This morning Israel attacked an air base in the city of Isfahan, in the heart of Iran. The attack occurred around 4 a.m. local time (5:30 a.m. in Spain) and was concentrated on an air base located about 30 kilometers from the city center. At that base are the F14 Topcats, military aircraft acquired from the United States before the revolution, the jewel in the crown of a greatly depleted air force.
There is information indicating that a small group of drones have been shot down in Tabriz, in the northeast of the country where explosions were also heard. Israel has also struck pro-Iranian militia facilities in Iraq and southern Syria.
The attack, which was first reported by US officials to ABC, has been confirmed by Iranian state media. Israel has so far made no comment. However, official sources in Washington have informed CNN that Israeli authorities have previously informed US military commanders of the attack. These same sources wanted to insist that the United States had no involvement in the attack.
The main question of the attack is the diversity of the versions offered. While official US media speak of a missile being launched, the Iranian authorities refer only to three drones that were launched from inside Iranian territory, at an unspecified location.
Isfahan is strategically important for Iran. In that city are the main facilities that house the nuclear program of this country, which Israel considers to be seeking to obtain atomic weapons. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has assured that the facilities have not suffered damage. Iranian television showed live this morning the center of the city, where absolute normality was breathed. The Iranian media has played down the scale of the attack. However, the authorities have closed Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport and other important airfields for a few hours. Isfahan was already the target of an Israeli attack in January 2023.
It must be remembered that the Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, has said in recent days that an Israeli attack against Iran will be repelled immediately. It so happens that today is the Supreme Leader’s anniversary party. But there is no news so far that the National Security Council has met, which would indicate preparations for a response to the attack. A senior Iranian official confirmed to Reuters that there will be no immediate response. The same source pointed out that United States information about a missile attack from outside the country has not been confirmed. “We have not received any external attack and the discussion is leaning more towards infiltration than attack,” the Iranian official said.
The Israeli attack would be the response to the one launched by Iran in the early hours of last Saturday, when the Guardians of the Revolution fired more than 300 projectiles, including missiles and drones, in an operation that was announced six hours in advance.
In recent days, the war cabinet led by Prime Minister Beniamin Netanyahu has met several times to gauge the intensity of the response. However, according to US media, Joe Biden has warned from the beginning of the need to respond with restraint to Iranian aggression due to fear that the situation could inflame the region. The Iranian attack last Saturday was neutralized thanks to the participation of fighters from the United States, the United Kingdom and Jordan, which were key to minimizing the impact of the attack.
On Thursday afternoon, the Axios news portal reported that Israel would be willing to moderate its response to Iran in exchange for the United States allowing the Israeli Armed Forces to enter Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, an option that Biden deeply dislikes the devastating humanitarian implications it may have. The containment of the attack on Iran would seem to confirm, therefore, that it trusts that Washington will authorize it to begin the ground invasion of Rafah, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees are gathered.
