“Wouldn’t it have been better if the Islamic Republic had repaired its gas pipelines instead of sending millions of dollars to the region’s bankrupt terrorists?” That was the sarcastic response posted by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Persian-language social media accounts today, following a wave of mysterious explosions across Iran in the aftermath of the 12-day conflict between the two countries.

Since last month’s ceasefire, there have been a series of unexplained fires and explosions across Iran, officially blamed on faulty gas lines. The most recent took place this morning in a six-storey residential building in the religious city of Qom. State media attributed the blast to a “gas leak” on the first floor. Yet, only a few hours later, there were reports of a major fire at the Khatam al-Anbiya residential complex to the west of Tehran. The complex is linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, which is the IRGC’s main engineering and construction arm.

A more suspicious case occurred last week, when an explosion ripped through a high-rise in West Tehran reportedly used by the Judicial Organisation of the Armed Forces. While authorities again cited a gas leak, it later emerged that the building wasn’t even connected to the city’s piped gas network. The Tehran Fire Department claimed the explosion stemmed from gas accumulation on the 15th floor and injured six people. However, state media images revealed the apartment was unfurnished and appeared uninhabited.

Just hours after that explosion, authorities quietly announced the “accidental death” of Ali Tayeb, who was the Supreme Leader’s former representative in an IRGC unit responsible for suppressing protests. No further details were offered and the regime’s silence has only fuelled speculation. That same day, Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a stark warning directly to Ali Khamenei. “Israel’s long arm will reach you in Tehran, Tabriz, Isfahan, and anywhere you try to harm us,” he declared. “There is no place to hide.”

The string of explosions began just after the ceasefire. On 24 June, a house was hit in Kermanshah, near the Iraqi border. The following day, a residential unit in western Tehran exploded. Both incidents, again, were blamed on gas. A day later, a fire ripped through a luxury apartment in the capital’s upscale Farmanieh district, a neighbourhood known to house high-ranking regime officials. More than two weeks on, authorities have yet to disclose the cause.

While state media has confirmed these incidents, citizen journalists have shared videos of additional explosions and fires from across Iran, with no official acknowledgement. Defying the risk of arrest, social media users in the country have mocked the authorities’ blanket use of “gas leaks” as an explanation. AI-generated images have circulated showing Benjamin Netanyahu disguised as an Iranian gas inspector, checking buildings for “Zionist gas leaks”.

Both Iran and Israel are known for their secrecy when it comes to covert operations. But confirmation of Israel’s role in such sabotage operations is now more explicit than ever. In an interview with Fox News last week, Netanyahu openly acknowledged for the first time Israel’s involvement in the assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists. “We eliminated a significant number of their [nuclear] scientists: not the top-tier ones, which we’ve done more recently, but nonetheless key personnel,” he said, adding that Israel has carried out “various other operations and disruptions of many kinds across multiple fronts”.

In this context, the spate of “accidental” explosions across Iran appears less like a series of infrastructure failures and more like a message. At least, that’s how many Iranians interpret them.