Air defenses have reportedly been activated in several provinces of the Islamic Republic
Israel carried out strikes in Iran in the early hours of Friday, multiple news outlets reported, citing senior US officials. The news comes less than a week after the Islamic Republic fired a barrage of drones and missiles at Israel.
Iranian news agency Mehr reported that several explosions were heard around 4 am local time in the skies over the central city of Isfahan.
Broadcaster IRNA said that air defenses have been activated in some parts of Iran. It added that Israel also struck targets in Syria and Iraq, hitting military airfields and a radar site.
Hossein Dalirian, spokesman for Iran’s civilian space program, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that several drones have been shot down. He added that there is no confirmation of a missile attack on Isfahan.
According to Al Jazeera, Iran suspended flights at several airports, including those servicing Tehran and Isfahan.
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CNN cited an unnamed US official as saying that nuclear sites were not targeted.
The Israeli army told AFP that “we don’t have a comment at this time” when asked about reports of blasts and strikes in Iran and Syria. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office refused to confirm to the Times of Israel that Israel is responsible for explosions heard in Isfahan.
On April 1, Israel struck an Iranian consulate building in Damascus, Syria, killing seven senior officers with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force. Iran responded with launching kamikaze drones and missiles at Israel on April 13. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that the majority of the projectiles was successfully intercepted and reported only minor damage on the ground.
