Shot down 3 drones, confirms Iran after Israel ‘attacked’ Isfahan, home to military bases & nuclear facilities

Iran’s air defences have brought down three drones allegedly launched by Israel over the central city of Isfahan. The confirmation came hours after reports said Israeli missiles had hit the province with significant nuclear facilities.

Iran’s space agency spokesman Hossein Dalirian Friday said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) “several” drones had been “successfully shot down”.

“There are no reports of a missile attack for now,” he added.

“They said that we fired 500 suicide drones and missiles… now they respond with three of these quadcopter, all of which were shut down,” Dalirian said on X.

“They just say that they didn’t inform America before,” he said adding emoji smiles, in an apparent jab at recent tensions in relations between Israel and the US amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

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میگفتن 500 تا پهپاد انتحاری و موشک به سمت ما شلیک شده و اسرائیل تحت بزرگترین حمله پهپادی جهان قرار گرفته

حالا اون عملیات رو با 3 تا از این کوادکوپترها خواستن جواب بدن که هر سه‌تاشون سرنگون شدن 😂😂

تازه میگن به آمریکا هم خبر ندادن قبلش :) pic.twitter.com/bdsE4l1gls

— Hossein Dalirian (@HosseinDalirian) April 19, 2024

According to Iranian state media, air defences were activated and flight across several areas including Tehran and Isfahan were suspended after explosions were reported in the province.

“Around 1230 AM GMT” three drones were seen in the sky over Isfahan, air defence systems were activated and they “destroyed these drones in the sky,” the Iranian state broadcasters reported.

In Iran, Isfahan is considered a strategically important city as it hosts several important sites, including military research and development sites, and bases.

The nearby city of Natanz is where one of Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites is situated.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported, citing “reliable sources”.

Citing “reliable” sources, Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported that nuclear facilities in Isfahan were “completely secure”.

ABC News in a report earlier, cited a senior US official saying that Israel had launched missiles at a site in Iran late on Thursday evening.

Israel had promised to respond after Iran launched a barrage of drones and missiles on the country last Saturday, after a suspected Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate compound in Damascus killed two senior generals.

With inputs from agencies