Directed by a Mossad intelligence officer, the accused aimed to blow up the facility, but details of their identity and the exact timing of the execution were not disclosed.

Last year, drone assaults were launched against a defense site in Isfahan - an area also home to Iran's nuclear research, including a uranium conversion plant. Tehran regularly alleges Israeli involvement in sabotage and espionage on Iranian soil.

In February 2023, Iran announced the arrest of key figures linked to the Isfahan drone strikes near the Natanz nuclear site. Earlier, defense forces intercepted a drone, and two others detonated at the facility, resulting in minimal damage and no casualties. Reports indicate the target was an ammunition factory.

Iran, which considers Israel its chief adversary, has been locked in an ongoing covert conflict. Tehran disrupted a sophisticated Israeli plan to undermine its missile program in August and, in January, hanged four Kurds for conspiring with Israel against an Isfahan defense location.

Amidst rising tensions, notably since the Israel-Hamas Gaza conflict, Iran has backed Hamas without directly participating in regional hostilities.