Israel seems to have stuck to small drones when it hit Iran — suggesting it wanted only a minor retaliation

• An Israeli strike hit Isfahan in Iran, multiple outlets said, citing unnamed senior US officials.
• It came after Iran fired drones and missiles at Israel in its first-ever direct attack.
• The nature of Israel's response suggests it wants to limit the conflict, analysts say.

The relatively restrained nature of an apparent Israeli attack on Iran suggests that both sides are seeking to step back from the brink of a regional war, experts say.

Several explosions caused by an Israeli attack were heard Friday in the central province of Isfahan, unnamed senior US officials told multiple outlets.

The exact nature of the strike, which hit key military targets, is unclear, they said. The International Atomic Energy Agency said that none of Iran's nuclear sites in the region were damaged.

Initial reports from Iranian officials suggest that Israel may have used small drones, or quadcopters, for the attack. However, US officials told CBS News that Israel used missiles.

"If the extent of Israel's retaliation is a small drone (quadcopter) attack inside Iran, the current escalation might be contained within the boundaries of the pre-7th Oct status quo," Andreas Krieg, an expert on the Middle East at King's College London, wrote on X.

It came after more than 300 Iranian drones and missiles were fired at Israel on Saturday. That was itself a response to an Israeli strike on Iran's consulate in Damascus, Syria.

Iran warned for weeks that the attack was coming — giving Israel's allies time to prepare — and avoided targeting civilian locations.

"I would actually think that we will be surprised and that things may very well wind down," Charles Miller, a security expert at Australian National University, told The Washington Post.

"It seems that actually both sides want to be seen to be doing something without actually undertaking the risks of doing anything that's too provocative," Miller added.

The terrorist attacks by Iran's ally Hamas on Israel on October 7 sparked the latest conflict in the Middle East, with Israel responding by launching an attack on Gaza and Iranian proxies in the region.

Krieg pointed to the fact that Iran's media had downplayed the attack, "suggesting they won't have to respond."

The Iranian state media outlet Press TV posted footage of what it described as "a tranquil atmosphere in the Iranian city of Isfahan, with residents going about their usual routines, despite the recent explosions heard near the city."

Analysts on Israeli TV echoed that assessment.

"Israel can do elegant military maneuvers that are not noisy or cause significant military damage but which deliver the message Israel wants," Dana Weiss, a diplomatic-affairs analyst for Israel's Channel 12, said, according to The New York Times. "And that is what we have seen them do."

If the use of drones is confirmed, it wouldn't be the first time Israel targeted Iran using uncrewed aerial vehicles. In January 2023, Israel was accused of attacking a military factory in Isfahan in the same way.

Other analysts said the attacks were apparently designed to signal that Israel could do far more damage to Iran's nuclear program if it wanted.

There remain fears that the conflict between the countries could spiral into a broader regional war. Before Friday's strikes, Israel's Western allies had urged the country's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to be moderate in his response.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran's foreign minister, had previously said in a CNN interview that the Iranian response to an Israeli attack would be "immediate and at a maximum level."