It later said oil leakage caused that blaze, citing a local official. Moreover, Hezbollah members were conducting drilling operations in and around the airport to store strategic weapons brought by Iran to the area close to the Syrian-Lebanese border, the statement continued. The damage goes far beyond the minor roof damage that the Islamic Republic claimed earlier Sunday and has falsely claimed in past incidents. Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently returned as Israels prime minister, has long viewed Iran as a grave threat. Tehran said on. Sometimes Israel gives the United States advance warning of an attack or informs American officials as an operation is being launched. Drones have played an increasing role in a shadow war being fought between Iran and Israel over the skies of Iraq and Syria, in the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and even the eastern Mediterranean, where tankers have been set ablaze by both sides since early 2019. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Sources said experts from Irans Revolutionary Guard and some experts from Lebanons Hezbollah who have trained in Iran were seen in Dimas airport.. There were no casualties.". The air defence system of the complex was able to destroy two other drones. Iran has blamed Israel for a drone attack on a military site in the central city of Isfahan on Saturday. Iran denied responsibility. His latest book is Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israels Targeted Assassinations, published by Random House. The senior U.S. official and another U.S. official confirmed that Israel has conducted intelligence operations against Iran from Kurdistan, but declined to cite specific details. Photo: Agence France-Presse/Getty . Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the worlds largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. The Revolutionary Guards, he said, have concluded that the most effective way to defend against Israel was to increase the costs and adopt an eye for an eye policy of strikes and counterstrikes. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. In July, Tehran said it had arrested a sabotage team made up of Kurdish militants working for Israel who planned to blow up a "sensitive" defence industry centre in Isfahan. Moscow denies its forces use Iranian drones in Ukraine, although many have been shot down and recovered there. The purpose of the attacked site is unclear, though reports suggest it could be connected to missile production. But the attack does represent a more aggressive posture against Israel adopted by Irans relatively new hard-line government, defense analysts said. Photo: Yossi Zeliger/FLASH90. [18][19], The Jerusalem Post called the attack "a tremendous success", paraphrasing various anonymous sources, and said Iran is downplaying it. The targets presumably including the military facility in Isfahan have been chosen in part to shake the Iranian leadership, because they demonstrate intelligence about the locations of key sites, even those hidden in the middle of cities. A year ago, six quadcopters exploded at Kermanshah, Irans main manufacturing and storage plant for military drones. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Thursday showed the remains of what he described as an Iranian drone that was downed on Tuesday after crossing from Iraqi or Syrian airspace. However, footage taken at the scene showed a powerful blast that was caused by either a secondary detonation or a more powerful payload than anything a drone could carry. Speculation centered around whether the attack was meant to set back Irans advanced drone program or a new program, such as the development of hypersonic missiles, with Russian help. If Israel was behind Saturdays attack, it would mark the first known covert operation in Iran ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a known hawk on Iran, since he returned to office last month. One of the MAVs was downed by the complexs air defense fire, while the other two were caught in its defensive traps and exploded, the statement said. Fortunately, this unsuccessful attack killed no one and minor damage was sustained to the roof of the complex.. "An explosion has occurred in one of the military centers affiliated to the Ministry of Defense . In 2020, Iran blamed Israel for a sophisticated attack that killed its top nuclear scientist. A Defense Ministry statement said that. Julian E. Barnes and Eric Schmitt contributed reporting. The real wake-up call on the threat of Irans drone program came in 2019, with a pair of dramatic pinpoint strikes on two Saudi oil facilities carried out by a combination of drones and cruise missiles. An attack in 2022 damaged a drone facility, destroying at least 120 craft. It is pertinent to note here that the US is also working on the Middle East Air Defense Alliance (MEAD) by bridging the gap between Israel and its Gulf-Arab allies to combat the threat posed by Iran. Last year, an Israeli F35 fighter jet intercepted two drones that Israel claimed had taken off from Iran, on their way to the Gaza Strip to drop off a supply of pistols for Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls Gaza, the Israeli military said. In each of the prior incidents, Tehran tried initially to pretend that the attacks failed and only acknowledged the extent of the damage when satellite photos or other evidence broke into the public sphere, outflanking their denials. Iran claimed to have. Iranian officials have not publicly linked Israels attack in Iran with their attack in Iraq, but others including an analyst close to the Revolutionary Guards, an adviser to the Iranian government, an Iranian proxy force in Iraq and a Lebanese television station affiliated with Iran have said the Iranian attack was retaliation for the Israeli one. The outgoing president, Hassan Rouhani, personally invested in the strategic decision to sign the nuclear deal, said the Vienna talks were going well, and claimed the US has agreed to lift a panoply of sanctions. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported. The strike, which took place near the city of Dimas in southwestern Syria, destroyed the facility and damaged a runway and a radar system at the airport. In statements, senior Iranian officials contended that the drones apparently quadcopters, a kind of aircraft with four separate propellers had all been shot down. A complex that houses a factory that makes Iranian drones has suffered a major explosion days after Israel had claimed that Iran was providing drones to Hamas in Gaza. Its a drone, its a drone, he said of the target. It was unclear what role, if any, the United States played in the February strike. But a senior Biden administration official rebutted that assessment, saying the administration believes that the building that was hit was a civilian residence only and did not also serve as an Israeli training site. The overnight strikes left flames billowing from a military industrial complex thought to be a production hub for drones and missiles that have been used across the Middle East and by Russian forces in Ukraine. Israel appears to have been behind an overnight drone attack on a military factory in Iran, a US official said on Sunday. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers. Iranian drones have been used in multiple attacks against Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and also a US military base in Syria. The most comprehensive solution to manage all your complex and ever-expanding tax and compliance needs. Amirabdollahian, Iran's foreign minister, acknowledged in November that his country had supplied Russia with drones, insisting the transfer came before Moscows full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Drones attacked an Iranian defense factory in the central city of Isfahan overnight, the state-run IRNA news agency reported early Sunday. Saeed Khatibzadeh, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, said Monday that Iran will not tolerate that a location near its border be used for destructive and terrorist operations inside Iran.. Iranian state media released footage showing a flash in the sky and emergency vehicles at the scene. Iranian officials say the strike caused minor damage to the roof. A series of powerful explosions have damaged an Iranian government weapons factory in the central city of Isfahan, according to witnesses and footage from the scene, in what officials said was a coordinated drone attack. The Iranian defense ministry confirmed one of its workshop complexes had come under attack Saturday from a number of Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs), but said the complexs air defenses had successfully repelled it. Israel-Iran Drone War Goes Ballistic: A Timeline; Covert Drone War Between Israel and Iran Goes Public With Missile Launch on Iraq ; Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian of Iran. A man standing on the side of the road as traffic whizzed by is heard on the video saying antiaircraft missiles were fired before an explosion was heard. Reacting to Podolyaks comments, Iran on Monday summoned Ukraines charge daffaires in Tehran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Last summer, Iranian troops fired a salvo of missiles at a residence of a Kurdish businessman near Erbil, which it claims was being used by Mossad officials to direct drone attacks inside Iran. they were directed and possibly carried out by Iran, Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israels Targeted Assassinations. Iran denied responsibility. Three quadcopters equipped with bombs were used in the attack, Irans defense ministry said in a statement shared with IRIB. The explosion took place in one of the munitions manufacturing centers of the Defence Ministry and according to an announcement by the political and security deputy head of Isfahan Governorate, IRIB reported, without giving further details. The extent of the damage could not be independently confirmed. Israeli drone attack on Iranian weapons factory was phenomenal success - sources The Islamic Republic claimed that the drone attack had failed and only cause minor roof damage. After Israel adopted the new strategy, Mr. Bennett says in the video, President Biden, during a meeting, made a sharp request that Israel inform the United States in advance of any action we take in Iran.. Iran has previously claimed that saboteurs were working to attack the military complex in Isfahan, and in July it arrested Kurds who it said had been working with Israel to prepare such an operation. (credit: Akbar Nemati/Unsplash, DAVID YAPHE), Sign up for The Jerusalem Post Premium Plus for just $5, Upgrade your reading experience with an ad-free environment and exclusive content, Copyright 2023 Jpost Inc. All rights reserved. Now Gambian parents seek justice. Isfahan is the site of four small nuclear research facilities, all supplied by China many years ago. [12] Another explosion was reported at an oil facility in Azarshahr. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. The law passed by the parliament will be implemented. Mar 15, 2022, 11:06 AM (GMT+2) Iran drone attack Drone Aircraft IllustrationiStock Israeli forces devastated an Iranian airbase recently, destroying hundreds of drone aircraft in a. The two countries are arch-foes and in recent years have been engaged in what has been described as a "shadow war" of unclaimed attacks on each other's assets, infrastructure and nationals. The extent of the damage could not be independently confirmed. And in a sign of the increasing reliance on drones, or remotely piloted aircraft, Israels attack on the Iranian drone facility last month was carried out by drones. Israel last month launched a drone strike on an airbase inside Iran and destroyed a large number, possibly hundreds, of the Islamic Republic's own military drones. The Iraqi prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi inspecting thesite of the missile strike in Erbil. Iran said one was destroyed by air defence systems and two were caught by "defence traps", causing minor damage to a building and no casualties. For years, Israel and Iran have engaged in a largely covert war, keeping their actions brief, limited and, if not completely secret, at least deniable, in an effort to prevent a full-scale direct war that neither side wants. In one of the first instances, an Iranian attempt to use a UAV against Israel took place in February 2018. Irans use of ballistic missiles instead of rockets or drones was also a serious escalation. 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. In 2020, Iran blamed. Erbil is the capital of the semiautonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq. Separately, IRNA reported early on Sunday a massive fire at a motor oil factory in an industrial zone near the northwestern city of Tabriz. It is unclear what happened in this case. Last October, five so-called suicide drones were launched at the American base at Al Tanf, Syria, in what the militarys Central Command called a deliberate and coordinated attack. Previously she was a senior writer and war correspondent for the Wall Street Journal for 17 years based in the Middle East. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Iran claimed that there was no damage to the site, but satellite images showed evidence of significant damage. If there is no extension, Iran said it could delete the video recordings of its sites compiled over the last three months, leaving the IAEA without information on Irans nuclear sites. The Wall Street Journal described the relation between the Tabriz fire and the Isfahan attack as unclear. Hours after the report, Iran intensified its threats against Israel, despite pretending that the attacks had failed. Washington and Israel also held a massive joint military exercise last week. The supreme leader has underlined the importance of implementing the law as well.. It would also suggest that he will continue the policy of his predecessor to expand the target list inside Iran. Hezbollah, the most successful and widely known of Irans foreign proxy forces, operates both as a militant group and a political party in Lebanon. An award-winning Washington-based national security reporter, Phil has appeared on NPR, PBS NewsHour, Fox News and other programs and moderated national security events, including at the Reaga A rocket engine exploded during a test in Japan on Friday but there were no injuries, an official at Japan's Education, Science and Technology Ministry said. Iran's Defence Ministry said the explosion caused only minor damage and no casualties. In July 2022, Iran said that it had arrested a sabotage team made up of Kurdish militants working for Israel who planned to blow up a sensitive defence industry centre in Isfahan. A one-month extension would give the US, Iran and the five other signatories to the deal leeway to try to complete an agreement on how US will lift sanctions against Iran and return to the deal, in turn restoring Irans full compliance with the agreement. Eyewitness video that has been verified by NBC News shows a small explosion and plumes of gray smoke rising as cars drive past a home furnishings store geolocated as off the Imam Khomeini Expressway in Isfahan. The latter attack destroyed what Israeli officials described as machinery vital to Hezbollahs missile production efforts. Iran has blamed Israel for last week's drone attack on a military factory near the central city of Isfahan, promising revenge for what appeared to be the latest episode in a long . Mr. Bennett says in a forthcoming YouTube video shared with The New York Times that he decided to create a price tag and strike inside Iran in response to any attack on Israelis or Jews around the world. One U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters it did appear that Israel was involved. [7] The ministry said that the attack occurred in Imam Khomeini Street of Isfahan, and that the damage to the buildings was minor. (1 min) Israel carried out a drone strike on an Iranian ammunition factory in Isfahan. [1][2], The New York Times stated that it was likely that the drones used near Isfahan were quadcopters with a short flight range, and also that since Isfahan is distant from Iran's borders, it was likely that the drones were launched from inside Iran. For Israel, the attack on the Iranian drone facility is part of a new approach in countering Irans growing drone program, a tacit recognition that it is easier to pre-emptively destroy a drone than to intercept one en route. Iran, I think, knows what it needs to do to come back into compliance on the nuclear side, and what we havent yet seen is whether Iran is ready and willing to make a decision to do what it has to do. He said that no U.S. facilities were damaged and no American personnel were injured, adding that we have no indications the attack was directed at the United States.. The Jerusalem Post Customer Service Center can be contacted with any questions or requests: Focus on Iran, the Iranian flag in crosshairs (Illustrative). In particular, Unit 4400 is suspected of links to Unit 190 of the IRGCs Quds Force, the branch of Irans military tasked with overseeing the activity of Tehrans allied foreign militia groups. 2023 BBC. Listen. Despite Iranian claims, the Israeli drone attack on Iran at Isfahan was a tremendous success, according to a mix of Western intelligence sources and foreign sources, The Jerusalem Post initially reported on Sunday morning. Iran's clerical rulers have also faced internal turmoil in recent months, with a crackdown on widespread anti-establishment demonstrations spurred by the death in custody of a woman held for allegedly violating its strict Islamic dress code. (modern). Irans official news agency, IRNA, reported on Sunday that the drones had targeted an ammunition manufacturing plant, and that they had been shot down by a surface-to-air defense system. In Ukraine where Russia has been using Iranian-supplied drones to attack civilian targets across cities far from the front lines news of the incident prompted an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to draw a link between the two. That strike and others led Israeli officials to conclude that the best defense against Iranian drones was to attack the production and storage sites, like the one. Israel has also found unwavering support from the United States, though Washington has denied involvement in the overnight drone attack in Iran. The extent of damage could not be independently ascertained. Iran has accused Israel in the past of planning attacks using agents inside Iranian territory. A senior intelligence official briefed on the operation said that six suicide quadcopter drones exploded into the Iranian facility near Kermanshah, Iran, on Feb. 12. The incident served as the latest flashpoint for rising tensions over the country's nuclear program and its supply of drones to Russia. The US has adopted a more aggressive tone with Iran since it provided drones to Russia in the war with Ukraine and has demonstrated even more impatience recently with Tehrans failure to return to the 2015 nuclear deal. During the tenure of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Israel also started targeting Iranian defense and military officials and key infrastructure. The deal was negotiated by Grossi after the Iranian parliament withdrew from a long-term arrangement that gave inspectors near-untrammelled access to Irans nuclear sites. Their defense ministry said the explosion caused only minor damage and no casualties. [Ukraine] did warn you.. The attack against the UAV factory in the city of Kermanshah in western Iran which was attributed to Israel, is a significant development in on going operations to disrupt Iranian aggressions and . War logic is inexorable & murderous. Explosion at Iranian military facility caused by drone attack, authorities say. It is still unclear whether the advanced weapons damaged related only to conventional warfare, or might have nuclear relevance, such as for use in ballistic missiles or explosives which can be used for both conventional and nuclear weapons. Now, officials say, the attack was retaliation for a previously secret Israeli airstrike on an Iranian drone factory last month. [6], On January 28, 2023 at 23:30 local time an ammunition factory of the Iranian Defence Ministry in Isfahan was attacked by three drones, causing a large explosion. Isfahan has been used on and off for various nuclear issues as well as non-nuclear military issues. SPECIAL EDITION | Iran says ammunition factory hit in drone attack | Sunday, January 29th 2023 Iranian officials said that unmanned aerial vehicles struck a munitions facility in the. The Kurdish groups have denied any involvement in the protests. Israel is mostly known to have carried out strikes on what it says are Iranian weapons transfers to militants in Lebanon and is also believed to have sabotaged Iran's nuclear sites and killed Iranian nuclear scientists. Hypersonic missiles fly so fast and have such advanced maneuverability that many experts believe they could penetrate all of Israels air defenses. January 28, 2023 / 11:26 PM / AP. Each side is also believed to have attacked the other's shipping. His latest book is Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israels Targeted Assassinations, published by Random House. Iraqi and Kurdish officials have denied that Israel operates a base there. Iran has blamed Israel for a drone attack on a military site in the central city of Isfahan on Saturday. Isfahan, a city in central Iran that was the target of a drone strike Saturday. The incident served as the latest flashpoint for rising tensions with Israel and the West over the countrys nuclear program and its supply of drones to Russia. The intelligence communities of Israel and the United States clashed on the issue in April 2021 after an operation by the Mossad to blow up bunkers at the Natanz enrichment site surprised the United States. [4][5], On the night of January 2829, 2023, three unidentified drones attacked an ammunition factory in Isfahan, amidst other unexplained explosions across Iran. Actors' strike to hit production of major films, Fran Drescher: The sitcom star taking on Hollywood, Lisa Marie Presley's cause of death revealed, Inside El Salvadors secretive mega-jail. Since the start of the uprising, Iran has launched two rounds of ballistic missile and drone attacks into neighbouring Iraqi Kurdistan, where it claims exiled Iranian Kurdish militias are stirring dissident acts at home. In a 38-year reporting career for The Times, he has been on three teams that have won Pulitzer Prizes, most recently in 2017 for international reporting. [21], Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted: "Explosive night in Iran drone & missile production, oil refineries. Wait for rogue drones hitting Zionist oil tankers, its posting said. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied it was behind the attack, which Iran said caused minor damage, though this has not been independently verified. Under the pact, abandoned by Washington in 2018 under then-President Donald Trump, Tehran agreed to limit nuclear work in return for easing of sanctions. Irans strategic patience has ended and from now on it will be answering attacks with attacks, said Gheis Ghoreishi, an analyst who is close to the government.
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