Iran activates air defence after Israel retaliates with missiles: Report
Israel on Friday attacked Iran with missiles, days after Tehran’s assault on the Jewish state, as fears mounted over a wider conflict in the Middle East, according to a media report.
A US official told ABC News that Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran. However, the official did not confirm whether the strikes hit Iraq and Syria as well.
Explosions were heard at an airport near the central Iranian city of Isfahan, but the cause was not immediately known. Videos on social media showed missiles lighting up the dawn sky. There were unconfirmed reports of explosions in Iraq and southern Syria.
The attack came days after Iran launched a first-ever direct attack on Israel on April 13. Tehran launched over 300 missiles and drones on Israel. The Iranian strikes were in response to an April 1 Israeli strike on an Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus.
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Iran activated its air defence systems in several provinces of the country and fired air defence batteries following reports of Israel’s attack, state-run IRNA news agency reported early on Friday.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s elite military force, has declared a state of maximum alert at all its bases and camps in the country.
Amid the tensions, all flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, have been temporarily suspended, the director of Iran’s public relations company told state-run Mehr TV. Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai diverted their flights around western Iran about 4:30 am (local time), according to reports.
Israel’s attack came hours after the US and the UK slapped fresh sanctions on Iran following Tehran’s attack on Israel. The fresh sanctions target 16 people and two Iranian entities that produce engines that power the drone used in the April 13 attack on Israel.
In a statement, President Joe Biden said he had directed the US Treasury “to continue to impose sanctions that further degrade Iran’s military industries”. “Let it be clear to all those who enable or support Iran’s attacks. We will not hesitate to take all necessary action to hold you accountable,” he added.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the sanctions on Iran “will further limit the country’s ability to destabilise the region”.