DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Tensions between Israel and Iran have escalated following an alleged sabotage attack on an Iranian natural gas pipeline, which triggered multiple explosions last week. Israel has been accused of carrying out the attack, which comes amid Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and increasing hostilities towards Tehran’s nuclear program.
Iran’s Oil Minister Javad Owji accused Israel of plotting the explosion on the gas pipeline, claiming that the enemy intended to disrupt gas service and put people’s gas distribution at risk. However, no evidence was provided to support these claims.
The explosion occurred on Feb. 14, hitting a natural gas pipeline running from Iran’s western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province up north to cities on the Caspian Sea. This pipeline, approximately 790 miles long, originates in Asaluyeh, a hub for Iran’s offshore South Pars gas field.
Owji compared this attack to a series of unclaimed assaults on gas pipelines in 2011, coinciding with the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution. This recent attack further adds to the ongoing tensions between Israel and Iran, which have primarily focused on Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear program.
Tensions have also been heightened by the involvement of other groups armed by Iran, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have targeted Israel over the conflict in Gaza. The Houthis have been responsible for attacking commercial shipping in the region, prompting airstrikes from the United States and the United Kingdom.
Despite a month of U.S.-led airstrikes, the Houthi rebels have shown their capability to launch significant attacks. This week, they damaged a ship in a crucial strait and downed an American drone worth tens of millions of dollars.
In addition, a suspected Israeli strike killed two people in a neighborhood in Syria’s capital, Damascus, on Wednesday. The area has been targeted by Israeli strikes aimed at members of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. These events reflect the ongoing hostilities and regional tensions involving Iran, Israel, and their respective allies.