Iran 'foils' drone attack on defence facilities
Iranian authorities foiled a drone attack against a military target in the central city of Isfahan overnight, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday.
While Iranian authorities have not officially confirmed the attack, ISNA, another semi-official news agency, said that a “micro-bird attack” had been foiled by the country’s air defences.
"The Amir al-Momenin complex in Isfahan was the target of a failed attack by a small drone which was foiled by defence systems," Tasnim reported, stating that the attempt did not cause any damage.
The latest attempted attack comes just over two months after another drone attack in Isfahan.
Footage posted by Iranian media on 29 January showed flashes of lights at a plant that was reportedly an arms factory.
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But this latest attack comes amid continued tensions with Israel following a series of fires started in industrial, military and nuclear sites across Iran.
According to US reports, Israel carried out the most recent drone attack that struck a defence facility.
Initially reported by the Wall Street Journal, the strike in January was the first to be carried out by Israel since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in December.
The attack came amid talks between Jerusalem and Washington on new ways to counter Tehran, including its deepening military cooperation with Russia.
Netanyahu had sanctioned a series of bold operations inside Iran when he last served as prime minister, from 2009 to 2021.
The report also said the drones targeted a munitions factory next to a facility belonging to the Iran Space Research Centre, which is under US sanctions for its alleged work on ballistic missiles.
Arch-foe Israel has long said it is willing to strike Iranian targets if diplomacy fails to curb Tehran's nuclear or missile programmes, but it has a policy of withholding comment on specific incidents.
In 2021 Tehran vowed to seek revenge against Israel after it accused Tel Aviv of sabotaging the Natanz nuclear power plant.
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