In a mysterious gas leak today (Thursday) at a Revolutionary Guards facility in Isfahan, Iran, one person was killed and at least 10 others were injured. This was reported by the Iranian news agency Fars. The incident reportedly took place in a workshop at one of the Revolutionary Guards’ centers in Isfahan Province.
In another report by Iran International, a media outlet associated with the Iranian opposition and based in London, it was noted that the initial Fars report included the hashtag “Israel,” which could hint at possible Israeli involvement in the event. However, Iran International highlighted that the hashtag was later removed from the report. Additionally, Iran International reported that it remains unclear whether the alleged gas leak caused any explosion. As of this writing, no reports of any explosion at the facility have been confirmed.
Isfahan is home to several critical facilities of the Revolutionary Guards, including the Shahed research facility, where Shahed 136 drones are manufactured. Also located in Isfahan is the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, whose air defense system was reportedly damaged in response to the extensive drone and missile attack that Iran launched on the night of April 14.
Foreign reports published in the U.S. and Iran on the night of April 19 suggest that in response to the Iranian attack, Israel also struck the Iranian Air Force base in Isfahan. According to the reports, the attack was carried out by missiles launched from outside Iranian airspace, combined with drones launched from within Iranian territory. Three Iranian sources reported to The New York Times that the base sustained damage.
Furthermore, after the attack, the airspace over Tehran was temporarily closed. As usual, Iran tried to convey business as usual and did not provide official reports on the Israeli strike, except for stating that “no serious damage” was caused in the attack and that no missiles were launched toward the country.
The mysterious gas leak has not yet received official confirmation, neither from Iran nor, of course, from Israel, but it adds to a long series of mysterious deaths plaguing Revolutionary Guards personnel in recent months, alongside “official” assassinations.
The most notable of these was the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in his room in the heart of Tehran, just hours after he participated in the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pazeshkian, who, incidentally, replaced the previous president of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, after Raisi perished alongside Iran’s foreign minister in an unusual helicopter accident.
