Israeli Missile Strikes Inside Iran, US Officials Say
Israel has carried out a military strike inside Iran, six days after Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israeli territory last weekend.
According to CNN, a United States official said they were given advance notification Thursday of an intended Israeli strike in the coming days, but did not endorse the response.
Citing Iranian State media, the report says three explosions were heard close to a major military airbase near the Iranian city of Isfahan, prompting the activation of Iran’s air defence systems in several locations.
According to BBC, Isfahan province is home to a large airbase, a major missile production complex and several nuclear facilities. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said no nuclear sites were damaged
Iranian officials said air defenses intercepted three drones and there were no reports of a missile attack. Iran has, however, not identified the source of the strike.
Reports of Friday’s strike came hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CNN that Iran’s response would be “immediate and at a maximum level” if Israel takes any further military action against Iran. He said:
If the Israeli regime commits the grave error once again our response will be decisive, definitive and regretful for them.
He said this warning had been communicated to the White House via the Swiss Embassy in Tehran.
Following the reported Israeli strike inside Iran, various state-aligned news agencies reported that sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program were “completely secure”.
Senior military commander, Second Brigadier General Mihandoust, told the state-aligned Tasnim news agency there was “no damage”, adding that the noises heard overnight were due to air defence systems targeting a “suspicious object.”
The Israeli military said it was unable to provide a comment on Friday when asked by CNN about reports of explosions in Iran.
A senior Iranian official tells Reuters news agency “Iran has no plan for immediate retaliation against Israel,” hours after the attack by Israel.
On Friday morning, an Iranian analyst told Iranian state TV that “Mini drones shot down by air defences in Isfahan were flown by infiltrators from inside Iran”, downplaying the reports that Israel had carried out the attack.
The Middle East has been on edge following Iran’s unprecedented direct strike against Israel late Saturday.
Iran launched more than 300 drones and cruise missiles toward Israel after a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on 1 April, which killed a top commander, and several others.
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