Qatar has rejected allegations from Israeli media suggesting it deliberately stopped liquefied natural gas (LNG) production to influence energy prices in the United States. A senior Qatari official told Al Jazeera on Thursday that such claims were an attempt to “drive a wedge” between Qatar and the US, emphasizing that the country prioritizes safety over political or economic gain. The official accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s media allies of exploiting global instability to create regional tension.

QatarEnergy, which supplies 20 percent of the world’s LNG, suspended production last week after an Iranian drone attack hit two sites in Mesaieed Industrial City and Ras Laffan. The Qatari Ministry of Defence confirmed the strikes targeted a water tank and an energy facility belonging to QatarEnergy. The official dismissed Israeli analyst Amit Segal’s assertion that the production halt reflected coordination between Iran and Qatar to pressure an end to the war.

Qatar warned that such narratives risk escalating regional instability and called for restraint and de-escalation amid ongoing tensions.