Washington and Dubai. Israel attacked Iran, three people familiar with the matter said, as Iranian state media reported early Friday that its forces had destroyed drones, days after Iran launched a drone offensive in retaliation against Israel.
Iranian officials reported to New York Times the attack on a military base near the city of Isfahan; Officials blamed the attack on Israel.
A source told Reuters that the United States was not involved, but that Israel had notified it before the attack.
In turn, it was reported that the attack was against “non-nuclear” targets, according to a US official consulted by CNN.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported that three explosions were heard near a military base in the central city of Isfahan. An Iranian official told Reuters there was no missile attack and that the explosions were due to the activation of Iran’s air defense systems.
Iranian state television said that shortly after midnight “three drones were observed in the sky over Isfahan. The air defense system was activated and destroyed these drones in the sky.”
The station later said the situation in Isfahan was normal and that no explosions had occurred on the ground.
The Iranian nuclear centers located in the province of Isfahan, in the center of the country, are safe, after the Israeli drone attack this Friday, the Tasnim agency reported.
“The nuclear facilities in Isfahan province are completely safe,” the outlet noted in a report.
The Israeli military did not comment on the reports.
Israel said it would retaliate against Iran’s weekend offensive, involving hundreds of drones and missiles, in response to an alleged Israeli attack on its embassy compound in Syria. Most of the Iranian drones and missiles were shot down before reaching Israeli territory.
Analysts and observers have expressed concern about the risk of the war between Israel and Gaza spreading to the rest of the region.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi warned Israel before Friday’s attack that Tehran would give a “severe response” to any attack on its territory.
On Thursday, Iran told the UN Security Council that Israel “must be forced to end any new military adventure against our interests,” as the UN secretary general warned that the Middle East was in a “moment of maximum danger”.
Asian stocks and bond yields sank on Friday, while safe-haven currencies gold and crude oil rose. Brent crude futures gained 2% to $88.86 a barrel, the dollar advanced, gold added 1% and S&P 500 futures fell 1%.
Iranian state television declared that the nuclear facilities where Iran has been carrying out work – which Tehran says is peaceful, but which the West considers aimed at building a weapon – had not been damaged.
The Natanz nuclear center, the centerpiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment program, is located in the province of Isfahan.
Airports in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan will remain closed until 0700 GMT, although the measure could be extended, and flights have been banned in the western half of Iran, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 reported.
Some Tehran-bound flights from Turkish Airlines and Emirates were returning to their origin, FlightRadar24 said in X. An Iran Air flight from Rome to Tehran was diverting to Ankara, Turkey, it showed.
FlightRadar24 noted that Emirates, flydubai, Turkish Air, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and Belavia were among the carriers still using the portion of Iranian airspace that remained open as of Friday morning.
Israel’s assault on Gaza began after the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli counts. The Israeli military offensive has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the local Health Ministry.
Iranian-backed groups have declared their support for the Palestinians, launching attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.
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– 2024-04-23 07:02:12
