2024-02-20T15:08:49+00:00
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/ The Hebrew newspaper “Maariv” suggested on Tuesday that Israel has recently expanded its list of targets inside Iran to include sectors not linked to the Revolutionary Guards, after it had focused its targeting on this military formation.
The newspaper said that there is evidence that the recent attacks on Iranian targets, which were attributed to Israel, do not resemble the line followed by the latter in its operations, which primarily target Revolutionary Guard sites.
This came after the American newspaper, The New York Times, said that Israel was behind the explosions that struck the main gas pipelines in Iran during the nights of Tuesday and Wednesday.
Another explosion occurred in a chemical plant on the outskirts of Tehran last Thursday, causing extensive damage to Iranian civilians and affecting dozens of villages and towns.
The Hebrew newspaper pointed out that the explosions of the main gas lines led to the cessation of gas pumping to all adjacent areas, and the weather affected more than 35 villages, and citizens were no longer able to heat their homes or cook, coinciding with heavy rains, snow and strong winds hitting most parts of Iran.
She added that the explosion of the chemical plant was attributed to Israel by the New York Times, at a time when Tel Aviv did not claim responsibility.
Maariv estimated that there were two indications that the explosions did not resemble the Israeli line regarding the chosen targets in Iran, adding that Israel, in general, is accustomed to striking targets that affect the regime and not civilians.
She pointed out that Iranians on social media platforms commented on the explosions and the possibility of Israeli involvement, including, for example, some warning that the strike targeted Iranian infrastructure and not Revolutionary Guard targets.
An Iranian activist was quoted on the “X” platform (formerly Twitter): “If you (Israel) have the ability, you should hit military bases instead of gas pipelines.”
Another was quoted as saying, “Striking the infrastructure will not bring down the regime, but on the contrary, the cost of maintaining the lines will come from the miserable citizens.”
She added that some people denounced the targeting of targets that would “freeze citizens from the cold”, while others called for targeting the parliament, the Assembly of Experts, or the home of the Supreme Leader.
She added that another feature that distinguished the Israeli operations in general is the method of “knocking on the roofs”, i.e. launching a warning missile to alert the residents before the bombing, or warning SMS messages. However, the newspaper did not rule out Israel’s involvement.
It opened the door to the possibility of Israeli involvement, “which would then mean that the Israeli government had begun targeting Iranian civilians.”
She concluded that although Israel was not likely to be involved, she also indicated that it was impossible to rule out the possibility of its involvement in the explosions.