Image Credits - NBC News
Tensions between Iran and Israel appeared to de-escalate somewhat on Friday after Iranian forces successfully repelled a drone attack the previous day, shooting down three unmanned aerial vehicles over the city of Isfahan.
While the situation remains volatile, there were no immediate signs of an appetite from either side to further ratchet up hostilities following the exchange of strikes over the past couple of days.
An investigation is still underway by Iranian authorities to determine where Thursday’s drones were launched from and who was behind the attack. However, according to officials in Tehran, no damage was caused by the drones that were brought down by Iranian air defences.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN’s nuclear watchdog, also reported that none of Iran’s six nuclear facilities sustained any damage from the attempted drone strike on a munitions factory in Isfahan.
While Israel has not officially confirmed its involvement, the strike was viewed as a retaliatory move by the Jewish state after Iran launched missiles at an Israeli diplomatic compound in Syria earlier this week. That salvo came in response to an Israeli drone strike that killed two Iranian Revolutionary Guard members in Syria.
The tit-for-tat exchanges stoked fears of a broader conflict erupting between the bitter regional rivals who have engaged in a shadow war for decades. However, the lack of escalation from either side in the aftermath of the Isfahan drone attack has somewhat eased tensions, at least temporarily.
Both nations have reasons to avoid sparking a full-blown war that could draw in other powers and devastate an already volatile region. Iran’s economy is reeling under harsh sanctions, while Israel is focused on upcoming elections.
