IRAN is desperately downplaying the strike on its air base yesterday, branding the supposed attack drones as “children’s toys”.
Tehran’s foreign minister branded media reports of Israel’s successful hit – which struck on Iran’s Supreme Leader’s birthday – “inaccurate”.
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While Israel has yet to officially claim responsibility, it was widely reported that their missiles were behind the precision strike on Iran’s Isfahan base.
At least one successful hit landed at the base next to a nuclear hub on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s birthday.
Iran launched into a rapid media campaign to downplay the damage yesterday and is now blaming toy-like drones from generic “infiltrators”.
Hossein Amirabdollahian told NBC: “They’re … more like toys that our children play with, not drones.
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“It has not been proved to us that there is a connection between these and Israel.”
Iranian state media and government officials have so far only admitted to small number of explosions.
They claim the blasts were a result of air defences hitting three drones flying over the city of Isfahan during the early hours of Friday.
One state TV channel released footage of Isfahan’s “tranquil atmosphere” on Friday in an attempt to dispel reports of any Israeli success after the ambush.
Amirabdollahian warned that if Israel strikes out at the country then Iran’s response would be fierce and immediate.
He added: “But if not, then we are done. We are concluded.”
Yesterday Iranians took to the streets of Tehran to chant brutal slogans like “Death to America, Death to Israel” after the strike.
But the hit seems to have scared Iran into backing down after Amirabdollahian appeared to put the tit-for-tat exchanges to bed.
A Middle East policy expert told Sky that the “Iranians are very scared” following yesterday morning’s strike.
US officials confirmed that they were given notice of an “imminent” Israeli attack shortly before the early hours strike.
And Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani said that the US told G7 that it had been “informed at the last minute” of Israel’s plans.
Analysts described the Isfahan attack – five days after Iran’s flop drone and missile blitz was blocked by Israel’s Iron Dome defences and war jets – as “an extremely dangerous moment.”
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