The eighth base near Isfahan International Airport is among the most significant outposts of the Iranian Air Force, housing critical fighter jets capable of combat operations in a country that suffers from a dilapidated air fleet.
Explosions occurred on the morning of Friday, April 19, 2024, in the skies over Isfahan, central Iran, after it was targeted by three small drones, which were intercepted by Iranian air defense systems. This incident highlights the reasons behind Israel's targeting of the city and what it contains! The British newspaper The Guardian reported that Isfahan is home to several important military facilities, including nuclear sites, a major airbase, and factories linked to Iranian drones, among other military production.
Israeli attacks on the city resulted in the sound of “three explosions” in the Qahjava Farsan area, near Isfahan Airport and Shakari Airbase, according to initial reports from the Iranian news agency Fars. Meanwhile, Iranian Space Agency spokesman Hossein Dalirian stated that "Iranian defenses shot down several drones."
**Targeting Nuclear Facilities**
The newspaper quoted Iranian officials as saying that nuclear facilities are safe following the Israeli strike. The Natanz uranium enrichment facility, the most famous Iranian nuclear site, is located in Isfahan Province, while the uranium conversion process takes place in the Zardinjian area, southeast of the city. A video from the Tasnim Iranian news agency showed two different anti-aircraft gun sites in Zardinjian, and the details of the video match the known features of the uranium conversion facility in Isfahan.
According to The Guardian, the nuclear facility in Isfahan, which began construction in 1999, operates three small research reactors supplied by China, in addition to handling fuel production and other activities for Iran's civilian nuclear program. The site reportedly experienced an explosion in November 2011.
**Targeting an Iranian Airbase**
Isfahan is also home to a major Iranian airbase that includes the aging Iranian fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcat aircraft, purchased before the Iranian revolution in 1979. Some initial speculations suggested that the radar facility at the base might have been the intended target of the attack.
Equally important are the Iranian weapon production facilities in Isfahan and its surroundings. Earlier last year, an attack—blamed on Israel—was launched on what was said to be a facility for advanced weapon production in the city, using three drones, similar to the current attack. As with the current attack, there were largely conflicting reports from Iranian officials, who stated that two drones were shot down while others caused minor damage to the factory's roof.
