Iran says air defenses downed 3 Israeli drones over Qom Province

By Ahmet Dursun, Baybars Can and Rania Abu Shamala

TEHRAN / ISTANBUL (AA) - Iran’s air defenses shot down three Israeli drones over Qom province on Saturday, the Crisis Management Center in Qom said, amid escalating hostilities between the two countries.

In a statement, the center confirmed the unmanned aerial vehicles were intercepted in the skies above Qom, home to the Fordo nuclear facility, which Israel has claimed to be among its targets during the latest round of airstrikes.

Israel launched strikes against Iranian territory, targeting nuclear and missile facilities since early Friday, killing senior military figures and scientists.​​​​​​​

The wave of attacks has continued and resulted in the deaths of at least 78 people with 320 others injured, according to figures earlier announced by Iran's UN envoy.