On January 29, the Iranian Ministry of Defense said that its air defense had repelled a drone attack on what it called a “military workshop” in the central Iranian city of Isfahan.
The ministry made the announcement after reports of an explosion at one of the city’s defense industry complexes, some 440 kilometers to the south of Tehran, in the late hours of January 28.
Deputy head of security of Isfahan Mohammad Reza Jan-Nesari told the semi-official Fars News Agency that an “explosion occurred in one of the military centers affiliated to the MoD.” The official said the explosion left some damage, “but fortunately there were no casualties.”
In its statement, the MoD said that the complex was attacked with “small drones”, but its air defenses successfully repelled the attack.
“One of the drones was downed by the complex’s air defense fire, while the other two were caught in its defensive traps and exploded,” the statement reads.
The ministry noted that the unsuccessful attack did not cause any loss of life and only led to minor damage to the roof of a workshop. The complex, it added, continues its ordinary operations following the attack.
Reacting to the blast in Isfahan, the Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics wrote in the statement:
“The failed attack happened at night of January 28, 2023 at around 23:30 local time, but the strike by the micro-drones were successfully repelled due to the forces’ vigilance and defensive preparations. The failed strike caused no casualties and the roof of the workshop damaged slightly, that by God’s grace could not cause any disruption in the equipment and tasks of the facility. The ministry assures the noble people of Iran that the performances of the centers to improve might, authority and security of the Islamic country will continue speedily and seriously, and that the blind acts will not get in the way of the country’s progress.”
Separately, Iran’s state TV said a fire broke out at an oil refinery in an industrial zone near the northwestern city of Tabriz. It said the cause was not yet known. Tabriz is located some 520 kilometers to the northwest of Tehran.
State TV also said the magnitude 5.9 earthquake killed three people and injured 816 others in rural areas in West Azerbaijan province, damaging buildings in many villages.
Last year, six quadcopter suicide drones attacked Mahidasht Air Base in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah. Another drone attack targeted the highly-secretive Parchin military complex near Tehran, killing an engineer. Israel was allegedly behind both attacks.
Over the last few years, the Israeli intelligence were blamed for several attacks that targeted key military and nuclear facilities across Iran. Tel Aviv has been working nonstop to sabotage the ongoing American-Iran talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal as well as to prevent Tehran from further developing its conventional military capabilities.
According to ISWNEWS.COM, some reports on explosions in the Iranian cities of Rasht, Hamadan and Karaj as well as strikes in the military and industrial regions of the cities are unfounded.
Based on the history of the intelligence-security warfare between Israel and Iran, it seems to be possible that the mentioned attacks and sabotages were implemented by elements of the Israeli regime inside Iran. Its worth mentioning that the Israeli media outlets alleged that the recent attacks by Palestinian groups in al-Quds and other regions of the occupied territories of Palestine were aided and abetted by Iran.
The drone attack on Isfahan military complex could lead to a military escalation in the Middle East. Tehran will likely retaliate once the side responsible for the attack is identified.
