Iran, Israel | Several explosions in Iran after reports of an Israeli attack

The Israel Defense Forces said it “has no comment at this time” in a statement issued at 5 p.m. Norwegian time on Friday morning.

Shortly thereafter, two unidentified Israeli officials told the New York Times that Israel was behind the attack.

An Iranian army officer told Iranian state television on Friday morning that the explosions heard over the city of Isfahan on Friday night were due to Iranian air defenses firing at a “suspicious object.”

The first report of the attack came at 3.30 pm Friday, Norwegian time. An American official confirmed that Israeli missiles hit targets in Iran To ABC News.

By then an hour and a half had passed for an American official It was confirmed to ABC News Israeli missiles hit targets in Iran.

Two American sources confirm the opposite CBS News An Israeli missile struck Iran. But the sources did not say where the impact was supposed to be or say anything about the extent of the Israeli attack. Since then, other US media outlets have also come forward with similar information.

An American official tells CNN that the target of the Israeli attack on Iran was not a nuclear facility.

The White House has so far refused to comment on the matter.

– We have nothing to contribute at this time. This is the response that Agence France-Presse received from the Pentagon.

Drones

According to a source familiar with the matter, the United States was not notified by Israel in advance, according to Reuters.

Iranian state media reported that drones had been shot down, but so far no missiles had been shot down.

– Iranian air defense shot down several drones, and there are no reports of any missile attack at the present time, according to a statement by Iranian Space Agency spokesman Hossein Dalirian.

Explosions

Three explosions were heard at the Shikari Air Base in Isfahan, the Iranian state-run Fars News Agency reported. Iranian state television also reported hearing strong explosions near Isfahan.

An Iranian source confirmed to Reuters news agency after four o'clock on Thursday morning, Norwegian time, that air defenses had been activated in Isfahan Province. Air defense was also activated over other cities, the official Iranian news agency IRNA reported.

An Iranian official told Reuters that the explosions heard in Isfahan were caused by Iranian air defenses.

Press TV reported that the situation in Isfahan was normal and that there were no explosions on the ground. Official media reported that Iranian nuclear facilities were not bombed.

– The nuclear facilities in Isfahan province are completely safe, Tasnim News Agency reported, citing what the agency calls “reliable sources.”

Redirects aircraft

An ABC News source could not confirm whether the airstrikes were also directed at targets in Syria and Iraq.

but The Jerusalem Post wrote There were also reports of explosions in Suwayda, southern Syria, and in the Baghdad and Babylon region in Iraq.

According to Agence France-Presse, a Syrian activist group reported that an area in southern Syria had been hit by an air strike.

– A Syrian radar system was hit, says Rayan Marouf, head of the Suwayda 24 website.

Several airlines have begun diverting their flights over the western part of Iran, including Emirates and Flydubai, the Associated Press news agency reported.

The city of Isfahan is located about 350 kilometers south of the capital, Tehran. The Iranian army has a large air base in Isfahan, and the region also includes facilities linked to the Iranian nuclear program, including a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz.

The Iranian authorities did not make any statements until five o'clock Norwegian time, but official media confirmed the closure of the airspace over the cities of Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran. At 06.30 the airspace was opened again.

There were almost no planes in the air over the western part of Iran after 4 p.m. Norwegian time, according to information from a flight tracking service. Aviation Radar24.

Revenge

The Iranian Mehr News Agency reported that all flights through Tehran International Airport were canceled until nine o’clock on Friday morning, Norwegian time.

Israel announced strikes against Iran in response to Iranian missile and drone attacks on Israel last weekend. This was the first direct Iranian attack on Israel.

Iranian authorities said the attack, consisting of about 300 drones and missiles, was in response to an Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital, Damascus, earlier in April, in which two Iranian generals were killed.