Apocalyptic scenes unfolded across the Iranian capital overnight as massive fires, billowing plumes of smoke and streets engulfed in flames following a US-Israeli attack on an oil storage facility. Video and eyewitness accounts from Tehran captured scenes of smoke and fire.
Footage shows flames pouring into city streets and huge fireballs lighting up the skyline after several fuel depots were attacked.
Thick black smoke billowed across the capital, with residents describing the sky as turning red and entire neighborhoods engulfed in blazing flames.
Huge fireballs and thick plumes of smoke rose over Tehran following airstrikes targeting key fuel facilities, according to a report by Al Jazeera. Iranian authorities said the attack struck four oil storage facilities and an oil transportation and production center in Tehran and the nearby Alborz province, sparking a large fire that continued to burn for hours.
The Iranian news agency quoted Al Jazeera as saying that the Agdash oil depot in northeastern Tehran, the Sharan oil depot in the west, a Tehran refinery in the south, and another oil depot in Karaj were reportedly attacked.
Some of the most dramatic footage came from the Shahran oil depot, which is said to have leaked oil onto nearby roads following the strike. Video showed flames raging through the streets, leaving residents in shock.
Witnesses described the explosion so powerful that the night sky briefly looked like daylight.
“It was as if night turned into day,” one Tehran resident told the BBC, describing the moment the explosion lit up the city.
Another resident of Karaj told the BBC that the attack began with a flash that lit up the sky, followed by a powerful shock wave. He said: "It started with a red light that illuminated everything, followed by waves shaking the door. Then the sky lit up again and a huge red cloud appeared.” He added that he later saw a nearby oil depot engulfed in flames.
Residents also described the aftermath as the city was blanketed in smoke.
Al Jazeera news agency cited eyewitnesses as saying thick clouds of smoke were seen across the capital due to the fire, and as Sunday morning dawned, a dark fog shrouded the city and the smell of burning lingered in the air.
A woman in Tehran told the BBC the air was filled with the smell of burning fuel and smoke blocked the sun. "It smells like it’s burning. You can’t see the sun. There’s terrible smoke,” she said.
Footage from Tehran shows flames erupting in several places and large plumes of smoke rising into the sky. Iranian authorities said they were monitoring air quality and urged residents to stay indoors due to concerns about toxic gases being released by the fires.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Bakaei reported to the BBC that the airstrike released hazardous substances into the air, “putting lives at risk on a large scale.”
According to Al Jazeera, an Iranian oil distribution company said at least four employees were killed in the attack.
The airstrikes are part of an escalating conflict between Iran, the United States and Israel, now in its second week. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue its campaign against Iran’s leadership, while U.S. President Donald Trump defended the attack, saying Iran posed an imminent threat due to its nuclear program.
More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the civil war began, according to Iranian officials cited in the report.
But for residents of Tehran and nearby cities, the night’s airstrikes left an indelible image. Streets burned, the sky glowed red and thick clouds of smoke hung over the capital as fires swept through vital fuel depots.
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