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A CNN analysis of satellite imagery and air quality data shows that Israeli strikes on fuel plants across Tehran last weekend increased pollution levels, sparked fires and caused oil spills, leading experts to question the proportionality of the military's actions under international law, amid criticism from environmental experts and health officials.
Images show how attacks on a depot in southern Tehran resulted in several fuel tanks burning and a large amount of oil spilling for days, causing toxic black smoke to spread over a distance of 50 kilometers.
Other images show flames and spills at the Shahran depot west of Tehran, a major supplier of fuel to residents, and the Aqdasiyeh depot in the northeast. Geo-tagged footage shows further attacks at a depot in Alborz, west of Tehran.
The Israeli military admitted responsibility for the attacks, but said the facilities were used by " the military forces of the Iranian terrorist regime ," which supplies fuel to " various customers, including military entities in Iran."
Legal expert Craig Jones, a senior lecturer at Newcastle University in England, told CNN that this justification was problematic and said it likely did not meet the threshold of having a "direct military advantage."
" There are very few nations on earth that would agree that this is a legitimate military target ," Jones said.
Various air monitoring platforms showed a spike in pollution around the same time as the attacks. Those levels drop as the pollution stabilizes or is carried by the wind, but the risks do not diminish, experts said. Spilled oil can also seep into the ground and contaminate water supplies.
CNN asked both the US Central Command and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) about these attacks and their proportionality. The US referred our questions to the IDF. The IDF said the attacks were “deepening the damage” to Iran’s military infrastructure and said it would “continue to act decisively” to “remove threats to… Israel.” Iran has responded by targeting oil facilities in the Persian Gulf.
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