Israel attacks Iran, drones reported over Isfahan: sources
World
Iran's Fars news agency said an explosion was heard at an airport in the central city of Isfahan
- Iran says drones shot down, 'no missile attack for now'
- Iran-backed groups have declared support for Palestinians, launching attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq
- Iran activates air defence over several cities, says state media
WASHINGTON (Reuters/AFP) - Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran, ABC News reported late on Thursday, citing a US official, while Iranian state media reported an explosion in the center of the country, days after Iran launched a retaliatory drone strike on Israel.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports.
Iran's Fars news agency said an explosion was heard at an airport in the central city of Isfahan but the cause was not immediately known. Iran suspended flights over the cities of Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran, state media reported.
Several Iranian nuclear sites are located in Isfahan province, including Natanz, centerpiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport was closed to all flights until 0700 GMT, according to a notice to airmen posted on a U.S. Federal Aviation Administration database.
Some Emirates and Flydubai flights that were flying over Iran early on Friday made sudden sharp turns away from the airspace, according to flight paths shown on tracking website Flightradar24.
Israel had said it would retaliate, opens new tab against Iran's weekend attack, which involved hundreds of drones, opens new tab and missiles in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria. Most of the Iranian drones and missiles were downed before reaching Israeli territory.
Analysts and observers have been raising concerns about the risks of the Israel-Gaza war spreading into the rest of the region.
Iran told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday 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."
Oil prices and jumped on the reports of the Israeli strike. Brent crude futures rose 2% to $88.86 a barrel, the dollar gained broadly, gold rose 1% and S&P 500 futures dropped 1%.
Israel's assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's military offensive has killed over 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the local health ministry.
Iran-backed groups have declared support for Palestinians, launching attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.
Israeli military says sirens in northern Israel a false alarm
The Israeli military said that warning sirens which sounded early on Friday in northern Israel were a false alarm. The sirens had gone off shortly after unconfirmed reports of Israeli strikes in Iran.
Iran says drones shot down, 'no missile attack for now'
Iran said Friday it shot down several drones and that there had been "no missile attack for now" on the country, after explosions were heard near the central city of Isfahan.
Several drones "have been successfully shot down by the country's air defence, there are no reports of a missile attack for now," Iran's space agency spokesman Hossein Dalirian said on X.
The Fars news agency said "three explosions" were heard near the Shekari army airbase near Isfahan. Israel military says 'don't have comment at this time' after reports of blasts in Iran
Israel launches strike against Iran: US media
Israel has launched a strike against Iran in retaliation for its weekend attack, US media reported Thursday night. ABC and CBS News reported the strikes early Friday Mideast time, quoting US officials.
There was no immediate comment from the White House or Pentagon.
Iran activated its air defense system over several cities, state media reported, after the country's official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the central city of Isfahan. Israel had warned it would hit back after Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel over the weekend. Most of them were intercepted.
That strike came in the wake of an attack on Iran's consulate in Damascus widely blamed on Israel.
Iran activates air defence over several cities, says state media
Iran activated Friday its air defence system over several cities, state media reported, after the country's official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the central city of Isfahan.
"Iran's air defence has been activated in the skies of several provinces of the country," the official IRNA news agency said.
Iran state TV reports on 'big explosions' near Isfahan
Iran's state TV reported Friday that "big explosions" were heard near the central city of Isfahan, as a news agency said flights were suspended over the capital Tehran and other cities.
"News sources are reporting hearing big explosions in Isfahan province," state television said, adding that the cause was not immediately clear. Mehr news agency reported that "flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, and airports in the west, northwest and southwest have been suspended."
Iran suspends flights over several cities, says Iranian state media
Iran has suspended flights over several cities including the central city of Isfahan, where state media earlier reported explosions were hears near its airport. "Flights over Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran cities have been suspended," state media reported.
Flights divert around western Iran as one report says explosions heard near Isfahan
Commercial flights began diverting their routes early Friday morning over western Iran without explanation as one semiofficial news agency in the Islamic Republic claimed there had been “explosions” heard over the city of Isfahan. State television acknowledged “loud noise.”
The incident comes as tensions remain high in the wider Middle East after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel.
Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai began diverting around western Iran about 4:30 am local time. They offered no explanation, though local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace may have been closed.
The semiofficial Fars news agency reported on the sound of explosions over Isfahan near its international airport. It offered no explanation. However, Isfahan is home to a major airbase for the Iranian military, as well as sites associated with its nuclear program.
Israeli missiles hit site in Iran, ABC News reports
Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran, ABC News reported late on Thursday, citing a US official, days after Iran launched a drone strike on Israel in response to an attack at the Iranian embassy in Syria.
Iran's Fars news agency said an explosion were heard at an airport in the Iranian city of Isafahan but the cause was not immediately known. Several Iranian nuclear sites are located in Isfahan province, including Natanz, centerpiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Several flights were diverted over Iranian airspace, CNN reported.
