Khaberni - The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that the Israeli army attacked the major gas facility in the city of Bushehr in southern Iran, in a qualitative escalation targeting the Iranian energy sector.
The corporation confirmed, citing a senior Israeli official, that the attack on this vital facility was coordinated fully and in advance with the United States and the administration of President Donald Trump.
In the same context, the Iranian Fars Agency reported that loud explosions were heard at the strategic Asalouyeh refinery (southwest of the country), confirming direct hits on tanks and gas processing facilities.
The American site "Axios" quoted an Israeli official saying that the air force launched raids targeting a gas processing facility in the region, aiming to cripple the production capacity in one of the most important energy centers in the Middle East.
For its part, "Israel Hayom" newspaper relayed from military sources that assessments indicate the strikes on Iranian gas facilities will lead to extensive damage to energy supplies, not only within Iran but across the region.
The newspaper affirmed that coordination with the Trump administration was the foundation of this attack, marking a significant shift from previous Washington policies that prevented Israel from targeting civilian and economic sites.
Expanding the Target Bank
The targeting of gas facilities in the south complements a series of previous attacks, as the Israeli army struck fuel tanks in Tehran on the seventh of this month, while strikes (American-Israeli) targeted aircraft fuel storage at Mehrabad Airport in the capital Tehran, according to what was reported by the Iranian "Mehr" agency.
With escalating pace of strikes, major health and environmental concerns emerged, as the World Health Organization last Tuesday warned against the phenomenon of "black rain" and the toxic compounds released in the Iranian air following the raids on oil facilities, affirming that they have indeed caused severe respiratory problems.
Iranian and International Warnings
At the United Nations, Iranian delegate Amir Said Iravani warned that targeting fuel depots in Tehran and other cities led to the emission of toxic pollutants posing "a significant health risk to civilians, especially children".
Observers see that moving operations to target the major gas fields represents dual economic and environmental pressure on Tehran, amid anticipation for the expected energy crisis in the Middle East resulting from these attacks.
