Iran has used air defence batteries to hit a “suspicious object”, according to a senior military commander quoted by state media, as regional tensions rise following Iran’s retaliatory strike on Israel after an attack against its diplomatic premises in Syria. US broadcaster ABC News reported Israel had launched a missile attack against a site in Iran, citing a senior US official, but there was no word from Israel and Iran on the alleged attack. Flights in several Iranian cities were briefly suspended. There were also reports of explosions in Syria and Iraq. The escalation comes more than six months into Israel’s devastating war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 34,000 people, and heightens fears of a spiral of violence across the region. In an interview with an International news channel, Ali Ahmadi said Israel “has much more limitations in its operational range” than many think. “Certainly, after Iran’s retaliatory capacity was criticised, it benefits from advertising how ineffective what Israel did was as well. Iran also needs to prepare the public for a much softer reaction than it has talked about in the last couple of days,” he pointed out.

Ahmadi said that prior to today’s incident, Iran was preparing all sorts of options for massive retaliation including getting allies involved. But considering the limited scope and impact of the alleged attack, which he described as a “security sabotage” rather than a “military assault”, it would be a mistake to carry out a massive response, he stressed. It has been dangerous since the Iranian attack on Israel on April 13, but in terms of what Israel could have done in an attack on Iranian soil this is about as limited as it could have been. Iranian state media reports that Iran’s air defence systems were activated and three aerial objects were destroyed over the central city of Isfahan, as US media quoted anonymous US officials saying that Israel carried out an attack. There has been no official comment from Israel. Iran lifts flight restrictions in the country’s airspace, paving the resumption of flights in its major airports after several hours of suspension due to the reported explosions in Isfahan.

Iran’s semiofficial Mehr News Agency reports that Isfahan is “completely calm and secure”, and that the city is back to normal after the reported explosions early on Friday. The Iranian state-owned news network Press TV reports that there was “no sign of explosion or damage” at a nuclear site near the city of Isfahan. A handout image grab made available by the Iranian state TV, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), shows what the TV said was a live picture of the city of Isfahan early on April 19, 2024, following reports of explosions heard in the province in central Iran. Iran's state media reported explosions in the northwest of the central province of Isfahan on April 19, as US media quoted officials saying Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on its arch-rival. Nuclear facilities in Isfahan were reported to be "completely secure", Iran's Tasnim news agency reported, citing "reliable sources".

Credit: Independent News Pakistan