Iran blames Israel for Isfahan drone attack
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Roshan Amiri
- . February 2, 2023
- . Update: February 2, 2023 3:24 pm
The Islamic Republic of Iran has blamed Israel for a drone attack on a military factory near the central city of Isfahan on Saturday night, vowing revenge over the incident.
The semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Thursday that Israel was behind the drone attacks. Iran’s UN envoy, Amir Saeid Iravani, also wrote a letter to the UN chief over the recent incident. He said that the primary investigation suggested that Israel was responsible for the attack, calling the operation “unsuccessful.”
In a letter, the Iranian UN envoy further said, “Iran reserves the right to give a firm response whenever and however it feels necessary. This action undertaken by Israel goes against international law.”
The deputy head of security for Isfahan governorate Mohammad Reza Jan-Nesari told the semi-official Fars News Agency that an explosion occurred in one of the military centres affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He said that the explosion did not cause any damage.
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Earlier, the state news agency IRNA reported that the explosion was caused by “small drones.” Citing the defence ministry of Iran, IRNA said that an unsuccessful attack by small drones against a defence ministry industrial complex killed no one.
Earlier, the United States also said that Israel carried out drone attacks in the central city of Isfahan. The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times also reported that Israel carried out attacks on a military factory, citing US senior intelligence officials who were familiar with the operation.
Earlier, a US Department of Defense spokesperson told CNN that the US did not conduct any strikes or operations inside Iran.
After the incident, Iran summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Tehran. The Iranian authorities said that the Ukrainian official appeared to praise a suspected Israeli drone strike. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs slammed Mykhailo Podolyak’s statement.
