Western officials confirmed that Israel carried out attacks on two main gas pipelines in Iran this week, disrupting the gas flow to provinces inhabited by millions. According to the officials and an Iranian strategic expert, as reported by The New York Times, the Israeli attacks on the gas pipelines "required detailed knowledge of Iran's infrastructure and precise coordination, especially since the two pipelines were hit at multiple locations simultaneously."
The unnamed officials also stated that Israel was responsible for an explosion at a chemical plant on the outskirts of Tehran on Thursday, but local officials claimed the explosion resulted from an accident in the plant's fuel tank. The American newspaper indicated that these Israeli attacks represent a shift in the ongoing "shadow war" between Israel and Iran for years, which includes aerial, ground, and naval confrontations, as well as cyberattacks.
Israel has consistently targeted military and nuclear sites within Iran, assassinating scientists and officials involved in the Iranian nuclear project, both domestically and abroad, and conducting cyberattacks to disrupt the servers belonging to the Ministry of Oil, causing disturbances at fuel stations across the country. However, officials and analysts emphasized to The New York Times that blowing up part of the energy infrastructure in the country represents an escalation in the secret war, opening a new front.
The Iranian news agency (IRNA) reported that what it described as a "sabotage" explosion occurred early last Wednesday on the Boroujen-Shahr-e Kord gas pipeline in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province in the southwest, without causing any injuries. Later, the executive director of the gas company in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province announced the resumption of gas transportation in the area related to the city of Boroujen.
Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji stated last Friday, "The enemy's plan was to completely disrupt the gas flow in winter to many major cities in our country." The Iranian minister, who did not hold Israel responsible for the attacks he labeled as "sabotage and terrorism," noted that the goal of the attack was to damage Iran's energy infrastructure and incite internal discontent.
