Explosions heard in Karaj, Iran, air defenses activated - report

Explosions were heard in Karaj near Tehran in central Iran on Thursday night, with initial reports indicating that air defenses in the area were activated.

The official Iranian IRNA news outlet claimed that the explosions and the activation of air defenses were part of an IRGC defense exercise near Karaj.

Video reportedly from the scene shared on social media showed air defense batteries firing towards unseen targets.

The background of the incident is as of yet unclear.

The incident comes just a few weeks after suicide drones targeted an IRGC facility in Isfahan. Iran has blamed Israel for that attack and claimed that no significant damage was caused.

Attacks on Iranian defense infrastructure

Defense facilities in and near Karaj have been targeted by attacks repeatedly in recent years.

In July 2021, Iran blamed Israel for a sabotage operation that targeted a building belonging to Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) in Karaj the month before.

In September 2021, a fire broke out at the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group missile base in Karaj, near Tehran, killing two workers and injuring one at the facility. The IRGC-affiliated Sobh-e-Sadegh newspaper later reported that the fire was caused by an Israeli attack.

In June of this year, an explosion shook western Tehran, with satellite imagery shared by the Intelli Times website appearing to show damage to the roof of a structure at the Shahid Hemmat Base, indicating that the base had been targeted for a second time.

This is a developing story.