A coordinated barrage from Iran and Lebanon struck the Haifa region Monday morning, producing multiple impact sites across the city. An Iranian cluster munition hit five locations in Haifa and on additional streets in neighboring towns. Ten additional missiles were simultaneously fired from Lebanon, most of which were intercepted. Once again, at the center of the damage was the Bazan refinery complex in Haifa, near which one of the impacts occurred – less than two weeks after a direct hit on the facility's buildings. One person was lightly wounded as a result of an impact in the Arab city of Shfaram.
According to a firefighting and rescue team that arrived at the refinery scene, a direct hit was identified on a tanker parked on the facility's grounds, along with thick smoke rising from the roof of a nearby building. Firefighters, together with the plant's own emergency crews and Home Front Command rescue battalions, were conducting firefighting operations to prevent the fire from spreading to additional areas and searching for trapped individuals. No casualties were reported at the scene at the time.
Elad Hochman, CEO of Green Course (an Israeli environmental advocacy organization), responded to the strike on the refinery, "Even though Bazan has been attacked and struck three times in less than a year – including fatal strikes that ended in the deaths of three workers – we are learning that a two-year delay in the facility's relocation is expected, pushing the move to 2031. This is a reckless, negligent, and dangerous delay for which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Energy Minister Eli Cohen, and Environment Minister Idit Silman bear responsibility – they are abandoning public safety and the economy's needs in favor of narrow political interests. Israel's oil facilities are a strategic target for the enemy and endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of residents – both in peacetime and in wartime. Every day of delay in closing Bazan is a national security risk."
The Ministry of Environmental Protection launched emergency operations following reports of a suspected hazardous materials incident at Haifa Bay. Environment Minister Idit Silman said, "The Ministry of Environmental Protection is in continuous contact with all relevant parties, conducting ongoing monitoring and oversight of developments, and will provide further updates as necessary."
Video: The interception of the Iranian cluster munition. Credit: Usage under Israel's Intellectual Property Law Article 27(a)
Rescue and medical teams set out to conduct sweeps at the various impact sites in Haifa and the Krayot (a cluster of towns north of Haifa). According to Magen David Adom, no casualty reports had been received at that point. In Kiryat Ata (a city northeast of Haifa), a roof collapse in a residential building was reported, along with additional impacts on various streets in the city, including one that caused a power outage.
MDA emergency medic David Stern reported from one of the impact sites in Haifa, "We received reports of several impact sites and dispatched ambulances, intensive care vehicles, and MDA motorcycles to the scene. We arrived within minutes and saw the destruction: shattered glass on the ground and heavy smoke. We began extensive searches at the scene – fortunately, there were no physical casualties. We are continuing to search and will remain at the sites as long as necessary."
In Haifa, two residential buildings were reported to have been struck, along with impacts on roads and various streets throughout the city. Across all sites, as noted, no casualties had been reported. In addition, reports were received of interceptor debris falling in Shfaram, as a result of which one person was lightly wounded, and two additional anxiety casualties were evacuated.
Israel Police reported that officers from the Coastal District were conducting sweeps to locate interceptor debris and were asking the public to avoid approaching missile impact sites and areas of destruction.
Home Front Command fighters also deployed to the sites where impact reports had been received in northern Israel, calling on residents to avoid gathering in those areas.
By Michel Makhoul, Maytal Yasour Beit-Or, Idan Avni, Assaf Golan, and Lilach Shoval
