The sky above a city near Tehran, the capital of Iran, appeared to turn “blue” on Tuesday as the conflict involving the United States and Israel continued, with viral videos circulating widely on social media.According to Iran International, the sky over Karaj, located west of Tehran in Iran, suddenly lit up bright blue following an airstrike early on Tuesday.The report added that the attack was followed by widespread power outages in the area.

‘Apocalyptic’ scenes in TehranThe development comes days after explosions and large fires were reported across Tehran and Karaj following Israeli airstrikes targeting several fuel storage facilities in the Iranian capital and nearby areas.Also Read | ‘Apocalyptic’ scenes in Tehran: Massive inferno erupts after explosionsThe strikes triggered massive blazes that lit up the surrounding regions, with some reports describing the scene as an “apocalyptic inferno.”Among the sites hit were the Shahran oil depot in northwestern Tehran and facilities near the Shahr Rey district, home to the capital’s main refinery. The Shahran depot had also been targeted by Israel during its previous conflict with Iran — the 12-day war in June last year.The Middle East warThe conflict began on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on targets across Iran, marking a major escalation in tensions in West Asia.In retaliation, Tehran carried out missile and drone attacks targeting Israeli territory as well as US military bases in several Gulf countries hosting American forces.The joint strikes killed Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. The Islamic Republic has since named his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as the country’s new supreme leader.