WASHINGTON: Iran said on Friday (19/4) that it had shot down several drones but added that there were “no missile attacks for now” after explosions were heard near the central city of Isfahan.
Some of the drones “have been successfully shot down by the country’s air defenses, there are no reports of missile attacks for now”, Iranian space agency spokesman Hossein Dalirian said in X.
Fars news agency said “three explosions” were heard near the Shekari army airbase near Isfahan.
Previously, the American news agency, ABC News, reported that an Israeli missile had hit a location in Iran, citing a US official.
The incident occurred days after Iran attacked Israel.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
Iran’s Fars news agency said an explosion was heard at the airport in Isfahan, but the cause was not immediately known. Iran suspended flights over the cities of Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran, state media reported.
Several Iranian nuclear sites are located in Isfahan province, including Natanz, the center of Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport was closed to all flights until 7 a.m. GMT, according to a notice to air officials posted on a United States Federal Aviation Administration database.
According to flight paths shown by flight tracking service Flightradar24, several Emirates and flydubai flights flying over Iran on Friday morning made sharp turns away from the airspace.
Israel said it would retaliate against Iran’s attack at the weekend, which involved hundreds of drones and missiles in retaliation for an alleged Israeli attack on its embassy compound in Syria.
Most of the drones and missiles were destroyed before reaching Israeli territory.
Analysts and observers have raised concerns about the risk of an Israel-Gaza war spreading across the region.
Iran told the UN Security Council on Thursday that Israel “must be forced to stop continued military adventurism that goes against our interests” as the UN chief warned that the Middle East is in a “moment of maximum danger.”
OIL PRICES SOAR
Following reports of the Israeli attack, oil prices surged with Brent crude futures rising 2 percent to US$88.86 per barrel, the dollar rising broadly, gold rising 1 percent, and S&P 500 futures falling 1 percent.
Israel’s attacks on Gaza began after the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, according to an Israeli count.
According to the local health ministry, Israeli military attacks have killed more than 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Iran-backed groups have declared support for Palestine, launching attacks from Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.
