Iran's Defence Ministry thwarts drone attack on military complex; 'caused minor damage'

Iranian Defence Ministry, on Saturday, claimed that it thwarted a drone attack on a military plant in Iran’s central city of Isfahan, the state media reported citing the Defence Ministry sources. Several loud explosions were heard as the bomb-carrying drones were launched at the Iranian military complexes. But the Islamic Republic's Defence Ministry noted that the attacks were “unsuccessful" and that they "did not result in any casualties or equipment failure".

"On the evening of 28 January, around 23:30, an unsuccessful attack using mini-drones was carried out on one of the centers of the Ministry of Defence. One of [the drones] was hit by the Iranian military's air defense system, and the other two were caught in defense traps and blew up," a statement from Iran's defense ministry carried by the state news agency IRNA read. Footages circulating on social media showed a massive blaze of fire on a scene with emergency vehicles and fire trucks outside the plant that specializes in manufacturing ammunition. 

Explosions are being reported in multiple Cities across Iran tonight including Hamedan, Isfahan, and Karaj; there are also reports that Air Defenses have been Activated at Hamadan Airbase in the Northwest of the Country. pic.twitter.com/QWHoce2Eyt

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender)

"Fortunately, this unsuccessful attack did not cause any loss of life and caused minor damage to the workshop's roof," the Iranian Defense Ministry was quoted as saying. 

Iran detains sabotage team of Kurdish militants trying to 'blow up' military complex

In July, last year, the Iranian Defence Ministry announced that it had detained a sabotage team of Kurdish militants who were operating on behalf of Israel. They attempted to blow up a "sensitive" defence industry center in Isfahan. The alleged attack was foiled around the time that Tehran was seeking to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, that Israel had objected to. "The attack did not affect our military installations and mission, and such blind measures will not have an impact on the continuation of the country's progress," the Defence Ministry, at the time, had noted in a statement. The Iranian military, nuclear and industrial complexes have witnessed an increasing number of attacks in the past few years. In 2021, the Iranian regime accused Israel of sabotaging its key Natanz nuclear site. 

Last month, the United States accused Tehran of being Russia's top military weapons backer. US national security council spokesman John Kirby, at a presser, noted that Iran and its steadfast ally Russia have struck an agreement for the joint production of lethal drones, supplied by the Islamic Republic's regime to Russia's invading troops in Ukraine. Iranian kamikaze drones and surveillance UAVs 'Shahed-136'  ("witness" in Persian) have struck the Ukrainian military positions, tanks, self-propelled artillery, and US-manufactured HMMWV armoured vehicles. The Russian military is using the Iranian-manufactured Shahed-136 as a substitute for its long-range precision weapons whilst the weapons reserves have been depleting amid the ongoing conflict, UK's Defence Ministry said in its intelligence.