Iran State media has stated that Iran’s air defences have brought down three small drones over the central city of Isfahan. The statement came hours after United States broadcasters, quoting senior officials, said Israeli missiles had hit an Iranian site.
Al Jazeera quoted Iranian State Television reporting explosions in Isfahan. It stated that air defences were activated and flights across several areas, including the capital, Tehran, and Isfahan, were suspended.
However, the report maintained that Airspace was reopened about four and a half hours after the incident. “There were no report of casualties,” it said.
According to the top military official in Isfahan, Second Brigadier General Siavash Mihandoust, told State media that air defence batteries hit “a suspicious object” and there was no damage.
ABC News and CBS News had reported earlier that Israel had carried out a military operation in Iran.
Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the US told the Group of Seven (G7) Foreign Ministers that it had been “informed at the last minute” by Israel about an attack on Iran.
“But there was no sharing of the attack by the US. It was a mere information,” Tajani told reporters in Capri, Italy, where the G7 Ministers met.
However, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken refused to confirm reports about the Israeli attack during a news conference in Capri.
“I’m not going to speak to that, except to say that the United States has not been involved in any offensive operation,” Blinken said.
“The top US diplomat said the G7’s focus was on de-escalation.”
Asked to describe the current US-Israel relationship, Blinken noted that Israel made its own decisions, but the US was committed to its security.
But in a controversial statement, the Iranian media said no strikes were launched on Iran from outside the country. It maintained that the attack was believed to have been carried out using small quadcopters. “That would have to have been launched from inside Iran.”
But Al Jazeera stated that the Iranian media were downplaying the incident.
According to the Al Jazeera, “The location in Isfahan Province is an Iranian military airbase that belongs to the country’s army. It insisted that the airbase was not of the Revolutionary Guards (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, IRGC).
“I think it is important to highlight that. This base houses multiple squadrons of F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft.”
“The air defence systems over the city of Tabriz in the northwestern part of Iran were also activated,” the Doha broadcaster reported.
Recall that a military factory belonging to the Iranian army in Isfahan was attacked by multiple quadcopters in January 2023. The attack, however, failed to damage the facility that was protected by air defence batteries. It was also protected by mesh wiring on its roof to counter small unmanned aerial vehicles.
Following the attack, Iran blamed Israel and arrested four people. Iran executed one of them in January 2024 for operating on behalf of Mossad, the Israeli spy agency.
But in retaliatory stance, Israel had promised to respond after Iran launched a barrage of drones and missiles on the country on April 13. That was after a suspected Israeli attack on Iran’s consulate compound in Damascus. The attack killed 16 people, including two IRGC senior Generals.
The development, however elucidated world condemnation. Governments around the world urged restraint and a push to de-escalate tensions across the region.
“Isfahan is considered a strategically important city and one that is host to several important sites. This include military research and development facilities, as well as bases. The nearby city of Natanz is the location of one of Iran’s nuclear enrichment sites.
But in his speech in Damghan in central Iran, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi made no mention of Isfahan. He, however, praised the Iranian attacks on Israel, saying they gave the country strength and unity.
The Commander-in-Chief of the ground forces of the Iranian army, Kioumars Heydari, stated Iranian readiness. He said Iran remained vigilant to confront any other potential aerial threats.
IRNA News agency quoted him to have said, “If suspicious flying objects appear in the sky of the country, they will be targeted by our powerful air defence. ”
“The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said there was no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites.
In a post on X, the agency said it continued to monitor the situation very closely. It, however, called for extreme restraint from all sides.
IAEA stressed that “nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts.”
