That certainly is one possible reason.
Anti-aircraft fire was reported Monday in the vicinity of a nuclear site in Bushehr, Iran, according to preliminary reports.An Iranian official told the country’s semi-official Fars news agency that the anti-aircraft fire was to test air defenses at the site.
"This exercise took place at 5 a.m. local time (130 GMT) with full preparation and coordination with the armed forces," Mohammadtaqi Irani told the agency, according to Rooters.
Numerous explosions have been reported over the past few years in complexes vital to Iran’s nuclear program and its energy and military sectors.
Some of the incidents have been said to stem from technical malfunctions as well as air defense tests, while others have been blamed by the Islamic Theocratic
Republicon its enemies, including the US and Israel.
Earlier this month, Iran
...The word Iranis a cognate form of
Aryan.The abbreviation
IRGCis the same idea as
Stürmabteilung (or SA).The term
Supreme Guideis a the modern version form of either
Duceor
Führeror maybe both...
said it carried out similar air defense tests near the Natanz site after explosions were heard in the vicinity.
Initial reports had said a drone was shot down. Several media outlets including Nour News, a website linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said the earth-shattering kaboom was not an attack, but rather was caused by a missile as part of a test of air defenses’ response to a potential strike.
Israel has said it will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons. Earlier this month, Defense Minister Benny Gantz said he notified US officials that he had instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for a strike against Iran.
A senior US official said earlier this month that Israeli and American military leaders are set to discuss possible military drills to practice destroying Iranian nuclear facilities in a potential worst-case scenario if nuclear talks fail.
Israel has reportedly approved a budget of some NIS 5 billion ($1.5 billion) to be used to prepare the military for a potential strike against Iran’s nuclear program. It includes funds for various types of aircraft, intelligence-gathering drones and unique armaments needed for such an attack, which would have to target heavily fortified underground sites.