Was Israel behind drone attack on Iran military installation? - Al Jazeera English

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian criticised the drone onslaught arsenic ‘cowardly’ and aimed astatine creating ‘insecurity’ successful the country.

Israel appears to person been down a drone onslaught connected a subject mill successful Iran, United States officials say.

Iran said connected Sunday that it intercepted drones targeting the installation adjacent the cardinal metropolis of Isfahan, adding determination were nary casualties.

The grade of harm could not beryllium independently ascertained. Iranian authorities media released footage showing a flash successful the entity and exigency vehicles astatine the scene.

Israel was down the drone attack, The Wall Street Journal cited unnamed US officials and radical acquainted with the onslaught arsenic saying. No effect was instantly disposable from Israeli authorities.

One US official, speaking connected information of anonymity, told Reuters quality bureau that it did look Israel was involved. Other American officials declined to remark beyond saying the US played nary role.

Meanwhile successful Ukraine, which accuses Iran of supplying hundreds of drones to Russia to onslaught targets successful Ukrainian cities, a elder adjutant to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy linked the incidental straight to the warfare there.

“Explosive nighttime successful Iran,” Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted. “Did pass you.”

‘Cowardly’

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian criticised the drone attack arsenic “cowardly” and aimed astatine creating “insecurity” successful the country. State TV broadcast comments by lawmaker Hossein Mirzaie saying determination was “strong speculation” Israel was down it.

Iran’s defence ministry did not remark connected who carried retired the attack. However, Iran has been a people of suspected Israeli strikes successful the past amid a shadiness warfare with its Middle East rival after its atomic deal with satellite powers collapsed.

A ministry connection described 3 drones being launched astatine the facility, with 2 of them successfully changeable down. A 3rd seemingly made it done to onslaught the building, causing “minor damage” to its extortion and wounding nary one.

Isfahan’s mill is 350km (217 miles) southbound of the superior Tehran. The ministry called the tract a “workshop” without elaborating. It is location to some a ample airbase built for its fleet of US-made F-14 combatant jets and its atomic substance probe and accumulation centre.

When Amir-Abdollahian was asked if it would impact the country’s atomic programme, helium responded,  “Such moves can’t interaction our atomic scientists’ volition and intentions to execute peaceful atomic energy.”

Iran’s authorities faces challenges some astatine location and overseas arsenic its atomic programme rapidly enriches uranium person than ever to weapons-grade levels since the illness of its atomic accord with satellite powers.

In abstracted incidents connected Sunday, a refinery occurrence broke retired successful the country’s northwest and a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck nearby, sidesplitting 3 people.

Israel is suspected of launching a bid of attacks connected Iran, including an April 2021 battle connected its underground Natanz atomic installation that damaged its centrifuges. In 2020, Iran blamed Israel for a blase onslaught that killed its apical atomic scientist.

Israeli officials seldom admit operations carried retired by the country’s concealed subject units oregon its Mossad quality agency.

Talks betwixt Iran and satellite powers to revive the 2015 atomic woody person stalled since September. Under the pact, abandoned by Washington successful 2018 nether then-President Donald Trump, Tehran agreed to bounds atomic enactment successful instrumentality for the easing of sanctions.