Israel was behind explosions that rocked two Iranian natural gas pipelines earlier this week, officials told the New York Times.
The Wednesday blasts ruptured pipelines in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari and Fars provinces, which Iranian officials claimed was an act of sabotage, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The strike disrupted heat and cooking gas supply for parts of Iran, and is an expansion of tension between Israel and Iran, according to the NYT.
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“The level of impact was very high because these are two significant pipelines going south to north,” Homayoun Falakshahi, a Kpler senior energy analyst, told the NYT. “We have never seen anything like this in scale and scope.”
The officials, which included two from the West and a military strategist linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps, also alleged that Israel was behind a Thursday explosion at an Iranian chemical plant, but Iranian officials claimed the blast was an accident, the NYT reported.
“This shows that the covert networks operating in Iran have expanded their target list and advanced beyond just military and nuclear sites,” Shahin Modarres, a security analyst focused on the Middle East, told the NYT.
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Hamas, which Iran backs, carried out a deadly terrorist attack on multiple locations in southern Israel Oct. 7, killing over 1,200 people and taking over 200 hostages.
Houthi rebels supported by Iran have launched multiple attacks on merchant vessels and have attempted other attacks, including one thwarted when the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney shot down 14 drones fired by the rebels Dec. 16.
“It’s a major challenge and reputation blow for Iran’s intelligence and security agencies,” Moddares told the NYT about the pipeline attacks.
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