diff --git a/Dockerfile.connect b/Dockerfile.connect
index bf385a29..0b97776f 100644
--- a/Dockerfile.connect
+++ b/Dockerfile.connect
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-FROM quay.io/strimzi/kafka:1.2.0-kafka-4.3.1 AS base
+FROM quay.io/strimzi/kafka:1.3.0-kafka-4.3.1 AS base
 # ─── Stage 1: Download connector plugins ─────────────────────────────────────
 #
 # This stage downloads all enterprise connector plugins from Maven Central