Iran and Israel’s long-running geopolitical rivalry is fueled by deep-rooted ideological disagreements, strategic objectives, and regional power struggles. The two countries have been engaged in a shadow war that includes cyber operations, proxy conflicts, and regional influence campaigns, despite the fact that the conflict has not resulted in direct combat (Fulton, 2019; Litvak, 2021).
Mainstream conversations about this conflict tend to concentrate on nuclear issues and regional security, often ignoring its effects on the environment and climate. However, there is significant ecological degradation as a result of war and military operations.
Environmental costs show up as long-term climate vulnerability, forest destruction, and pollution of the air and water in conflict-prone regions like Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza (United Nations Environment Programme [UNEP], 2020). In order to highlight a pressing and little-known facet of contemporary warfare, this article will examine the indirect but noteworthy effects of the Iran-Israel conflict on the environment and climate.
Historical Background of the Conflict
The Iran-Israel rivalry has its roots in the transformative events of 1979, when Iran’s Islamic Revolution dramatically shifted the country’s ideology toward staunch opposition to Israel. Since then, Tehran has consistently supported proxy groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza with financial, military, and ideological resources (Levitt, 2021; Daher, 2021).
This support escalated into direct confrontations in several significant conflicts: the 2006 Lebanon War saw Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel and Israel responding with extensive airstrikes—an exchange that led to environmental devastation, notably the Jiyeh oil spill (Linden & Rust, 2008). These violent clashes decimated ecosystems, contaminated shorelines, and took a prolonged toll on regional biodiversity.
The Syrian civil war marked a further intensification of the conflict, with Iran backing the Assad regime through personnel, weaponry, and military advisers, while Israel executed hundreds of airstrikes against Iranian-linked targets to halt the transfer of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah (European Council on Foreign Relations, 2024; CSIS, 2017).
This proxy warfare has been increasingly sophisticated, combining drone and missile engagements with cyberattacks targeting strategic infrastructure including energy grids and possible nuclear sites (Aljohani, 2022). These covert operations illustrate a transition from traditional battlefield confrontations to multi-domain warfare that significantly complicates environmental risk management.
Central to the conflict is the contentious nuclear dimension. Iran’s nuclear ambitions, while officially limited to energy purposes, are deeply alarmed Israel, which has responded with a strategy of preemption—allegedly deploying sabotage (such as the Stuxnet-like disruptions) and assassinations aimed at delaying Iran’s nuclear program (RAND, 2025; FT, 2025). Reports indicate repeated disruptions at Natanz and Fordow, accompanied by the targeted killing of nuclear scientists—measures that signal Israel’s shift from indirect to direct military deterrence.
All things considered, the Iran-Israel conflict has evolved from an ideological disagreement to a complex mix of targeted attacks, cyberwarfare, proxy wars, and nuclear brinkmanship. This multifaceted attack, which extends well beyond military settings, is putting the environmental stability and security of the region at greater risk.
Climate and Ecological Risks of Military Escalation
Impact of Military Strikes on Civil Infrastructure
One of the most destructive aspects of the Iran-Israel conflict has been targeted attacks on critical infrastructure, particularly in Syria and Lebanon, where Iranian-backed forces are active. These attacks have targeted military installations, chemical plants, weapons depots, and oil storage facilities, resulting in both immediate structural damage and long-term environmental effects.
Peter Weir of the Center for Environmental Security says, “Airstrikes on oil infrastructure frequently cause pollution through fires that release lead, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as well as other contaminants that spread widely and endanger ecosystems and human health by settling into soils and water sources” (Weir, 2016).
Damaged pipelines and oil fires in Syria’s Hasakah region have led to crude and toxic waste leaking into soil and water, harming air quality and agriculture (Zwijnenburg et al., 2021). Similarly, the 2006 bombing of Lebanon’s Jiyeh power plant spilled up to 15,000 tonnes of oil into the Mediterranean, polluting over 150 km of coastline (UNEP/IUCN, 2007; Linden & Rust, 2008). Chemical plant explosions further release toxic gases, while heavy metals and pollutants from bombed areas disrupt soil fertility, biodiversity, and carbon storage—intensifying climate stress.
Forest Fires and Land Degradation
Forest fires have become a growing environmental consequence of the Iran–Israel conflict, often ignited by rocket and drone activity in regions such as the Golan Heights and northern Israel. According to the Jewish National Fund, Hezbollah rocket fire during the 2006 and 2024 outbreaks destroyed approximately 12,000 dunams (about 1,200 hectares) of forest and farmland in northern Israel—inflicting damage that could take 50–60 years to regenerate (Apter, 2006; Shtotland, 2024). More recent studies have reinforced this, noting that wildfires during 2024 scorched an estimated 182 square kilometers—equivalent to about 18,200 hectares of northern Israeli nature reserves and ecosystems (Michaeli, 2024).
The immediate loss of forest cover accelerates soil erosion, undermines water retention, and degrades habitat structure, resulting in long-term land deterioration. Moreover, these fires severely disrupt local ecosystems and threaten endangered species: observers point to bird nest destruction, reptile and mammal fatalities, and even impacts on migratory bird use of the Hula Valley (Danan, 2025; Michaeli, 2024). Furthermore, the combustion of biomass releases significant volumes of smoke, particulate matter, and CO₂, exacerbating air pollution and contributing to greenhouse gas accumulation—thereby indirectly influencing regional climate dynamics (War Room, 2024). As hostilities persist, the frequency and intensity of such fires grow, compounding environmental stress and inflicting long-term damage on fragile Mediterranean ecosystems.
Nuclear and Radiological Risk
The ongoing tension surrounding Iran’s nuclear program poses one of the most alarming environmental and security threats in the Iran–Israel conflict. While Iran asserts its nuclear activities are peaceful, Israel and its allies fear Iran may develop weapons capabilities, prompting preemptive military and covert operations. These concerns center on nuclear facilities such as Natanz and Fordow, where strikes or sabotage could release radioactive and toxic materials—ruining air, soil, and water and causing cross-border contamination (Reuters, 2025; AP, 2025). Even though current radiation levels remain low outside these sites, the leakage of uranium hexafluoride (UF₆) and other chemicals raises serious ecological alarm (AP, 2025; FT, 2025).
More concerning is the specter of a tactical or accidental nuclear exchange, which could unleash a massive release of soot into the stratosphere—triggering a “nuclear winter” scenario. Studies indicate that even a limited regional nuclear conflict could inject millions of tonnes of black carbon, causing global surface cooling of several degrees, a sharp decline in precipitation, diminished crop yields, and possible collapse of ozone layers (Robock et al., 2020; Toon et al., 2007). In a region already contending with water scarcity, agricultural decline, and climate stress, any radiological incident would devastate human health, ecosystems, and food security—underscoring the urgent need for diplomatic solutions that avoid ecological catastrophe.
Impact on Water and Air Resources
The Iran–Israel conflict, along with its regional spillover, has increasingly affected vital water and air resources across the Middle East. Shared water systems, such as the Jordan River Basin, already strained by overuse and climate change, face further threats from military operations. Bombardment and strikes on pipelines, reservoirs, and treatment plants frequently result in chemical spills and sewage releases, contaminating both rivers and underground aquifers (Chatham House, 2023; PreventionWeb, 2022).
Additionally, recurrent airstrikes and resulting facility fires release harmful pollutants into the atmosphere—particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOₓ), and heavy metals—ultimately degrading air quality and increasing respiratory ailments among nearby communities (IPCC, 2019; World Bank, 2020).
In arid zones, disruptions to vegetation cover—caused by conflict-related land clearance, bombing, and troop movements—degrade soil and promote erosion. These destabilized landscapes facilitate intensifying dust storms, which carry fine particles across borders, further compromising air quality and accelerating desertification (Chatham House, 2023; WEF, 2022).
A regional study confirms that such storms diminish agricultural productivity, with each additional dust-day reducing crop yields by approximately 1.1% and costing Iraq roughly $0.1 billion annually (Ahmadzai, 2023). These environmental changes not only threaten public health—by exacerbating respiratory and cardiovascular conditions—but also impede ecosystem recovery, weakening soils’ ability to retain water and support vegetation regrowth.
Climate Stress and Security Nexus
The Iran–Israel conflict takes place in a larger context of increased climatic stress throughout the Middle East, which is characterized by rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, and depleting water supplies elements that exacerbate political and socioeconomic tensions (AlSarihi, 2025; Daoudy, 2023). Iran’s climate change has resulted in severe water scarcity, ongoing desertification, overused aquifers, and declining agricultural output.
These circumstances have led to public demonstrations, economic strife, and internal displacement, especially in regions such as Khuzestan where environmental degradation has caused significant population changes (Hassaniyan, 2024; Rostami & Paski, 2024).
Therefore, environmental deterioration increases competition for scarce resources like clean water, clean air, and fertile land both inside and across countries, acting as a subtle but potent driver for geopolitical friction (Daoudy, 2023; Atlantic Council, 2023). Furthermore, climate change-related displacement is growing across the region.
Millions of people are being forced to leave their homes due to uninhabitable conditions, generating climate refugees whose migration puts more strain on neighboring countries. This movement might exacerbate cross-border tensions and turn environmental stress into a security concern. Therefore, climate change significantly impacts regional security dynamics in addition to its biological foundations.
Regional and Global Implications
The Iran-Israel war has serious environmental repercussions that extend well beyond national boundaries, endangering nearby nations like Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. These countries are especially susceptible to cross-border ecological harm, such as air and water contamination, resource depletion, and land degradation, because political instability, violence, and economic hardship have already weakened them (Alarabiya, 2023; AA, 2019). The region’s ecosystems and human communities are contaminated by widespread environmental damage caused by missile assaults, industrial sabotage, forest fires, and contaminated shared rivers.
The problem is made worse by the Middle East’s extensive biodiversity corridors and migration bird routes that span conflict areas. These ecological networks have been disrupted by military actions, habitat degradation, and fires, endangering species diversity and upsetting ecosystem connectivity. (Frontiers, 2025; ICRC, 2019). For instance, wetlands in Syria and Iraq have seen catastrophic biodiversity losses due to conflict-driven environmental destruction, with local fish and duck populations sharply falling (Frontiers, 2025).
International organizations have suggested the establishment of “environmental safe zones” in areas that are at risk, underscoring the significance of preserving the environment during violent conflicts. The 2022 UN Principles on Environmental Protection in Armed Conflicts have been modified, and the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework now include conflict-sensitive strategies. These programs demonstrate the rising understanding of the connection between peacebuilding and environmental conservation on a worldwide scale.
However, because of inadequate legal mandates, a lack of accountability, and restricted enforcement mechanisms, implementation is still weak despite these advancements. Ensuring that environmental preservation becomes a fundamental part of international humanitarian and security strategies requires strengthening these frameworks.
International organizations have responded by highlighting the need for “protected zones” to safeguard important ecosystems. Examples of these initiatives include the 2022 “Principles on Protection of the Environment in Relation to Armed Conflicts” and modifications to the Kunming–Montreal Framework under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) (ICRC/Cambridge, 2023; ILC/CBD, 2022). Even while there has been progress, these policies still require stronger legal protection, more stringent oversight, and effective accountability to ensure that ecological preservation is prioritized in international peace and security efforts.
Conclusion
The Iran-Israel conflict has important but largely ignored environmental ramifications, despite being frequently seen via a geopolitical lens. Ecosystems are harmed by airstrikes and attacks on infrastructure, and the environmental disaster in the area is made worse by pollution, contaminated water, and displacement.
In addition to hurting local communities, these impacts endanger regional stability and biodiversity worldwide. Since ecological resilience is essential to long-term peace and security, climate-aware diplomacy is desperately needed. Environmental concerns must be incorporated into peacebuilding through international collaboration, responsibility, and oversight. Restoring ecosystems and managing common resources are the main goals of environmental peacebuilding, which can reduce tensions and advance long-term regional harmony.
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