Tehran, Iran. Israeli forces expanded their bombardment of Iran overnight, striking fuel depots near Tehran, while Bahrain said an Iranian attack had damaged one of its desalination plants, signalling a widening assault on vital infrastructure across the region.
Overnight strikes and reported damage in Bahrain
Thick, choking black smoke hung over Tehran on Sunday, residents said, after strikes on oil storage facilities had lit up the night sky with plumes of orange flame. Bahrain said an Iranian attack had damaged one of its desalination plants.
Iran describes strikes as new phase and war crime
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said the large-scale attack marked a “dangerous new phase” of the conflict and amounted to a war crime. “By targeting fuel depots, the aggressors are releasing hazardous materials and toxic substances into the air, poisoning civilians, devastating the environment, and endangering lives on a massive scale,” he wrote on X.
Israel calls depots legal military targets
Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told reporters the depots were used to fuel Iran’s war effort, including producing or storing propellant for ballistic missiles. “They are a legal military target,” he said.
Leadership succession and threats
As fighting escalated on day nine of the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, Tehran moved closer to naming a new supreme leader after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with every indication suggesting his powerful son Mojtaba could take charge. Israel’s military threatened to kill any replacement for Khamenei.
Netanyahu and Trump comments
Shortly after the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his government would press on with the assault and strike Iran’s rulers “without mercy”. “We have an organised plan with many surprises to destabilise the regime and enable change,” he said in a video statement. “We have many more targets.”
US President Donald Trump said the war might only end once Iran’s military and rulers had been wiped out. He told reporters aboard Air Force One that he was not interested in negotiating an end to the conflict that has sent energy prices skyward, hurt business and snarled global travel.
How do you think the escalation targeting fuel depots and desalination infrastructure could affect civilians in the region?