An Israeli missile strike targeted a site in Iran early Friday morning, according to ABC News. The report came shortly after local sources reported explosions in Isfahan in central Iran, in the As-Suwayda Governorate of southern Syria, and in the Baghdad area and Babil Governorate of Iraq early Friday morning.
More than 300 drones and missiles were aimed by Israeli Defense Forces at targets within Iran, ABC News reported, citing US officials.AFP via Getty Images
The Israeli military has conducted missile strikes against Iran, a senior U.S. military official told NPR on Thursday. There are also reports of explosions in Iraq and Syria.
The strikes appear to be the response Israel vowed to carry out after an Iranian attack on Sunday, when Tehran fired hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel. Most of Iran’s volleys were intercepted or caused little damage. The U.S. military official spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday.
Iran’s Fars News Agency says explosions were heard in the central city of Isfahan, according to the Reuters News Agency.
The extent of Israel’s strikes and the weapons used weren’t clear.
The U.S. and other western allies had been urging Israel to forego a military strike to avoid a regional conflict springing out of the Israel-Hamas war.
Those concerns rose when an air strike – which Iran blamed on Israel – killed two Iranian military commanders in the country’s consulate in Damascus, Syria, on April 1.
Iran said Sunday’s attack on Israel was in response to that.
The region has been on the edge of wider conflict since Hamas attacked Israel Oct. 7, which Israel says killed 1,200 people, and Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza, which has killed more than 30,000 people according to Gaza health officials.
Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have traded frequent fire over the northern Israel border. Houthi militants, also backed by Iran, have been going after international commercial vessels passing through the Red Sea in recent months. The group’s leaders claim they’re targeting ships with links to Israel in response to the country’s ongoing invasion of Gaza.
Two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News that an Israeli missile has hit Iran.
Officials were tightlipped about the location or extent of the Israeli strike. When reached by CBS News, Israel Defense Forces had no comment.
The semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported the sound of blasts, without giving a cause. State television acknowledged “loud noise” in the area. Isfahan is home to a major airbase for the Iranian military, as well as sites associated with its nuclear program.
Breaking News
— ٰImran Siddique (@imransiddique89) April 19, 2024
Now Israel attacked Iran
Explosions reported in the city of Isfahan and natanz pic.twitter.com/bCWrgYlGrw
Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai began diverting around western Iran about 4:30 a.m. local time. They offered no explanation, though local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace may have been closed.
The Israeli strike was reportedly in retaliation for Iran’s missile and drone assault on April 13. Commercial flights started rerouting their paths over western Iran early Friday without clarification, according to the Associated Press.(File)(REUTERS)
Iran later announced it grounded commercial flights in Tehran and across areas of its western and central regions. Loudspeakers informed customers of the incident at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, online videos purported to show
Update: Just minutes ago, massive explosions occurred at two of Iran’s most important nuclear sites, those in Isfahan and Nantanz, a U.S. intelligence expert tells ALL ISRAEL NEWS.
Update
Nuclear facilities are safe in Isfahan province, Iranian state-aligned media says
Iran’s state-aligned Tasnim news says nuclear facilities in Isfahan province are “completely secure,” citing a “reliable source.”
Other Iranian media outlets are reporting the same.
Oil prices surge, Dow futures sink nearly 500 points on reports of explosions in Iran
Oil prices surged nearly 4% and US stock futures fell sharply Thursday evening amid reports of explosions in Iran.
Iranian semi-official FARS news is reporting that three explosions were heard near the military base where fighter jets are located in the Isfahan province.
All flights heading to the cities of “Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, the airports of the West, North West and South West have been suspended,” the director of Iran’s public relations for an airport company announced in an interview with state-run Mehr TV.
S&P Global Ratings cut Israel’s sovereign credit rating on Thursday to A+ from AA- on increased geopolitical risk from the war with Hamas and friction with Iran.”In our view, the recent increase in confrontation with Iran heightens already elevated geopolitical risks for Israel,” S&P analysts wrote. “We expect a wider regional conflict will be avoided, but the Israel-Hamas war and the confrontation with Hezbollah appear set to continue throughout 2024 – versus our previous assumption of military activity not lasting more than six months.”
Iranian foreign minister told CNN earlier today: If Israel takes action, Iran’s response will be “immediate and at a maximum level”
NPR/ CBS
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