In the early hours of January 29, a number of military facilities in Iran were attacked by suspicious drones that dropped explosives. Israel appears to have been behind the overnight drone attack, according to United States officials.
Iranian officials said that bomb-carrying drones targeted an Iranian defense factory in the central city of Isfahan overnight, causing some damage at the plant.
he Iranian Defense Ministry offered no information on who it suspected carried out the attack.
The state-run IRNA news agency described the drones as “quadcopters equipped with bomblets.” Iranian Defense Ministry said that three drones were launched at the facility, with two of them successfully shot down. A third apparently made it through to strike the building, causing “minor damage” to its roof.
State TV and videos shared on social media showed the moment that the drone struck.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian called the blast a cowardly strike. “Such actions cannot impact the determination and intent of our experts for peaceful nuclear progress,” he said,
Israeli strikes?
Media reports suggest that Israel was behind the attacks but neither Israeli officials confirmed their role nor Iran officials blamed Israel for the attacks.
U.S. media reported that “Israel carried out a drone strike targeting a defense compound in Iran, as the U.S. and Israel look for new ways to contain Tehran’s nuclear and military ambitions.” However, the Israeli military declined to comment.
One reporter covering the Middle East reported that the attacks were “specific, surgical and successful”.
The surprising strikes were carried out at the ammunition production factory and UAV production sites operated by the Ministry of Defense in the province of Isfahan.
Another military-related site for the production of motor oils for defense movement was also hit near the city of Tabriz.
“Fortunately, this unfortunate attack did not result in casualties and caused minor damage to the roof of the plant,” the Iranian defense ministry statement added.
Shortly before reports of drone attacks in Isfahan, Iran’s state television reported a fire at an oil refinery in an industrial area near Tabriz.
The official Iranian statement said that the attack had caused casualties and only caused slight damage on the roof of the defense equipment facility. “Thanks to God’s blessing, the attack caused no disruption to the equipment and the operations of the complex.”
Meanwhile, an Israeli news site quoted Kan News which said that “the action is intended to convey a message to Iran and Russia that the United States will not allow factories to be established to export ballistic weapons.” The attack was apparently aimed at an Iranian ballistic missile depot.
On January 30, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel followed by visits by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William J. Burns and national security adviser Jake Sullivan for the U.S.-Israel talks about Iran and other regional issues.
Last week, the U.S. and Israel carried out their largest-ever joint military exercise involving more than 7,500 personnel from both countries and a series of scenarios to test their ability to take out air-defense systems and refuel jets.
Meanwhile, tensions remain high between Azerbaijan and Iran after one guard was killed in an attack on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran. Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi held a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to express his condolences and said an investigation is underway. “The governments of Iran and Azerbaijan will not allow bilateral relations to be affected by the suggestions of those who wish ill on the two nations,” Raisi said.