Damage at Haifa oil refineries after Iranian missile attack
An Iranian missile fired as part of a broader barrage struck the Bazan oil refineries in Haifa Bay on Thursday afternoon, causing damage to the facility and prompting a hazardous materials assessment, as sirens sounded across large parts of Israel following launches from Iran and additional rocket fire from Lebanon.
It was cleared for publication that the strike from Iran caused damage to the refineries in the Haifa area. The extent of the damage was not immediately clear, though smoke was seen rising from the facilities.
Initial assessments indicated that the missile was equipped with a cluster warhead, resulting in multiple impact sites in Haifa. Power outages were reported in several areas of the city, apparently due to infrastructure damage. A vehicle in Yokneam was hit by shrapnel, and one person there was reported lightly wounded. In Shfaram, several people were treated for shock at another impact site.
Fire and Rescue Services said 15 firefighting teams were dispatched to the Bazan facilities. “Forces are conducting extensive searches in the area and working to extinguish a fire that broke out at the site,” the service said in a statement. “At the same time, teams have secured the scene and are carrying out monitoring operations to examine a suspected hazardous materials incident.” No injuries were reported at the refinery site.
Magen David Adom said it had not received reports of serious injuries in the Haifa area.
Shares of Petrochemicals Ltd., which holds a stake in Bazan, fell more than 10% on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange following the strike. Bazan’s stock dropped more than 6.5%.
Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen said the damage to the northern power grid was “localized and not significant.” He said Israel Electric Corporation crews were operating in the field and had restored electricity to most affected customers, with power expected to return to the remaining areas shortly. “There was no significant damage to infrastructure sites in the State of Israel in the barrage to the north,” he said.
Earlier in the day, sirens were activated in the Golan Heights and in and around Kiryat Shmona due to rocket fire from Lebanon. Additional alerts were sounded across the Galilee, including in Yuvalim, Majd al-Krum, Sakhnin and Carmiel.
Launches from Iran were also identified toward central Israel and the Jerusalem area, triggering sirens in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, the Shfela, the Lachish region, the Jerusalem area and parts of the West Bank, as well as in Ashdod.
The Home Front Command later announced that “the incident has ended” and that residents could leave protected spaces.
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