Israel launched an attack on Iran, in retaliation for Iranian strikes against its territory last weekend, several media outlets in the United States said, citing American officials. ABC, CBS and CNN, among other media outlets, reported the strikes early Friday Middle East time, citing U.S. officials.
Information to remember:
- Heavy explosions reported early Friday in central Iran
- According to several American media, this is an attack by Israel, in retaliation for Iranian strikes against its territory
- Israel warned Washington of its attack on Iran
- Flights resumed from Tehran airports
- The American Embassy in Israel announces restricting the travel of its staff
The international community calls for restraint
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken assured that the United States “was not involved in an offensive operation”. “I am not going to talk about these events reported by the media (…) All I can say from our side and that of all the members of the G7 is that our objective is de-escalation,” he said. declared during a press conference following a meeting of G7 heads of diplomacy. Same story from the side of Chinese diplomacy: “China opposes any action likely to lead to an escalation of tensions and will continue to play a constructive role for a de-escalation,” assured the spokesperson for Chinese diplomacy , Lin Jian.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia continues “to encourage the parties to exercise restraint and to refrain from any actions that could provoke further escalation in such a sensitive region.” The Russian Foreign Minister said that “contacts took place between the leaders of Russia and Iran, and between our representatives and the Israelis. We were very clear during these exchanges and we told the Israelis that Iran does not want escalation.
“It is absolutely necessary that the region remains stable and that all parties refrain from any further action,” said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during a trip to Finland. “France’s position is to call on all partners in the region to de-escalate and show restraint,” declared the French Minister for Europe, Jean-Noël Barrot, on French radio. In the United Kingdom, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stressed that “a significant escalation is not in anyone’s interest. What we want is for composure to prevail in the region.” “This is an evolving situation and it would not be correct to speculate until the facts are clarified,” he added.
For Germany, “de-escalation must be the message of the moment,” Steffen Hebestreit, spokesman for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said at a press conference in Berlin. In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called on
Iran activated its air defense early Friday
Tehran reported three explosions near a military base in the center of the country, the official Fars agency reported. Drones have been shot down but there has been no missile attack “so far”, Iranian authorities said. And the nuclear installations, based in the Isfahan region (center), are “totally safe,” said the Tasnim agency.
Iran activated its air defense in several provinces early Friday after reports of explosions in the center of the country, the official IRNA agency said. Air connections resumed early Friday morning at Tehran’s two airports after being suspended following explosions reported in Iran, according to the official Irna agency.
Israel warned Washington of its attack on Iran
Washington was warned of the Israeli attack on Iran but neither approved the operation nor played any role in its execution, officials were quoted as saying by US media.
NBC and CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter and a US official respectively, reported that Israel had warned Washington of the strike. “We have not approved the response,” a US official said, according to CNN.
Israeli army says it has no comment “at this time”
State television reported early on reports of “strong explosions” heard in the province of Isfahan (center), without elaborating on the causes. According to American officials cited by several American television stations including the ABC News channel, this is an Israeli attack carried out against Iran in retaliation for Iranian strikes against Israel last weekend.
The Israeli army told AFP that it had no comment “at the moment” on the subject of explosions reported early Friday near a military base in central Iran. The military said alarm sirens had sounded in northern Israel, the scene of exchanges of fire in recent months between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, supported by Iran.
The American Embassy in Israel announces restricting the travel of its staff
The US Embassy in Israel on Friday ordered its employees and their families to limit their travel within the country, hours after explosions were reported in Iran and attributed by US officials to Israel.
The embassy indicates on its website that “US government employees and members of their families” cannot travel “for personal reasons” outside the major cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba. This security notice is valid “until further notice”, she said.
Israel versus Iran
These new developments come as Israel threatened to respond to the attack on its territory last weekend launched by Tehran after a deadly strike blamed on Israel against its consulate in Damascus, Syria. Israel said it had intercepted with its allies almost all of the approximately 350 drones and missiles launched by Iran, and affirmed that the Iranian attack would not go “unpunished”.
It was the first direct attack ever carried out by Iran against its archenemy. The head of Iranian diplomacy Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that Iran would make Israel “regret” any attack against its territory.
But by attacking Israel, Iran said it was acting in “self-defense” after the attack which destroyed its consulate in Damascus on April 1 and cost the lives of seven of its soldiers, including two senior officers. Tehran accused Israel, which neither confirmed nor denied. “Iran’s self-defense actions and countermeasures are over, so the Israeli terrorist regime must stop any further military adventurism against our interests,” Amir-Abdollahian said during a meeting on the situation in the Middle East. -East.
Strikes targeted southern Syria
Strikes also targeted the Soueida region in southern Syria at dawn on Friday, “on a Syrian army radar position”, said Rayan Maarouf, activist and head of online media Suwayda 24.
Israel had for a time considered quickly carrying out strikes in Iran in retaliation for the missiles launched by Tehran last weekend on its territory, but had ultimately revised its plans, Israeli and American media said Thursday. According to Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had decided not to implement pre-approved plans for retaliatory strikes in the event of an attack, after discussions with US President Joe Biden.
Israel’s first ally, the United States, urges Israel to exercise restraint, opting instead to strengthen its sanctions against “Iran’s drone program, the steel industry and automobile manufacturers.” The EU and the United Kingdom also announced new sanctions against Tehran. “We are on the verge of a war in the Middle East which will cause shock waves in the rest of the world”, underlined the head of diplomacy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, calling for restraint .
“The Middle East is on the precipice. The last few days have seen a dangerous escalation, through words and actions,” said Antonio Guterres. “A miscalculation, a miscommunication, a mistake, could lead to the unthinkable, a widespread regional conflict that would be devastating for all those concerned, and for the rest of the world,” he added, calling for a start for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The US embassy in Israel restricts the movement of its staff, Australia calls on its nationals to leave the country and the Palestinian territories
The US Embassy in Israel on Friday ordered its employees and their families to limit their travel within the country, hours after explosions were reported in Iran and attributed by US officials to Israel.
The embassy indicates on its website that “US government employees and members of their families” cannot travel “for personal reasons” outside the major cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba. This security notice is valid “until further notice”, she said.
For its part, citing a “strong threat of military reprisals and terrorist attacks”, Australia “urges Australians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to leave, if they are certain they can do so in safely,” the Foreign Ministry wrote in a note.
The Israeli campaign of intensive bombing, followed by a ground offensive, was triggered by the October 7 attack by Hamas commandos infiltrated from Gaza into southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians. , according to an AFP report established from official data. More than 250 people were kidnapped during the attack and 129 remain held in Gaza, 34 of whom died according to Israeli officials. However, talks on a truce in Gaza associated with the release of hostages have stalled for months, with the belligerents accusing each other of blocking them.