Iranian defence officials indicated that reports of an explosion near Natanz were the result of a missile exercise “to test the performance of rapid reaction units”. Asked to comment on the incident, a senior Israeli defence official indicated that “we don’t ask a man what he did at night, but we are currently trying to bring about a change in the motivations of the whole world through diplomatic means”, adding: “we have used force against our enemies in the past and we are convinced that in extreme situations, there is a need to act using military means… We hope the whole world will be mobilised for the mission. For that, we’ve allocated a significant sum to increase our readiness”.