Israel: Desalination Plants Shut Down Over Turbid Seawater.

Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel - September 02, 2026 Five of Israel's six Mediterranean coast desalination plants shut down September 2, 2026, after extreme weather raised seawater turbidity to levels unseen in the country in 20 years. The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure said microalgae carried by waves disrupted operations, cutting drinking water supplies and agricultural irrigation, while the Israel National Cyber Directorate confirmed the outages were not the result of a cyberattack. Local authorities restricted water use in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as the Israel Farmers Federation warned of serious damage to crops during the growing season. (Video by jier�keen�magen, Feng Guorui/Xinhua/Sipa USA) *** World Rights Except China *** CHINA OUT ***