Israel launched a retaliatory strike in Iran early Friday morning, confirmed by U.S. officials, but an Iranian official called it a “failed and humiliating” drone attack.
The strike took place on April 19, the 84th birthday of Iran’s Supreme Leader Khamenei.
ABC News, CBS News, NPR, and others have cited unnamed U.S. officials in reporting that one or more missiles were launched by the Israeli military at Iran.
Bloomberg News reported that Israeli officials had warned U.S. officials earlier on Thursday that it planned to attack Iran in the next 24-48 hours. An unnamed senior U.S. official also told CNN that the U.S. was warned of Israel’s planned retaliatory action, a response the official said the U.S. “didn’t endorse.”
Details of the strike, including its exact location and the extent of the damage, remain unclear.
FARS, a news agency run by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, reported that explosions occurred near Isfahan, a city approximately 340 km south of Tehran known for hosting key military sites, including a major airbase and nuclear facilities. The agency later confirmed that the nuclear facility is safe, citing “informed sources.”
Iranian state-affiliated news agency IRNA reported that Iran’s air defense system was activated in the skies over several provinces following explosions heard in and around Isfahan. The source of the explosions was attributed to a “defense shot” fired after the air defense system in Tabriz, a city northwest of Isfahan, detected a “suspicious object,” according to IRNA, which also noted that the city remained in “complete peace.”
Hossein Dalirian, a spokesperson for the Iranian space agency, stated on X that reports of a foreign missile attack were “not true,” clarifying that three “micro birds” had been shot down.
The apparent Israeli retaliation follows an incident just days earlier, when Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles at Israel over the weekend. Most of these were intercepted by Israel’s defense systems as well as by those of its allies and neighboring countries.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned CNN on Thursday that “if the Israeli regime embarks on adventurism again and takes action against the interests of Iran, our next response will be immediate and at a maximum level.”
Israel missile strike targeted a site in Iran
Explosions in Isfahan in central Iran, in the As-Suwayda Governorate of southern Syria, and in the Baghdad area and Babil Governorate of Iraq pic.twitter.com/vFPVeEGGuU
— Sumit (@SumitHansd) April 19, 2024
