Iran stated on Friday that it had “downed” multiple drones and clarified that no missile strikes had occurred in the country following reported explosions near Isfahan. However, two US officials informed agencies that Israel had carried out a retaliatory strike on Iran, sparking concerns of a widening conflict in the Middle East. An Iranian official denied reports of a missile attack from Israel, dismissing it as a “false alarm.”
The Iranian official explained that the explosions in Isfahan were due to the activation of Iran’s air defense systems. Hossein Dalirian, spokesman for Iran’s space agency, stated that several drones had been successfully intercepted by the country’s air defense, with no reports of a missile attack thus far.
Dalirian further stated, “To this moment, there has been no air attack from outside the borders to Isfahan or other parts of the country, and they have only made a failed and humiliating attempt to fly quadcopters, and the quadcopters have also been shot down.”
The Fars news agency reported hearing “three explosions” near the Shekari army airbase close to Isfahan.
Earlier in the day, as per ABC News citing a senior US official, Israel purportedly launched missile strikes against Tehran in the early hours of Friday morning local time, as reported by Reuters.
Iran’s state media indicated that its air defense systems were activated in response to explosions near Isfahan’s airport and a military base.
This development occurs amid heightened tensions in the broader Middle East following Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone attack on Israel. Over the weekend, Iran retaliated with hundreds of drones and missiles after a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria.
Moreover, Syrian media reported assaults on Syrian Army positions in the southern governorates of As-Suwayda and Daraa. The attacks focused on Syrian military radar sites between Qarda and Izraa in Daraa, southern Syria, as per As-Suwayda24.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the nation’s war cabinet convened multiple times. Israel pledged to retaliate against Iran’s unprecedented weekend attack, raising concerns about further escalation after months of conflict in Gaza.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, cautioned Israel against any military actions targeting Iranian interests. He asserted that Iran has completed its “defense and counteroffensive measures” and urged the international community to prevent Israel from conducting military operations against Iran.
Here’s what happened till now
- Oil prices rose $3 a barrel following reports that Israeli missiles had struck a site in Iran.
- Cryptocurrencies fell heavily and bitcoin broke below $60,000. Bitcoin slid more than 5.5% to $59,961 in the Asia session while the US dollar rose broadly.
- Commercial planes diverted from their routes over western Iran early on April 19.
- Iran had recently launched hundreds of drones and missiles in a retaliatory strike after a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria.
- On April 18, the US and Britain announced widespread sanctions against Iran’s military drone programme. According to reports, the Israeli military said alert sirens have been activated in northern Israel.
- Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said that Israel will independently determine its course of action in response to Iran’s recent air attack.
- The US and other western allies have been urging Israel to forego a military strike to avoid a regional conflict springing out of the Hamas issue. Iran told the United Nations Security Council that Israel “must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests” as the U.N. secretary-general warned that the Middle East was in a “moment of maximum peril”.
- The escalation came more than six months into Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip which killed nearly 34,000 people. Iran-backed groups declared support for Palestinians, launching attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.
