Iran probing reports of 'foiled' drone attack on military facility

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - Iran is probing reports about an overnight attack on a defense facility in the central city of Isfahan that was reportedly thwarted.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a weekly cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said he could not confirm the attack and that it needed further investigation.

"For now, I cannot confirm this as a more detailed investigation is required," he said when asked about the drone attack that reportedly occurred late on Tuesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported that micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) tried to approach a defense complex in Isfahan but were shot down by the air defense system.

No damage or loss of life were reported.
The latest incident comes two months after a similar attack at the same site was thwarted, which Iran blamed on Israel.

The Jan. 29 attack targeted the defense ministry workshop and was successfully intercepted by the air defense system, resulting in minor damage to the workshop's roof.

On February 1, Nour News, which is affiliated with Iran's top security agency, said groups based in Iraq's northern Kurdish region were behind the attack, who it said "collaborated with a foreign intelligence agency."

It said MAVs and explosives used in the attack were smuggled into Iran from Iraq's northern Kurdish region and were "ordered by a foreign intelligence agency."

In a subsequent statement on February 10, Iran's Intelligence Ministry and Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) blamed the attack on the "mercenaries" of Israel.

Iranian authorities have often blamed Israel for attacks on its military and nuclear facilities over the years. Among the key targets has been the Natanz nuclear plant, 120 km north of Isfahan.

The latest incident comes days after two IRGC military advisers were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Syria, which prompted angry reactions from Iranian authorities.

The slain IRGC officers were laid to rest following mass funerals on Wednesday.