Conflicting Reports on Possible ‘Drone Attack’ Targeting Military Facility in Isfahan

Satellite image showing damage caused to the surface of a military facility in Isfahan following a drone attack last February (AP)
Satellite image showing damage caused to the surface of a military facility in Isfahan following a drone attack last February (AP)
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Conflicting Reports on Possible ‘Drone Attack’ Targeting Military Facility in Isfahan

Satellite image showing damage caused to the surface of a military facility in Isfahan following a drone attack last February (AP)
Satellite image showing damage caused to the surface of a military facility in Isfahan following a drone attack last February (AP)

Conflicting reports emerged in Iran regarding a possible drone attack on a military facility in Isfahan province. While an agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards claimed that the attack was foiled, Interior Minister Ahmed Vahidi refused to confirm the information.

“The Amir al-Momenin complex in Isfahan was the target of a failed attack by a small drone which was foiled by defense systems,” Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

Reuters, quoting Tasnim, said the attempt did not cause any damage.

According to channels on Telegram, the facility targeted was affiliated with Revolutionary Guards’ ground forces.

When asked by Iranian media about the report during a press conference, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said: “For now, I cannot confirm this as it needs more investigation.”

Vahidi’s reservations about the reports came after Mohammad Reza Janantari, the deputy of political and security affairs for the governor of Isfahan, denied the attack had taken place.

“Last night, no security incident occurred in Isfahan,” said Janantari, adding that “the security and military apparatus in Isfahan are always ready to face any threats.”

In the past, Tehran has blamed its arch-foe Israel for such attacks, including a drone attack on a military factory near Isfahan in January. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the attacks.

The report comes days after Israeli air strikes in Syria hit Iran-linked targets that killed at least two Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) members that served as military advisers in Syria.

In January, a Ministry of Defense industrial center was also targeted by a drone attack, which Iran said was unsuccessful and perpetrated by “mercenaries of the Zionist regime.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Iran was behind nearly all the security threats to Israel.

Speaking at the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Defense Forces General Staff Forum, Netanyahu said: “Iran is responsible for 95% of the security threats against us, including those that you deal with both directly and indirectly.”



Putin Orders Military to Boost Troop Numbers by 180,000 to 1.5 million as Ukraine Fighting Continues

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens during a meeting with government officials via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2021. (AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens during a meeting with government officials via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2021. (AP
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Putin Orders Military to Boost Troop Numbers by 180,000 to 1.5 million as Ukraine Fighting Continues

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens during a meeting with government officials via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2021. (AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens during a meeting with government officials via video conference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, March 22, 2021. (AP

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the country’s military to increase its number of troops by 180,000 to a total of 1.5 million, as Moscow’s military action in Ukraine drags on for more than 2 ½ years.

Putin’s decree, published on the official government website, will take effect Dec. 1. It sets the overall number of Russian military personnel at nearly 2.4 million, including 1.5 million troops, and orders the government to provide the necessary funding, The AP reported.

The previous increase in Russian troop numbers came last December, when a decree by Putin set the total number of Russian military personnel at about 2.2 million, including 1.32 million troops.

The most capable Russian troops have been pressing an offensive in eastern Ukraine, where they have made incremental but steady gains in the past few months.

In June, Putin put the number of troops involved in what the Kremlin calls the “special military operation” in Ukraine at nearly 700,000.

After calling up 300,000 reservists in the face of Ukraine’s counteroffensive in the fall of 2022, Russian authorities have switched to filling the ranks of troops fighting in Ukraine with volunteer soldiers, who have been attracted by relatively high wages.

Many commentators have noted that the Kremlin has been reluctant to call more reservists, fearing domestic destabilization like what happened in 2022 when hundreds of thousands fled Russia to avoid being sent to combat.

The shortage of military personnel has been widely cited as a key reason behind the success of Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk region launched Aug. 6.

The Kremlin has sought to avoid the redeployment of troops from eastern Ukraine and relied on reinforcements from other areas to stem the Ukrainian incursion. The Russian Defense Ministry on Monday reported reclaiming control of two more villages in the Kursk region from Ukrainian forces.