‘Just a matter of time’: Israel decides on Iran targets
Israel has decided which facilities it will strike in Iran and has reportedly alerted Washington over its targets, with the US ‘relatively’ satisfied with the information.
Israel has decided which facilities it will strike in Iran and has reportedly alerted Washington over its targets, with an official telling Hebrew media: “Now it’s just a matter of time.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured Joe Biden on Tuesday (AEDT) the Israeli military would avoid targeting oil or nuclear facilities, instead aiming for military sites.
Israel’s Kan TV reports that Israel didn’t give the US the exact locations of its targets, instead offering a general description, and that Washington was “relatively” satisfied with the decision.
However officials told the broadcaster the target could change even up to the last minute.
It comes as the New York Times reports that Israel’s vow not to target oil and nuclear sites refers only to the imminent strike in retaliation for Iran’s missile barrage two weeks ago.
Israeli officials told the Times: “This means that it can still attack more ambitious targets in the next rounds of fighting with Tehran.”
They also warned that in the current attack, while not targeting Iran’s underground nuclear sites, the Israel Defence Forces could attack nuclear research laboratories.
Meanwhile a fire at an oil refinery in southwestern Iran early on Wednesday killed at least one person and injured four others, state media reported.
The blaze occurred at the Pars Petro refinery in Shushtar, a city in the Khuzestan province near the Iraq border, around 800km southwest of Tehran.
“This incident has so far resulted in one death and four injuries,” the official IRNA news agency said, quoting city governor Mohsen Mousavi.
He said the fire broke out after “a tanker collision with petroleum tanks”, and efforts were underway to contain it.
IRNA later quoted the crisis management head for Khuzestan, Ali Abdullahi, giving the cause as a “failure to observe safety precautions in refuelling”.
IRNA showed videos of a massive fire sending billowing smoke into the night sky.
With AFP
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