First modification:
So far, there is no certainty of the authorship of the aggression. The attack left no fatalities or injuries. The Iranian foreign minister described the act as “cowardly.” This happens amid tensions with the West, due to accusations against Tehran of supplying Russia with weapons during the war in Ukraine and after criticism of the fierce repression of the wave of protests that the country is experiencing after the death of Mahsa Amini.
Armed drones attacked an Iranian military industry facility in Isfahan, south of Tehran, the capital, on Saturday night, the Persian country’s Defense Ministry reported on January 29.
So far there is no extensive information on the event. The Ministry published a note announcing that the attack on the facility was carried out with three drones. Two of them were shot down. Apparently a third party managed to hit the building, which caused “minor damage.” No casualties were reported either, according to the report.
The military portfolio also highlighted that the attacked site was a “workshop.” In the Isfahan region, Iran is home to several nuclear study and development sites, including the Nuclear Fuel Research and Production Center. There is also a major air base built for a fleet of F-14 jets, indicating that Tehran is closely guarding the area.
Iranian security forces had already reported the dismantling of an attack plan against several sensitive sites in the town.
For its part, the state information agency IRNA reported that the unmanned devices were “quadricopters equipped with bombs.” The published images attest to the information, since they showed the remains of the drones, very similar to those that can be purchased commercially. These devices have the characteristic that they are operated at short distances.
Persian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian called the attack “cowardly.” These “moves cannot affect the will and intentions of our nuclear scientists to achieve peaceful nuclear energy,” the head of Iranian diplomacy said.
It was also in the news that an oil refinery, in the city of Tabriz, suffered a fire. State television blamed the fact on the wear and tear of the pipes.
An anonymous US official points Israel out of the attack
This Sunday, a United States official affirmed that, apparently, Israel would be behind the attack with drones that occurred this Saturday. The Israeli army declined to comment.
In recent years, Israel and Iran have exchanged accusations of having carried out cyber attacks, alleged assassinations against nuclear scientific personnel – in the case of Iran – and attacks on ships, but they rarely acknowledge their responsibility.
A spokesman for the Pentagon, headquarters of the US Department of Defense, stressed that no force from his country was involved in the attack.
For his part, Mikhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to the President of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski, reacted on his Twitter account, in which he assured that “the logic of war is inexorable and murderous.” A comment that comes after months of accusations against Tehran of providing drones and weapons to Russia to fight the war in Ukraine.
A complex context for Tehran
These are not good times for Iran. The Persian nation is dealing with several crises at the same time.
At the domestic level, it has faced, since last September, an unprecedented wave of protests after the murder of the young Mahsa Amini when she was in the custody of the morality police. This added to a global economic crisis that has not ceased to affect their finances.
Outside its borders, it faces international scrutiny for its alleged involvement in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Supposedly, providing inputs and, especially drones, used by the Kremlin in its invasion.
In recent days, its arch-enemy Israel has held joint exercises with US forces on Israeli soil, interpreted as a message to Iran and other adversaries of Israel and Washington and raising acrimony in Tehran.
Finally, tensions with Azerbaijan, a close friend of Israel, are growing. A man attacked the Baku embassy in the Iranian capital, killing the embassy’s security chief. The Persian authorities attributed the motive for the attack to “personal” reasons, while the counterpart dismissed it as a terrorist act.
With Reuters and AP
#Attack #armed #drones #affects #Iranian #military #industry #facility