Israel has claimed responsibility for a series of overnight strikes targeting missile storage facilities and critical infrastructure inside Iran, including an alleged attack on a nuclear site in the central city of Isfahan.

According to reports carried by Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera, citing Iran’s Fars News Agency — which operates under the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps — loud explosions were heard in Isfahan early Friday, prompting the activation of the city’s air defence systems. The Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, Iran’s largest nuclear research complex, is located in the city.

A deputy governor of Isfahan province confirmed that multiple locations — including the cities of Linjan, Mubarakeh, Shahreza, and Isfahan — were targeted in what he described as a “series of aerial attacks.” He added that while the nuclear facility itself was also targeted, “no hazardous materials were released.”

Iran’s state-run Press TV reported that an Israeli drone was shot down over the city of Kashan, also in central Iran.

The Israeli military, in a rare on-record statement, said it had conducted “a series of strikes” aimed at degrading Iran’s missile infrastructure and storage capabilities. However, it did not comment directly on the reported strike on the nuclear complex.

Iran, on the other hand, maintained that it had successfully repelled the attack on the nuclear site. Authorities said that defensive systems intercepted incoming drones and that all facilities remained “secure and under control.”

The UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not yet commented on the status of the Isfahan facility.

The overnight escalation comes days after Iran ruled out resuming nuclear negotiations under what it described as “conditions of military aggression.” Israel has long opposed any international agreement that would allow Iran to maintain elements of its nuclear programme, which Tehran insists is peaceful.

Meanwhile, as the threat of further conflict looms, hundreds of US citizens have reportedly left Iran in recent days via land routes, according to a leaked State Department cable cited by Reuters. The report stated that while most citizens departed without issue, “numerous” cases of “delays and harassment” were reported, including an incident where two US nationals were briefly detained.

The US, which has no formal diplomatic relations with Iran, has been monitoring the situation closely. In a separate development, the Associated Press reported that the State Department evacuated 79 personnel and family members from its embassy in Israel on Friday amid growing regional instability.