Iran's IRGC denies reports of Israeli attack on Isfahan air base

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard and state media have denied reports that an air base in the central province of Isfahan, home to several Iranian military and nuclear facilities, was targeted by Israel overnight.

Reports of explosions in Isfahan in the early hours of Tuesday alarmed residents, with social media users speculating that Israel, amid heightened tensions, may have launched an attack on Iran’s nuclear and missile infrastructure.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard's Saheb al-Zaman Headquarters in Isfahan issued a statement attributing the explosion heard at dawn on Tuesday to a defense system test conducted in the area.

“The sound of the explosion heard at midnight was due to seeing a luminous object and the test activity of the defense system,” the Public Relations Department of the Saheb al-Zaman Headquarters said in a statement on Tuesday.

An earlier statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base similarily dismissed reports of an explosion, stating that the sounds heard in the city were due to the "testing of a new defense system."

Explosions have previously stirred concern in Isfahan; in mid-August, similar reports surfaced but were ultimately attributed to "training activities" by local authorities.

Isfahan, housing key nuclear facilities including the Natanz uranium enrichment complex, is a strategic site for Tehran and has been the target of suspected Israeli sabotage operations in the past.

In April, Israel reportedly destroyed part of an S-300 long-range air defense system in the city in response to Iran's earlier missile and drone barrage against Israel. The incident was viewed as part of an ongoing shadow war between the two nations, with Isfahan's military significance making it a focal point of tensions.

Following a series of highly effective Israeli operations against Iran's primary proxy, Hezbollah—which culminated in the assassination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah—the Islamic Republic retaliated with a massive missile barrage against Israel on October 1. This marked the second Iranian missile strike since April.

Since then, anticipation has grown around an imminent Israeli response, with military analysts debating the scale and targets of potential retaliation.

Although strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities remain a possibility despite the challenges involved, many experts argue that Israel is more likely to focus on crippling critical energy, economic, and military infrastructure for a broader strategic impact.