The Iranian Defense Ministry announced on 29 January that several “unsuccessful” drone attacks were launched early that morning against a military facility in the city of Isfahan, leaving no casualties and causing minor material damages.

“One of [the drones] was hit by the … air defense and the other two were caught in defense traps and blew up … Fortunately, this unsuccessful attack did not cause any loss of life and caused minor damage to the workshop’s roof,” the defense ministry statement read.

The facility is said to be an equipment manufacturing plant, and Tehran has not specified who is suspected to have carried out the attack. The statement was released following the sound of a large explosion in the central Iranian city.

Videos circulating social media show the moment one of the drones was repelled by the facility’s defense systems, resulting in a blast.

Iranian Ministry of Defense: Three drones targeted a military facility in Isfahan Province

VIDEO: One of the explosions reported in Isfahan pic.twitter.com/2LD6u8NRTy

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) January 29, 2023

The attack “has not affected our installations and mission … and such blind measures will not have an impact on the continuation of the country’s progress,” the statement added.

The attacks coincided with an Iranian television report which said that a fire had broken out at an oil refinery near Tabriz, the cause of which was unknown.

Although Tehran has yet to specify who it believes perpetrated the attack, Israel is likely to be the main suspect, as it has in the past been found to be behind many acts of sabotage against the Islamic Republic.

These incidents include attacks on the Natanz nuclear research facility and other sites; the use of cyber-attacks to cause malfunctions in electrical infrastructure, and the use of miniature drones armed with explosives.

On 25 May, an explosion at the Parchin military research site in Iran resulted in the death of an engineer and the injury of one other person. Days later, the New York Times (NYT) reported that Israel had explicitly told Washington that it was behind this attack.

Israeli espionage has been active in Iran for several decades. However, it has increased significantly in the wake of recent international efforts aimed at instigating regime change in the country.