Israel has claimed responsibility for a series of overnight strikes targeting missile storage facilities and critical infrastructure inside Iran, including an alleged attack on a nuclear site in the central city of Isfahan.
Reports by Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera, citing Iran’s Fars News Agency—which operates under the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps—indicated that loud explosions were heard in Isfahan early Friday. These blasts prompted the activation of the city’s air defense systems. Isfahan is home to Iran’s largest nuclear research complex, the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center.
A deputy governor of Isfahan province confirmed that multiple locations—including the cities of Linjan, Mubarakeh, Shahreza, and Isfahan—were targeted in what he described as a “series of aerial attacks.” He added that while the nuclear facility itself was also targeted, “no hazardous materials were released.”
Iran’s state-run Press TV further reported that an Israeli drone was shot down over the city of Kashan, also located in central Iran.
In a rare on-record statement, the Israeli military confirmed it had conducted “a series of strikes” aimed at degrading Iran’s missile infrastructure and storage capabilities. However, it refrained from commenting directly on the reported strike against the nuclear complex.
Iran, conversely, maintained that it had successfully repelled the attack on the nuclear site. Authorities stated that defensive systems intercepted incoming drones and that all facilities remained “secure and under control.”
The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not yet issued a statement regarding the status of the Isfahan facility.
This overnight escalation occurs just days after Iran publicly ruled out resuming nuclear negotiations, citing what it described as “conditions of military aggression.” Israel has consistently opposed any international agreement that would permit Iran to maintain elements of its nuclear program, which Tehran asserts is entirely peaceful.
Meanwhile, as the threat of further conflict intensifies, hundreds of US citizens have reportedly departed Iran in recent days via land routes, according to a leaked State Department cable cited by Reuters. The report noted that while most citizens left without incident, “numerous” cases of “delays and harassment” were reported, including one instance where two US nationals were briefly detained.
The United States, which lacks formal diplomatic relations with Iran, has been closely monitoring the situation. In a separate development, the Associated Press reported that the State Department evacuated 79 personnel and their family members from its embassy in Israel on Friday amidst the escalating regional instability
