Iran Accuses Israel Of Latest Drone Attack, Vows Revenge

Nour News Agency, affiliated with the Iranian Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), claimed on Wednesday that parts of a micro aerial vehicle and explosive materials were ordered by a foreign intelligence service and smuggled into Iran from the Kurdistan region through difficult mountain passes and were handed to an intermediary in a border city in the northwestern part of the country.

The report added that the drone parts and explosives were then assembled at a modern workshop by a group of specialists and were used in the attack.

Nour News had earlier claimed that several members of a "Kurdish group" were trained by Israel for sabotage operations on the industrial facilities of Esfahan but were "arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence," a claim vehemently rejected by Kurdish groups. 

The late-January attack targeted Material and Energy Laboratory of Esfahan with what the defense ministry called “small drones.” Videos citizens sent to Iran International showed an explosion, although the government claimed its air defenses had fended off the attack. Small or quadcopter drones, however, cannot fly hundreds of kilometers to reach Esfahan, located in central Iran. If indeed the attack was carried out with small drones, it would mean operators were present on the ground, in Iran.

According to the Israeli weblog Intellitimes, the target of the drone attack was the "Iranian Space Research Institute" affiliated with the ministry of defense. The Jerusalem Post, citing Western and foreign intelligence sources, also wrote that contrary to Iran’s claim the attack on "advanced weapons development" facility was a "tremendous success".

The Azerbaijani news agency APAquoted the ministry on Wednesday that 39 people have been detained as part of a special operation to uncover subversive activities in the country “under the guise of religion”.

According to the ministry, the detainees, "posing as believers, made propaganda for Iran on social networks and abused the freedom of religion in the country, carrying out the assignments of the Iranian special services."

Meanwhile, ministry also said Wednesday that "it will use all relevant international platforms to widely condemn the terror act against its embassy and punish the perpetrators."

Tensions between the countries haveincreased following an armed attack last week on Azerbaijan’s embassy in Tehran that left an Azerbaijani security official dead and wounded two others.

The ministry also stated that the Islamic Republic has tried to prevent the terror attack from being widely exposed at the international level.

Azerbaijan says the armed attack on its embassy was a "terrorist" act, but the Islamic Republic says the gunman appeared to have had a personal, not a political, motive.

On Tuesday, the Republic of Azerbaijan asked its citizens not to travel to Iran.

The missile dubbed Al-Saqr or falcon in Arabic, is a loitering weapon developed to counter drones and helicopters, Tasnim claims in a detailed article on Wednesday. It says that the weapon is also known as Missile-358.

Tasnim has also published photos of the weapon as it was displayed at a Houthi parade in Yemen, implying that the technology could have been provided by Iran.

The report says Al-Saqr is 2.7 meters long, weighing 58 kilograms and a diameter of 15 centimeters carrying a ten-kilogram warhead. It can reach an altitude of 28,000 feet but is designed against low-flying drones.

Tasnim claims that the weapon is equipped with both optical and heat-seeking capabilities. The warhead is equipped with proximity fuses and has been able to destroy three Saudi drones.

It is not clear why the IRGC-affiliated website would advertise a Houthi weapon and imply that the technology is Iranian, except to show that the Islamic Republic can play a disruptive role in the region.

Tasnim also describes Al-Saqr as a loitering munition that is equipped with a “microjet” engine but uses a rocket booster at the launch stage, which separates from the missile after reaching a certain altitude.

The report also said that the Yemeni weapon can be a sign that Iran has developed low-altitude air defense capabilities against drones. It added that Houthis have deployed many weapon systems similar to what Iran has in its arsenal.

Major General Mohammad Bagheri (Baqeri) made the comments Tuesday in a message to congratulate the appointment of General Pak Su-il as the new head of the General Staff Department (GSD) of North Korean Army.

He also wished success for the two countries in achieving their objectives.

Tehran’s ongoing cooperation with Pyongyang can be explained by shared opposition to the United States and the Western alliance. Both countries have also defied the international community by pursuing atomic programs that in case of North Korea has culminated in the production of nuclear weapons.

Iran has had close secret military cooperation with North Koreafor decades and it is believed Pyongyang played a major role in Tehran’s development of ballistic missiles that are perceived as a serious threat by regional counties.

Both countries also pride themselves for being independent and developing homegrown military industries, although both have had close ties to Russia and China.

While Iran’s ballistic missile development and its nuclear program have been the most consistent areas of Pyongyang’s technological assistance for decades, the cooperation is believed to have continued since the Iran nuclear deal was sealed in 2015.

"Together with national and international authorities, Lufthansa Group Security continues to evaluate the security situation for arrivals and departures for Tehran Airport and the entire Iranian airspace," the group continues.

"As soon as we have detailed information, we will decide whether or when our Iran flights can be operated again".

Austrian and Swiss airlines also canceled their flights to Tehran on Sunday.

One of the military facilities of the Islamic Republic in Esfahan was targeted by a drone attack Saturday night, causing explosions. Officials of the Islamic Republic claimed it did not cause any casualties and much damage.

A day later, the Wall Street Journal reported that the attack on the military center for research and development was carried out by Israel, according to informed sources in the United States.

In January 2020, a Ukrainian airliner taking off from Tehran amid tensions between Iran and the United States was hit by two air defense missiles fired by the Revolutionary Guard. All 176 people onboard died in the incident.

No official in Israel has yet commented on the issue. In the past years, Israel has been accused of carrying out several operations against Iran's military industries and nuclear facilities.