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.”



Russia Attacks Ukraine's Energy Supplies with Dozens of Missiles and Drones

A Ukrainian serviceman passes by a residential building damaged by Russian military strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine March 6, 2025. REUTERS/Inna Varenytsia
A Ukrainian serviceman passes by a residential building damaged by Russian military strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine March 6, 2025. REUTERS/Inna Varenytsia
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Russia Attacks Ukraine's Energy Supplies with Dozens of Missiles and Drones

A Ukrainian serviceman passes by a residential building damaged by Russian military strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine March 6, 2025. REUTERS/Inna Varenytsia
A Ukrainian serviceman passes by a residential building damaged by Russian military strikes, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the frontline town of Pokrovsk in Donetsk region, Ukraine March 6, 2025. REUTERS/Inna Varenytsia

Russia attacked Ukrainian energy facilities with dozens of missiles and drones during the night, officials said Friday, hobbling the country’s ability to deliver heat and light to its citizens and to power weapons factories vital to its defenses.
The overnight barrage — which also pounded residences and wounded at least 10 people — came days after the US suspended military aid and intelligence to Ukraine to pressure it into accepting a peace deal being pushed by the Trump administration. Without US intelligence, Ukraine’s ability to strike inside Russia and defend itself from bombardment is significantly diminished, The Associated Press aid.
Air-defense systems supplied by the West are crucial for Ukraine, but further US help is uncertain under President Donald Trump, who says he’s determined to end the war. European Union leaders, mindful they may need to shoulder more of the burden for arming Ukraine and strengthen their own defenses, agreed on a plan Thursday to significantly build up their military spending.
Ukraine is having a tough time on the battlefield. An onslaught by Russia’s bigger army is straining short-handed Ukrainian forces at places along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line.
Officials from the US and Ukraine will meet in Saudi Arabia next week to discuss ending the war, which began more than three years ago when Russia launched a full-scale invasion. On Friday, President Trump said on social media he was “strongly considering” placing additional sanctions on Russia to force it into peace talks with Ukraine.
“To Russia and Ukraine, get to the table right now, before it is too late,” Trump said.
Ukraine came under a “massive missile and drone” attack overnight, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko wrote on Facebook.
“Russia is trying to hurt ordinary Ukrainians by striking energy and gas production facilities, without abandoning its goal of leaving us without light and heat, and causing the greatest harm to ordinary citizens,” Halushchenko wrote.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s power grid during the war. The attacks have depleted electricity generation capacity and disrupted critical heating and water supplies. Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of “weaponizing winter” in an effort to erode civilian morale.
Zelenskyy on Friday won the support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for Ukraine's proposals to take some first steps toward stopping the war, including a halt on firing missiles, drones and bombs at energy and other civilian infrastructure. Zelenskyy has also proposed ceasing combat operations in the Black Sea to allow safe shipping.
Erdogan said that he also wants the shooting to stop without delay.
“We support the idea of an immediate ceasefire and the cessation of attacks in the air and at sea as a confidence-building measure between the parties,” he said in a video call with European leaders.
Zelenskyy first suggested those initial steps in a post on X on Tuesday, when he said that he was ready to work under President Trump’s “strong leadership” to get a lasting peace.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that the energy supply is a legitimate target in the war, because it's “linked with Ukraine’s military industrial complex and weapons production.”
Russian air defenses downed 39 Ukrainian drones overnight, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Ukraine’s largest private gas producer, DTEK, said that the overnight bombardment in the Odesa region was Russia’s sixth attack in the past two and a half weeks on its facilities. Its plants in two other regions were also struck.
Russia fired 67 missiles from air, land and sea, and launched 194 strike and decoy drones, Ukraine’s air force said. Their primary target was Ukraine’s natural gas extraction facilities, it said.
For the first time, Ukraine deployed French Mirage-2000 warplanes delivered a month ago to help repel the attack, according to the air force. Ukraine also has Western-supplied F-16 fighter jets to shoot down Russian missiles.
Ukrainian defenses downed 34 missiles and 100 drones, the air force said, while up to 10 missiles didn’t reach their targets and 86 drones were lost from radars, presumably jammed by electronic warfare.