various sectors, including transport, agriculture, infrastructure, and domestic consumption.

The Group, on its website, claims to produce a maximum of approximately 26,600 tons of crude oil per day (approximately 197,000 barrels). Approximately 70% of the company's products are distributed in the Israeli market and the remainder in international markets (with an emphasis on countries in the eastern Mediterranean).

The refining of crude oil constitutes approximately 85% of the company's operations, and the Bazan Group’s refinery has a ranking of 9 on the Nelson Complexity Index, according to the website.