Item 1 of 2 On April 19th, Israel launched an attack on Iran. The photo shows military personnel guarding a nuclear-related facility in Isfahan, central Iran, on the same day. From the video (2024 Reuters/WANA (West Asia News Agency))
[1/2]On April 19, Israel launched an attack on Iran. The photo shows military personnel guarding a nuclear-related facility in Isfahan, central Iran, on the same day. From the video (2024 Reuters/WANA (West Asia News Agency))
[ワシントン／ドバイ／エルサレム １９日 ロイター] – Sources say an explosion rang out in the central Iranian city of Isfahan on the 19th was an Israeli attack, but Iran has been restrained and indicated it has no plans to retaliate. This appears to be a response to prevent war from spreading throughout the Middle East.
This latest attack was limited in scale, and Iran has responded with restraint. This appears to be the result of diplomatic efforts to avoid an all-out war since Iran attacked Israel on the 13th.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported that explosions were heard at the airport in the central city of Isfahan, but government officials told Reuters the explosions were caused by air defense systems operating and there was no missile attack on Iran.See more
According to Iranian state television, three drones were spotted in the skies over Isfahan, and air defense systems were activated to destroy them. The army chief was quoted as saying that air defense systems had targeted a “suspicious object”.
It has since said that the situation in Isfahan is normal and there have been no explosions on the ground.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abdollahian said there was no damage or casualties as a result of the drone attack. Iranian media reported.
<“Not attacked from outside”>
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that there were no immediate plans to strike back, questioning whether Israel was responsible. “This incident has not been confirmed to be of external origin. We have not been attacked from outside, and it is more of an intrusion than an attack,” he said.
State media has also been subdued in its response to the attack. Many official comments and reports did not mention Israel, and state television carried a negative analyst and commentator’s view of the scale of the attack.
One analyst told state television that a small drone flown by “infiltrators inside Iran” was shot down by Isfahan’s air defense systems.
There is no announcement from the Israeli side at this time.
One of the sources told Reuters that the United States was not involved, but that Israel had notified them before the attack.
Secretary of State Blinken said on the 19th that the United States is committed to easing tensions in the Middle East and is not involved in any offensive operations, regarding reports that Israel has struck back against Iran.See more
The White House also said it had no comment. U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin spoke by telephone with Israeli Defense Minister Gallant. According to a Pentagon statement, the two sides discussed efforts to maintain regional stability. There was no specific mention of Iran.
On the 19th, the last day of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting, they announced that they would continue to make efforts to avoid escalation of conflict between the two countries in response to reports that Israel had attacked Iran.See more
China, Russia, and Arab countries also called for restraint in the Middle East.
Tensions escalated on the 1st when the Iranian embassy in Damascus, the Syrian capital, was attacked by an airstrike believed to be carried out by Israel. Last weekend, Iran retaliated by attacking mainland Israel with drones and missiles. Israel had announced retaliation.
Foreign Minister Abdullahian restrained Israel on the 18th at the United Nations Security Council. President Raisi also warned on the 19th that he would take “stern action” against Israel if Iranian territory was attacked.See more
Isfahan province has nuclear facilities in several locations, including Natanz. State television reported that there was no damage to nuclear facilities, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also said that there was no damage to nuclear facilities in the attack allegedly carried out by Israel on Iran. See more CNN reported that, based on obtained satellite images, there appeared to be no major damage to the air base that was said to have been the target of the Israeli attack. Airports in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan were closed, and aircraft flights were grounded in western Iranian airspace for several hours, which was later lifted.See more
The US Embassy in Jerusalem restricted US government personnel from traveling outside Jerusalem, Greater Tel Aviv, and Beersheba, citing an “abundance of caution.”
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