Israel Launches First Strikes on Iranian Oil Infrastructure

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Saturday, March 7, that it had carried out its first airstrikes targeting Iran's oil infrastructure. An IDF representative stated that at least 30 oil storage tanks were hit in Tehran.

An anonymous official from Iran's oil ministry confirmed to the Fars news agency that three oil depots in Tehran and the neighboring city of Karaj were attacked. According to the IRNA agency, two of these depots were located near a major oil refinery in the south of the Iranian capital; the refinery itself was not damaged.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed it retaliated by firing missiles at a refinery in the Israeli city of Haifa. This information has not been confirmed by Israeli authorities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Saturday that joint American-Israeli bombing of Iran would continue as usual and that a "moment of truth" was approaching when Iranians might overthrow their government. Netanyahu also addressed Iranian security forces, saying those who lay down their arms would not be harmed.