Blasts in Iran amid US media reports of Israeli strikes

TEHRAN: Iran’s state media reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan Friday, as US media quoted officials saying Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on its arch-rival.

Air defence systems over several Iranian cities were activated, state media reported, a er the country’s official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the city of Isfahan.

Israel had previously warned it would hit back a er Iran fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel almost a week ago, in retaliation for a deadly strike which Tehran blamed on its foe - that levelled Iran’s consular annex at its embassy in Syria.

Fears of a major regional spillover from the Gaza war have since soared.

There had been no reaction from Israeli or Iranian officials to the overnight strikes and the extent of the damage remained unclear.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency, citing ‘informed sources’, denied that Iran had been a acked from abroad.

“Contrary to the rumours and claims” made in foreign media, “there are no reports of an a ack from abroad on Iran’s central city of Isfahan or any other part of the country,” Tasnim said.

Three Iranian officials told The New York Times that small drones carried out the a ack, possibly launched from inside Iran, and that its radar systems had not detected unidentified aircra entering Iranian airspace.

Fars news agency reported ‘three explosions’ heard close to Qahjavarestan, near Isfahan airport and the 8th Shekari army airbase, while Iran’s space agency spokesman Hossein Dalirian said ‘several’ drones had been ‘successfully shot down’.

Dalirian said on social media platform X there were ‘no reports of a missile a ack’.

“Reports indicate there was no major damage or large explosions caused by the impact of any air threat,” the official IRNA news agency said.

The senior military officer in Isfahan, Brigadier General Siavash Mihandoost, told state television that the loud sound people heard was caused by defence systems shooting at a target in the air, not an explosion on the ground.

Nuclear facilities in Isfahan were reported to be ‘completely secure’, Tasnim said, and the UN’s atomic watchdog reported ‘no damage’ to Iran’s nuclear sites.

Washington received advance notice of Israel’s reported strike, but did not endorse the operation or play any part in its execution, US media quoted officials as saying.

NBC and CNN, citing sources familiar with the ma er and a US official, respectively, said Israel had pre-notified Washington of the strike.

CNN quoted one official as stating the target was not a nuclear facility.

There was no immediate comment from the White House or Pentagon, and the Israeli military told AFP: “We don’t have a comment at this time.”

Overnight on April 13 Iran carried out its first a ack directly targeting Israel, its regional foe.

Israel, backed by its allies, intercepted most of the 300 missiles and drones launched by Iran, and suffered no deaths.

Iran a acked in retaliation for the April 1 strike on its consulate in Damascus which killed seven of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, including two generals.