A day after Israel carried out strikes targeting an Iranian military factory in Isfahan, state-media released photos of drone debris recovered from the site, suggesting that covert Israeli units used explosive-laden drones to carry out the operation.
Iranian TV showed the remains of small drones that were used to attack one of the workshops of the Ministry of Defense in Isfahan. As we can see, the building really didn't receive serious damage, and it was indeed covered with a special mesh to protect against such small drones pic.twitter.com/0QAUG9Nc6b
— Yuri Lyamin (@imp_navigator) January 29, 2023
While I was not able to identify the drone’s exact model, the parts shown in the debris are consistent with commercially available models of heavy lift drones normally used for industrial and agricultural use. The drone components look strikingly similar to explosive-laden Israeli attack drones downed by Hezbollah in Lebanon over two years ago (pictured below). What is important to note is that these drones have a limited range and attacked a city in central Iran, meaning that covert Israeli teams were operating in the immediate area to launch the drones.
The targeted facility also appears to have sustained relatively light damage due to protective cages that covered the roof. This has been a common protective measure against explosive drones that we have seen in recent years, which act similarly to slat armor to prevent blasts directly on the target.
