Israel 'launches missile attacks' on Iran's Isfahan
Israel conducted missile strikes on Iran early Friday morning (Mideast time), officials from the United States said. This comes less than a week after Tehran's drone barrage on the Jewish nation. As of now, the extent of Israel's strikes and the weapons used isn't clear. There has been no immediate comment from the White House on the incident. Iran, however, has said it shot down several drones and that there had been "no missile attack for now" on the country.
Why does this story matter?
Tensions in the Middle East have remained high since the attack on Israel early Saturday. In the hours preceding Friday's reports, Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned that his country's response to any retaliation by Israel would be "immediate and at a maximum level." On Thursday, Iran told the United Nations Security Council that Israel "must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests," as the UN secretary-general warned that the Middle East was in "maximum peril."
Situation in Middle East
Analysts and observers have been raising concerns about the risks of the Israel-Gaza war spreading into the rest of the region. Israel's assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 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.
Explosions reported in Iraq, Syria and Iran
According to the BBC, explosions rocked Isfahan—located approximately 350km south of the capital city of Tehran. Isfahan houses a significant military air base and numerous Iranian nuclear facilities, including Natanz, a key site for Iran's uranium enrichment program. The situation on the ground remains unclear, with no direct acknowledgment from Iranian officials and no comment from Israel's military.
Iran activates air defense systems, announces high-alert status
Following these incidents, Iran has activated its air defense systems across several provinces and declared a high-alert status at all its bases and camps, as reported by the state-run IRNA news agency. All flights heading to Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz have been temporarily suspended. 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.
