Behind the drone attack in Iran, Blinken calls on Israelis and Palestinians to de-escalate

What happened?

A “military facility” was attacked with drones near the city of Isfahan on Sunday night. The Iranian news agency IRNA reports, citing the defense ministry, that one of the downed drones caused an explosion at a “military facility”.

There were no casualties and damage was minor. Other aircraft – apparently quadcopters – were intercepted by the anti-aircraft system.

Isfahan is located about 400 kilometers south of the capital Tehran. The province is home to a major air base, missile production complex, and several nuclear facilities.

It is unclear which facility was established. The Iranian Ministry of Defense speaks only of a “military installation”. “The attack has no impact on the country’s military or nuclear performance,” the defense ministry said in a statement.

The attempt by “the enemies” of the Islamic Republic to destabilize the country had failed, lawmaker Mohammad-Hassan Assafari said. He alludes to the regime’s archenemies: the “great and the little Satan”, namely the US and Israel.

Who is behind the drone attack?

But is there really a “Satan” behind the attack? The US denied responsibility. Some US officials familiar with the operation leaked to the US media that Israeli Mossad intelligence was behind the attack.

Citing senior US intelligence officials, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal report that the attack is related to the curtailment of Iran’s nuclear program.

According to the New York Times, quadcopters are indicative of attacks from Israel — particularly those led by recently re-elected Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu.

The Israeli representatives have not commented on the allegations and declined to comment.

Archenemies – “Little Satan” vs. “Rogue State”

Israel and the Iranian regime have been enemies since the Islamic revolution of 1979. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards do not recognize the state of Israel founded in 1948 and support radical Islamic terrorist groups such as the Islamic-Shiite Hezbollah. Israel, on the other hand, sees the Iranian leadership as one of the biggest threats. The US government has labeled all states that support terrorism as rogue states, including Iran.

Indication of a proxy war

This is not the first drone strike. In June 2021, a uranium enrichment plant in Karaj, on the outskirts of Tehran, was attacked by the same drones. It is not clear who is responsible for the attack.

Drones seem to play an increasing role in the shadow war between Iran and Israel, the New York Times reports. Theocracy must supply Russia with kamikaze drones, which will be used in the war against Ukraine.

The Sunday night attack came a day after Israeli officials announced that the country was doing a lot “behind the scenes” to support Ukraine.