The relationship worsens after Netanyahu’s return
“Air strike while negotiating military cooperation with US”
Analysis of warning letters on Iran from the West
Iran begins to improve relations with Saudi Arabia
▲ An explosion seen at the defense industrial complex in Isfahan, central Iran, on the night of the 28th (local time). Iranian authorities said the three drone attacks caused only minor damage to the roof of the facility, but local Israeli media said four explosions followed at the site, surpassing the ‘minor damage’ level.
Isfahan Reuters Yonhap News
Israel is identified as being behind the unidentified ‘self-destructive drone’ attack that raided the defense industrial complex in Isfahan, located deep in the heart of the interior of Iran, on the night of the 28th (local time). There are also comments that the ‘secret attack’ of the West, such as Israel, against Iran, which supports Russia from behind in Ukraine, will continue in the future.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 29th, citing sources, that “Israel has launched a drone attack targeting Iranian defense bases as the United States and Israel seek ways to curb Iran’s nuclear development and military ambitions.”
Earlier, Iran’s Ministry of Defense announced that it had thwarted a ‘small quadcopter’ (MAV micro-drone) attack that took place in the Isfahan Defense Industrial Center at around 11:30 the night before. The Ministry of National Defense said, “One of the three drones was shot down, and the other two were caught in the defense system and exploded.”
However, Israel’s local Jerusalem Post pointed out that “there were four explosions, and the damage was much higher than the ‘minor damage to the roof’ claimed by the Iranian side.”
Iran suspects that Israel is behind the attack. For this reason, some analyze that this attack is a warning letter from the West towards Iran. Iran has been at odds with the West over nuclear development while supplying hundreds of military drones to Russia which invaded Ukraine. In particular, relations between Israel and Iran are deteriorating day by day since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new cabinet, an extremely hard-line far-right government, was installed last month.
The WSJ said, “This drone strike occurred in the process of discussing military cooperation between the United States and Israel to deal with the unstable situation in Iran.” Last week, the US and Israel held the largest ever joint military exercise, followed by an unannounced visit to Israel by the head of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and a tour by Secretary of State Tony Blincoln on the 30th . Secretary Blincoln suggested a position in Egypt that day that he would not rule out the military option to prevent Iran from possessing nuclear weapons.
Iran has also begun to attract her side. Saudi Arabia, which cut diplomatic ties in 2016 over Middle Eastern hegemony, took advantage of the cracks in its traditionally friendly relationship with the United States to resume normalizing relations. Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, is expected to visit Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, soon for talks with Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian.
Reporter Kim Seong-eun
