Israel launches retaliatory strikes against Iran, flights diverted after explosion heard in Isfahan province

Amid the brewing tensions between Iran and Israel, reports are emerging that Tel Aviv has launched a retaliatory attack against Iran. a US official told ABC News that Israeli missiles have struck a site in Iran.

The attack came just days after Iran conducted its own retaliatory strikes against Israel by sending a barrage of missiles and drones into the Israeli territory. The tensions between the two nations reached an all-time high after Iran’s embassy in Syria witnessed a devastating attack which was allegedly conducted by Israel.

While the official confirmed to ABC News that the Israeli missiles had hit the Iranian site, he could not confirm whether Syrian and Iraqi sites were hit as well.

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Explosion heard in some areas: Iranian media

According to Iran’s news outlet Fars, a massive explosion was heard at an airport in the Iranian city of Isfahan. However, the cause of the explosion was not immediately known.

It is pertinent to note that several nuclear sites are located in Isfahan province, including Natanz, which is touted as the centrepiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment program.

Amid all the chaos, several flights were diverted over the Iranian airspace. In light of this, Iran said that it has activated air defence systems in Isfahan and several other provinces.

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While flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz now stand cancelled, oil prices in the region have now surged by over 3 per cent.

Iran-Israel tensions

The attack came just days after Iran told the United Nations Security Council that Israel “must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests”. Given the tense climate, UN Secretary-General António Guterres also warned that the Middle East is in a “moment of maximum peril.”

After the April 13, Iranian attack, Israel has maintained that it was going to retaliate against Iran. However, the form of retaliation and the timing of it was up for debate.

On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned Israel against taking any military actions against Iran.

“In case the Israeli regime embarks on adventurism again and takes action against the interests of Iran, the next response from us will be immediate and at a maximum level,” Amir-Abdollahian said in an interview with CNN.

The foreign minister insisted that Iran is sincerely hoping that Israel would not repeat “the previous egregious error,” referencing the apparent Israeli strike on Iran’s embassy complex in Damascus, Syria.

“Our response will be decisive through the Swiss embassy in Tehran,” he said. “We’ve announced to the White House, sent a message to the White House and Washington DC, the administration in which we’ve reiterated that if the Israeli regime commits the great error once again our response will be decisive, definitive and regretful for them,” he added.

Iranian official denies missile attack

After the reports of the attack, Hossein Dalirian, a spokesman for Iran’s civilian space program denied a missile attack. However, he wrote on X that small “quadcopter” drones had been shot down.

🔴 چند ریزپرنده توسط پدافند هوایی کشور با موفقیت ساقط شده است

هنوز هیچ مستنداتی درباره حمله موشکی به اصفهان وجود ندارد

— Hossein Dalirian (@HosseinDalirian) April 19, 2024

However, it wasn’t immediately clear where that happened or if it was part of the ongoing attack.