On Thursday night, US officials stated that Israeli missiles struck a location inside Iran. Iranian state media also reported an explosion near the Isfahan Airport in central Iran.
According to the FARS news agency in Iran, local sources said an explosion was heard in Ghahjaworstan, northwest of Isfahan city.
FARS News reported, “Ghahjaworstan is located near Isfahan Airport and the Army Aviation Eighth Hunting Base.”
FARS mentioned that the Army radar could have been one of the possible targets.
Local time early Friday morning, Iranian news agencies claimed that Iran’s air defense systems were activated in multiple provinces. Iranian officials told Reuters that the missile attacks were unsuccessful, with all explosions caused by Iran’s missile defense system.
Isfahan is considered a city of significant strategic importance housing various key facilities including Iran’s military research and development institutions and military bases.
Isfahan province is home to several Iranian nuclear facilities, including the core Natanz nuclear facility for Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency cited “reliable sources” stating that the nuclear facilities in Isfahan province are “completely secure.”
The New York Times, citing three Iranian officials, reported that a military aviation base near Isfahan was targeted in the attack, without disclosing the country responsible for the assault.
Iranian state television indicated that three drones were shot down in Isfahan.
A US official informed CNN that Israel conducted an attack inside Iran, with the target not being nuclear facilities according to the American official.
The US has been urging Israel not to retaliate against the Iranian attacks over the past weekend. Analysts are concerned that Israeli retaliation against Iran could escalate conflicts beyond the region into the Middle East.
The Epoch Times could not immediately confirm these reports.
According to Iranian state media, flights over Isfahan, Shiraz, and Tehran have been temporarily suspended.
Israel had previously stated its intention to retaliate against the weekend attacks by Iran.
Bloomberg, quoting two US officials, reported that Israel had warned the US on Thursday of a planned attack within the next one or two days to retaliate against Iran’s large-scale weekend assault.
Iran’s retaliatory attack involved launching hundreds of drones and missiles in response to the suspected attack on its embassy compound in Syria by Israel. However, most of the Iranian drones and missiles were shot down before reaching Israeli territory.
On Thursday, Iran informed the United Nations Security Council that Israel “must stop any further military adventurism that harms our interests,” with the Secretary-General warning that the Middle East is in the “most dangerous moment.”
NBC News, citing a “well-informed source,” reported that the US did not partake in Israel’s attack on Iran.
The reports of explosions in Iran caused oil prices to spike nearly 4% on Thursday night, with US stock index futures plummeting significantly.
In recent trading, US oil prices rose by 3.7% to $85.80 per barrel. International benchmark Brent crude rose by 3.4% to $90.13 per barrel. Dow Jones index futures dropped by 1.3%, and Nasdaq futures plunged by nearly 2%.
During early trading in Asia, gold futures rose by 1% to $2,422.4 per ounce, as investors rushed into safe-haven investments.
According to Israeli statistics, Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, resulting in 1,200 deaths, after which Israel began an offensive on Gaza. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel’s military campaign has led to over 33,000 Palestinian deaths.
Iran-backed groups have declared support for Palestinians, launching attacks from Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq.