Army commander:
: Air defenses fire at ‘suspicious objects’ over Iran’s airspace
Iranian army chief commander said the country’s air defense systems targeted several “suspicious flying objects” in the central city of Isfahan amid conflicting reports of Israel’s attack.
Comments by Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi came after the sound of explosions were heard near the Isfahan Province and the northwestern city of Tabriz in the East Azarbaijan Province about 4 a.m. local time.
Mousavi said the explosions in Isfahan were due to antiaircraft defense systems shooting down a suspicious object in the sky and that no damage was caused.
Officials said important facilities in the Isfahan Province, especially nuclear facilities, are completely safe and no incidents have been reported.
The Iran Airports and Air Navigation Company said normal operations have resumed for flights at Iranian airports including Imam Khomeini International Airport and Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran after temporary delays.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced in a Friday post on X that Iran’s nuclear facilities were safe.
Ahmad Haqtalab, who heads the nuclear protection and security corps, said on Thursday, “If the fake Zionist regime intends to resort to the threat of attacking our nuclear facilities as a means to put pressure on Iran, reviewing the current doctrine and nuclear policies of the Islamic Republic and distancing from past considerations is possible and conceivable,” Haqtalab was quoted as saying IRNA.
Israel had said for days it was planning to retaliate against Iran for Saturday’s missile and drone strikes, the first direct attack on Israel by Iran in decades, which was carried out in response to the regime’s April 1 attack on Iran’s consulate in Syria’s capital, Damascus.
Israel’s attack on Iran’s consulate claimed the lives of seven members of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, including two generals.
Israel said nothing about the Friday’s incident. However, Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, hinted that Israel carried out a strike against Iran. He posted a single word on X after Friday’s strikes: “Feeble”.
Calls for calm
World leaders appealed for calm Friday after reported Israeli retaliation against Iran.
“In light of reports of strikes on April 19th, we urge all parties to work to prevent further escalation,” foreign ministers of the Group of Seven industrialized democracies said in a joint statement at the end of a three-day meeting in Italy.
“It is absolutely necessary that the region remains stable and that all sides restrain from further action,” European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for an end to “the dangerous cycle of retaliation”, his spokesman said.
On Thursday, Guterres told the Security Council that spiraling tensions could devolve into a “full-scale regional conflict”.
China, Iran’s largest trade partner, said Friday it will “continue to play a constructive role to de-escalate” Middle East tensions.
Russia said it made clear to Israel that Iran, Moscow’s ally, “does not want escalation”.
Germany also pleaded for restraint.
“De-escalation must be the advice of the hour,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit, adding: “We must prevent a conflagration at all costs, and this appeal goes to all sides”.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he wants to see “calm heads prevail” in the Middle East.
“Significant escalation is not in anyone’s interest,” he said during questions after delivering an unrelated speech, adding: “What we want to see is calm heads prevail across the region.”
Oman “condemns the Israeli attack this morning on Isfahan... it also condemns and denounces Israel’s repeated military attacks in the region”, said a foreign ministry statement released on X, formerly Twitter.
Iran had warned Israel before Friday’s strike that Tehran would deliver a severe response to any attack on its territory.
Iran told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that Israel “must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests”.