Countries around the world urged for de-escalation on Friday as US media reported Israeli strikes on Iran in the latest tit-for-tat exchange between the two arch-foes, whose decades of shadow war has broken out into the open and threatened to drag the region deeper into conflict.
Israel had previously warned it would hit back after Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel almost a week ago, in retaliation for a deadly strike — which Tehran blamed on its foe — that levelled Iran’s consular annex at its embassy in Syria.
While most of the Iranian strikes were intercepted, fears of a major regional spillover from Israel’s Gaza offensive have since soared.
Today, Iran’s state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan, as US media quoted officials saying Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on its arch-rival.
Air defence systems over several Iranian cities were activated, state media reported, after the country’s official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the city of Isfahan.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing “informed sources,” denied that Iran had been attacked from abroad. “Contrary to the rumours and claims” made in foreign media, “there are no reports of an attack from abroad on Iran’s central city of Isfahan or any other part of the country”, Tasnim said.
Three Iranian officials told The New York Times that small drones carried out the attack, possibly launched from inside Iran, and that its radar systems had not detected unidentified aircraft entering Iranian airspace.
Fars news agency reported “three explosions” heard close to Qahjavarestan, near Isfahan airport and the 8th Shekari army airbase, while Iran’s space agency spokesman Hossein Dalirian said “several” drones had been “successfully shot down”.
Dalirian said on social media platform X there were “no reports of a missile attack”.
“Reports indicate there was no major damage or large explosions caused by the impact of any air threat,” the official IRNA news agency said.
A senior military officer in Isfahan, Brigadier General Siavash Mihandoost, told state television that the loud sound people heard was caused by defence systems shooting at a target in the air, not an explosion on the ground.
Nuclear facilities in Isfahan were reported to be “completely secure”, Tasnim said. Separately, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed there was no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites.
The agency continues to monitor the situation very closely and calls for extreme restraint from all sides, stressing that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts, it said.
Washington pre-notified of strike: reports
Washington received advance notice of Israel’s reported strike, but did not endorse the operation or play any part in its execution, US media quoted officials as saying.
US President Joe Biden had promised “ironclad” support for Israel but also urged it to “think carefully and strategically” before launching a response against Iran that could trigger a wider war.
NBC and CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter and a US official, respectively, said Israel had pre-notified Washington of the strike.
CNN quoted one official as stating the target was not a nuclear facility.
There was no immediate comment from the White House or Pentagon. The Israeli military told AFP: “We don’t have a comment at this time.”
Calls for de-escalation
Following the development, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called for restraint to avoid further escalation in the Middle East.
“We have to do everything possible (so) that all sides restrain from the escalation in that region,” von der Leyen told reporters during a visit to Finland, adding: “It is absolutely necessary that the region stays stable and that all sides refrain from further action.”
China said it will “continue to play a constructive role to de-escalate” tensions in the Middle East. The country is a close partner of Iran, its largest trade partner, and a top buyer of its sanctioned oil.
“China opposes any actions that further escalate tensions and will continue to play a constructive role to de-escalate the situation,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
Oman, which has long mediated between Tehran and the West, condemned an “Israeli attack” on Iran.
Oman “condemns the Israeli attack this morning on Isfahan… it also condemns and denounces Israel’s repeated military attacks in the region”, said a foreign ministry statement released on X, formerly Twitter.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called for an “absolute de-escalation”, saying G7 counterparts would discuss it at talks in Capri.
“We invite everyone to be cautious to avoid an escalation,” he told RAI news from the Italian island, where Rome is hosting a meeting between foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations.
The G7, which includes the UK, US, France, Germany, Japan and Canada, wants an “absolute de-escalation” in the Middle East, he said.
Canada also joined the calls for reducing tensions.
“We are monitoring the situation closely. We will address the situation with the foreign ministers at the G7 session this morning in Italy,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said on X.
US embassy in Israel tells employees to limit movement
The United States embassy in Israel told its employees and their families to restrict their movements.
“Out of an abundance of caution following reports that Israel conducted a retaliatory strike inside Iran, US government employees and their family members are restricted from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv” area as well as the Jerusalem and Beersheva areas “until further notice,” a security advisory issued by the mission on its website said.
Due to a “complex” security environment that “can change quickly,” the embassy “may further restrict or prohibit” the concerned people from travelling to parts of Israel, Jerusalem’s Old City, and the occupied West Bank, the advisory read.
Flights suspended
Over the weekend, Iran carried out its first attack to directly target regional foe Israel.
Israel, backed by its allies, intercepted most of the 300 missiles and drones launched by Iran, and suffered no deaths.
It launched its attack in retaliation for an April 1 strike on its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus. In that attack, seven of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards including two generals were killed.
Fears of a major regional spillover from the Gaza conflict have soared since the Iran attack on Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to destroy Hamas over its October 7 attack that started Israel’s offensive in Gaza, has stressed that Israel “reserves the right to protect itself” against Iran.
The United States, Israel’s main ally and military supplier, has made clear it would not join a reprisal attack on Iran, but unveiled sanctions against people and entities involved in producing the drones deployed in the Iranian assault.
“We are holding Iran accountable,” US President Joe Biden said on Thursday, announcing the measures after the European Union said it would also sanction Iran’s drone programme.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had warned that Tehran would make Israel “regret” any attack on the Islamic republic.
The explosions in Iran coincided with the 85th birthday of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Flights were suspended across swathes of Iran on Friday, with the UAE-based flydubai airline cancelling flights to the country.
“Iran’s air defence has been activated in the skies of several provinces of the country,” IRNA said.
Mehr news agency reported that “flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, and airports in the west, northwest and southwest have been suspended.”
Flight-tracking software showed commercial flights avoiding western Iran, including Isfahan, and skirting Tehran to the north and east.
Mideast ‘on a precipice’
Blasts were also reported in southern Syria, according to a local activist group.
“There were strikes on a Syrian army radar position,” said Rayan Maarouf, who runs the Suwayda24 anti-government website that covers news from Sweida province in the south.
On Thursday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres painted a dark picture of the situation in the Middle East, warning that spiralling tensions over the conflicy in Gaza and Iran’s attack on Israel could devolve into a “full-scale regional conflict.”
“The Middle East is on a precipice. Recent days have seen a perilous escalation — in words and deeds,” Guterres told the Security Council.
“One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable — a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved,” he said, calling on all parties to exercise “maximum restraint”.
Oil prices surged more than three per cent in early Asian trade on Friday following the reports of explosions.