The US isolated itself from the attack
Israel launched a military strike against Iran on Thursday night – hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned that the response to further military action would be immediate and maximum. This was announced on Friday by an American official to Western publications.
There were no casualties or damage, but the next exchange of blows between the two countries since the beginning of the conflict in the Gaza Strip in October is the reason for a dangerous escalation in what is happening in the Middle East in the last months .
The attack is considered
hit back
Israel
in conjunction with
Iran attack
since last Saturday, when for the first time Tehran directly fired more than 300 rockets and drones at Israeli territory. These measures were taken after Israel stormed the Iranian consulate in Damascus. A total of 7 people died in the attack, including a general.
On Thursday night, Iranian air defense systems were activated in the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz. At least three explosions were heard outside Isfahan in the area of facilities for the country’s nuclear program, weapons factories and a major air force base. The area has long been home to US F-14 Tomcats fighter jets – bought from Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The government and the media tried to play down another attack by releasing calm and peaceful pictures from the affected areas as early as Friday.
Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, the top commander of Iran’s army, said the explosions in the skies over Isfahan were linked to anti-aircraft systems firing at a “suspicious object” that did not cause any damage. Iranian officials said air defense intercepted three drones and there was no sign of a missile attack.
The airports in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan were temporarily closed, and flights were only allowed from the western half of Iran. As early as 8 a.m. Friday, some airports lifted restrictions. Several airlines, including Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines, as well as FlyDubai have canceled their flights until at least Saturday.
So far, Iran has not identified the source of the strike, and Jerusalem said it would not claim responsibility for strategic reasons. The information that Israel was behind the attack came from the US. They said they received advance notice on Thursday about an Israeli strike planned in the coming days. However, a senior US official did not approve of the attack. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken later clarified that the US “has not engaged in any offensive activity” but is focused on Israel’s defense.
The latest developments in the Middle East were discussed at an emergency meeting of the G7 countries, which took place on the island of Capri. After the event, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that the US was informed at the last minute about the strike against Iran.
And later Iranian officials told Al Jazeera that
they don’t have a plan
for revenge
and what happened was not surprising. They said the exchange of blows was limited and was clear from the start. According to them, there is certainly hostility, but it will always be limited.
2024-04-19 18:00:00
#Israel #Strikes #Irans #Nuclear #Weapons #Home #Graphics
