The American newspaper reported on February 16 that recent covert attacks on two natural gas pipelines in Iran, which disrupted the flow of natural gas for cooking and heat appliances, were sabotage attacks by proxies of the regime.
The daily's report is based on information received from two Western officials and a military strategist close to the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
The newspaper described the sabotage as a notable shift in the long-running clashes between the Israeli regime and Iran.
It reported that the Tel Aviv regime has a long history of targeting military and nuclear sites as well as scientists and commanders, while Iranian authorities emphasize that the regime’s elements have carried out terrorist attacks and targeted civilians inside the country. The NYT pointed to recent terrorist attacks on a ceremony in Kerman, which left around 100 martyrs.
However, the newspaper also quoted some officials and analysts stipulating that blowing up energy infrastructure marks an escalation in the covert hostility and it seems to open a new frontier. A Western source described the attack as a symbolic strike, which was fairly easy for Iran to repair, the report said.
According to the NYT, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the issue.
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