Israel has launched a military strike against Iran, a US official told CNN on Friday, the latest step in a dangerous escalation that risks triggering a full-scale war.
The New York Times reported that two Israeli defence ministry officials confirmed the nation was behind the strike. Earlier Thursday, Israel notified the US that it planned to retaliate in the next 24 to 48 hours, according to two US officials who asked not to be named while discussing private conversations. National Security Council and Pentagon officials declined to comment.
Iran’s air defence systems were activated in several locations after three explosions were heard near a major military airbase near the Iranian city of Isfahan early Friday morning. Iran’s FARS news agency said fighter jets were at the airbase and that military radar was a possible target.
Several state news agencies reported that facilities related to Iran’s nuclear programme were “completely safe” and the attack appeared to be limited in scope. Iranian state run media reported:
“Following the activation of air defence in some parts of the country to deal with some possible targets, reports indicate that so far, no large-scale strikes or explosions caused by any air threat has been reported.”
Reports of Friday’s strike came hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told the UN Security Council that if there is any retaliation from Israel, Iran “will not hesitate one bit to assert its inherent right to give a decisive and proper response to it.” He also added:
“If the Israeli regime commits the grave error once again our response will be decisive, definitive and regretful for them.”
Tensions in the Middle East remain at a peak after Iran carried out an unprecedented direct strike on Israel late Saturday. The attack, in which Iran launched more than 300 drones and cruise missiles towards Israel, was in response to an Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus on 1 April that killed a senior commander and several others.
Departures from several Iranian airports were briefly cancelled or suspended early Friday, but aviation authorities later lifted all restrictions.
Hossein Dalirian, a spokesman for Iran’s National Centre for Cyberspace, told Channel X television that the three drones “were successfully shot down by the country’s air defence, there are no reports of a missile attack yet”.
The Israeli military said it had “no comment at the moment” when asked by the media to comment on reports of explosions in Iran.
Iran has been preparing for Israeli retaliation all week. World leaders from the Middle East to the US have urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to show restraint in the face of Iranian attacks, but the Israeli leader and other senior officials said the country would have no choice but to respond.
Before Friday’s Israeli strike, the US had expected the country would not strike Iran’s civilian or nuclear facilities, another senior US official told CNN.
