Explosions were heard near Tehran in Karaj on Thursday night, with Iranian state media reporting that air defenses in the area were activated.
At 11:46 pm Tehran time, people reported hearing gunshots and explosions, according to the BBC's Persian-language service, which posted a video that looked like it showed anti-aircraft fire in the skies.
A follow-up report from the official Iranian Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) claimed that the actions were part of a drill and not a response to an attack.
Video reported to be from the scene shared on social media showed air defense batteries firing toward unseen targets, The Jerusalem Post initially reported.
Even though Iraq state media said the firings were the results of drills, the action comes just weeks after suicide drones targeted an IRGC facility in Isfahan, the Post noted. Iran blamed Israel for that attack and said no significant damage resulted.
A proxy war between Israel and Iran has been growing, Al-Monitor reports, with the Pentagon confirming an Iranian drone attack on a tanker in the Arabian Sea on Feb. 10 that is linked to Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer.
The defense facilities in and near Karaj have long been attack targets, the Post reported.
In July 2021, for instance, Iran accused Israel in a sabotage operation on a building of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (IAEO) in Karaj a month prior.
In September 2021, a fire at the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group missile base in Karaj killed two workers and injured another. The IRGC-affiliated Sobh-e-Sadegh newspaper reported that an Israeli attack caused the fire.
And this past June, an explosion western Tehran, with satellite imagery shared by the Intelli Times website appeared to show damage to the roof of a structure at the Shahid Hemmat Base.
The attacks have increased since nuclear talks between Iran and the West broke down last year. Israel's Channel 12 reported on Thursday that the country is set for possible action against Iran's nuclear facilities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has had five meetings with his defense and intelligence leaders and the head of Mossad to talk about possible strikes against Iran, the station reported.