According to CBS News, two U.S. officials have confirmed that an Israeli missile struck Iran. This action comes in response to last weekend’s retaliatory drone and missile attack by Iran against Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously pledged to retaliate in kind.
When contacted by CBS News, the Israel Defense Forces remained tight-lipped regarding the location or scope of the Israeli strike. They declined to comment on the incident.
Two U.S. officials confirm to CBS News that an Israeli missile has hit Iran, but the extent is not yet clear.
"We don't yet know the parameters for the Israeli operation that is underway right now," CBS News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Margaret Brennan reports. pic.twitter.com/werWjbxIXL
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 19, 2024
According to The Washington Post, a senior Israeli official stated that the attack was meant to convey a message to Iran: that Israel has the capability to strike Iranian territory.
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According to the Iranian state-run IRNA news agency, air defense batteries were activated across several provinces. However, the agency did not provide further details regarding the reason for the activation. People in the affected areas reported hearing the sounds of the defense systems being fired.
The semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies have also reported hearing the sound of blasts, although they have not specified a cause. State television has acknowledged the presence of “loud noise” in the area.
Isfahan hosts facilities linked to Iran’s nuclear program, including the Natanz enrichment site, which has been the target of suspected Israeli attacks.
Despite state television’s denial of any attack on nuclear facilities, which it described as ‘fully safe,’ the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that there is no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites.
State television reported that three very small drones were shot down in an area east of Isfahan. The live pictures it showed depicted a calm and normal Isfahan.
According to three Iranian officials who spoke to The New York Times, the attack on the airbase involved small drones that might have been launched from within Iran. They noted that radar systems did not detect any unidentified aircraft entering Iran’s airspace.
There has been no emergency meeting of Iran’s High National Council, as reported by state television. It seems that Iran is attempting to minimize the impact of any Israeli attack.
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And at least one ultra-hardline Israeli cabinet member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, shared a single word on social media, seemingly referring to the attack, describing it as “lame.”
Dubai-based airlines Emirates and FlyDubai altered their flight paths to avoid western Iran around 4:30 a.m. local time. While they didn’t provide an explanation, local aviation warnings hinted that the airspace might have been closed.
Iran subsequently declared that it had suspended commercial flights in Tehran and across areas of its western and central regions. However, Iranian state television later reported that flights were back to normal operation.
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