JERUSALEM – Just a week ago, some residents of Isfahan, the central Iranian province that is the center of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear weapons and missile production, cheered as Iran fired a rocket at Israel.
Isfahan city authorities were shaken by Israeli military attacks that activated air defense systems in the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz after three explosions occurred near a key military air base near Isfahan early Friday morning. It is unclear how much damage the Israeli attack caused. The Iranian regime reported no casualties.
Potkin Azalmeer, a British-Iranian expert on Iran, told Fox News Digital: “My sources are telling me there is no damage to the air base, but Israel believes it is Iran’s air defense system.” “We have proven that it is possible to disrupt and avoid this.” Despite being in the heart of Iranian territory, Isfahan could not even raise an alarm. ”
“Isfahan is the center of Iran’s air defense. Failure to detect the attack would raise serious questions about the reliability of Iran’s air defense,” he added.
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Eyewitness footage shows the alleged moment of an explosion at a military industry factory in Isfahan, Iran, on January 29, 2023, and is a still image taken from a video. Pool via WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters. (via WANA (West Asia News Agency), via Reuters)
Azalmeer pointed out that “when the Pakistan Air Force retaliated after the Iranian missile attack, there was no air defense.”
Isfahan has become a priority attack site for the Israeli military. Because this region is one of the central features of the Israeli regime’s illegal nuclear weapons program. This is where the powerful Shahab medium-range missiles are manufactured. Isfahan was the testing ground for the country’s missile system in late October, which last week proved capable of reaching Israel.
Israeli attacks against the Iranian regime are usually shrouded in vagueness to avoid leaving fingerprints on the mission and leave Tehran’s rulers guessing.
In January 2023, an Israeli drone strike allegedly struck a weapons factory in Isfahan. Last year’s drone attack was said to have been carried out by Israel’s foreign intelligence agency Mossad.
jerusalem post reported that Friday’s response was intended to internalize “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth: Israel retaliated where it was attacked.”
Iranian pro-government supporters raise a giant Palestinian flag in Palestine Square in Tehran to celebrate Iran’s early morning attack on Israel by the Revolutionary Guards on April 14, 2024. Iran on Saturday, April 14, 2024, launched 100 attacks in retaliation for an attack on a building attached to the country’s consulate annex in Damascus that killed seven members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force. They launched unmanned aircraft and ballistic missiles. April 1, 2024. Iran blamed Israel for the April 5, 2024 attack on Tehran. (Photo credit: Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP)
Isfahan is also a hotbed of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. In April’s al-Quds Day demonstrations, the last Friday of Ramadan, Iran pushed for the destruction of Israel. Ayatollah Youssef Tabatabainejad, Imam of Isfahan, said: “It is our duty to support the oppressed Muslims, and we hope that God’s providence will wipe out the Zionist regime in this path of resistance.” “I’m here,” he declared. face of the earth. ”
In 2016, the Islamic Society of Isfahan University announced a cartoon contest aimed at mocking and denying the Holocaust.
Shayna Vojdi, an associate fellow at the Gold International Institute for Strategic Studies, told Fox News Digital: “Isfahan is a place of great strategic importance to Iran. Isfahan has military and nuclear bases, and there are “It shows how concentrated they are in this city.” The rockets fired at Israel also came from one of the bases in Isfahan. ”
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This satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC shows Iran’s nuclear facility in Isfahan, Iran, on April 4, 2024. Iran fired air defense fire early Friday morning at a major air base and nuclear facility near the central city of Isfahan after spotting a drone. It is believed to be part of an Israeli attack in retaliation for an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Iran. ((Planet Labs PBC via AP))
Vojdi, an Iranian dissident who opposes the Islamic Republic’s government, said: “The attack on Isfahan means that this city is one of the main points for the regime to pose a threat to Israel and, of course, to the Iranian people.” ” he added. Due to the intense activities of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the regime’s nuclear activities have nearly ruined the lives of the people of Isfahan and increased the incidence of cancer in Isfahan. ”
Iran’s long-range Ghadr missile with the words “Defeat Israel” written in Hebrew. This photo was taken on February 8, 2023 at a defense exhibition in the city of Isfahan in central Iran. (Photo credit: MORTEZA SALEHI/TASNIM NEWS/AFP via Getty Images) (Photo credit: MORTEZA SALEHI/TASNIM NEWS/AFP via Getty Images)
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While the United States and its allies appear satisfied with Israel’s response, other experts say it was a wasted opportunity.
“This is a missed opportunity. Israel needed to impose a significant price on Iran to restore deterrence. This pinprick retaliation could in turn force Iran to face severe consequences for a large-scale attack on a U.S. partner.” “I’m worried that we’re going to teach people that they can get away without inviting them,” said Matthew Kroenig, vice president and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategic Security and the council’s director of research. He said:
