EU chief and Italian foreign minister call for restraint after strike on Iran
From CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau in Rome and Niamh Kennedy in London
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani have called for restraint afteran attack on Iran.
Israel carried out Friday's attack, a US official told CNN. TheIsraeli militaryhas not commented, and Iran has not identified the source of the attack.
A "diplomatic effort" from EU and G7 members is already underway to quell tensions in the region after the strike, Tajani told reporters on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers summit in Italy.
“We call on everyone to be prudent to avoid an escalation in the area,” he said, reiterating Italy's call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
EU chief von der Leyen also called for de-escalation, saying it is "absolutely necessary" for the Middle East to stay "stable," urging all sides to "refrain from further action."
"We have to do everything possible that all sides restrain from the escalation in that region," von der Leyen stressed during a trip to Finland on Friday.
Hours after an attack on Iran, here's what we know
From CNN's Simone McCarthy
Anaerial attackon Iran on Friday came fresh on the heels of earlier tit-for-tat Iranian and Israeli strikes, a potentially dangerous escalation of theMiddle East conflict as a decades-long shadow war between the two countries emerges into the open.
What the US says: Israelcarried out thestrike, a US official told CNN. The US was given advance notification Thursday of an Israeli strike in the coming days, but“didn’t green light”an Israeli response, another senior US official told CNN.
What Israel says: Israel hasnot claimed responsibility or commented.
What Iran says: Iranian officials and state-aligned media have so far sought to play down the incident.
Iranian air defensesintercepted three drones, a Tehran official said, after reports of explosions near an army base in the central province of Isfahan. There were no reports of a missile attack, he said.
A loud blastnearIsfahan city was caused by “air defense firing at a suspicious object,”a senior Iranian military commander said, adding there was no “damage or incident,” according to the state-aligned Tasnim news agency.
All facilities around Isfahan were secure,including significant nuclear sites, Iranian media reported. The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed no Iranian nuclear sites were damaged.
Why is this happening now? The attack follows an unprecedented Iranian assault on Israel last weekend that Tehran said was retaliation for a deadly suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran’s consulate in Syria on April 1. The reprisals marked the first time the Islamic Republic had launched a direct assault on Israel from its soil.
In the wake of Iran’s retaliatory attack, countries including the US called for restraint from Israel to prevent escalation, as Israel’s war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza has already stoked regional tensions.
What's next? Hours before the first reports of explosions in Iran emerged Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had warned that Tehran’s response to any further Israelimilitary action against it would be “immediate and at a maximum level."
The details of a potential “maximum response” have been planned by Iran’s armed forces, he added.
Iranian media, however, appeared to downplay the severity of Friday’s attack, publishing footage and images of calm scenes in Isfahan and the northwestern city of Tabriz.
A regional intelligence source with knowledge of Iran's potential reaction said Tehran was not expected to respond to the strikes — but did not give a reason.
Direct state-to-state strikes between Israel and Iran are “over,” says regional intelligence source
From CNN's Nic Robertson in Jerusalem
A regional intelligence source with knowledge of Iran's potential reaction to Friday's strike, which was carried out by Israel according to a US official, said that direct state-to-state strikes between the two enemies were "over."
The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly, spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity about two and a half hours after CNN first reported the attacks.
The source said that, to his knowledge, Iran was not expected to respond to the strikes — but did not give a reason.
Iranian government officials have so far sought to play down the impact of Friday's attack.
TheIsraeli militaryhas not commented, and Iran has not identified the source of the attack.
Israel would need substantial Western support to enter full-scale war in the Middle East, expert says
From CNN's Elizabeth Wolfe
Israel would need significant support from Western allies to enterinto a full-blown war in the Middle East, according to Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center research foundation.
"Israel does not have the capacity for a long-term all-out war without external support. It would need the commitment from the United States to continue providing arms. It relies on the United States and other Western powers on a number of military fronts," she told CNN's John Vause.
Appeals made by Israel's Western allies for it to exercise restraint in the wake of Iran's attack last weekend likely played a large role in Israeli officials' calculations on how strongly to retaliate, she added.
“It was clear that there was tremendous (international) pressure on Israel not to escalate things further."
For context: The US, the UK and France all helped Israel counter Iranian missiles and drones during last weekend's attack. Israel’s military said “99%” of projectiles fired by Iran were intercepted by Israel and its partners, with only “a small number” of ballistic missiles reaching Israel.
Iranian media shows footage of calm scenes in areas where air defenses were activated
From CNN's Adam Pourahmadi
Iran's media on Friday published footage and images of calm scenes in the areas where air defenses were activated and explosions were reported.
Israel had carried out a strike on Iran hours earlier, a US official told CNN. The Israeli military has not commented and Iran has not identified the source of the attack.
Air defensesintercepted three drones, an Iranian official said. And air defenses caused blasts near an army base in Isfahan province, according to Iranian media.
Iranian media showed residents walking near Isfahan landmarks such as the Naqsh-e Jahan square and along the Zayandeh Rud river, while normal traffic was reported in the city, according to semi-official news outlet ISNA.
Isfahan airport was operating as normal after airports were earlier closed around the country, according to semi-official Tasnim news.
In the northwest city of Tabriz — where air defenses were also activated —video showed normal traffic and pedestrians in parks and on the streets.
"Material losses" reported in southern Syria following an Israeli strike, Syrian state media says
From CNN's Benjamin Brown and Irene Nasser
"Material losses" have been reported in southern Syria after an Israeli strike, Syrian state media SANA reported Friday, citing a military source.
"At approximately 2:55 am today, the Israeli enemy launched an aggression with missiles," SANA reported.
Israel targeted Syria's "air defense sites in the southern region. The aggression led to material losses," SANA reported.
The Israeli military told CNN that it does not comment on reports in foreign media.
Too early to tell whether regional war will emerge, Iranian journalist says
From CNN's John Vause and Elizabeth Wolfe
Iranian officials appear to view Friday's attack — which was limited in scope — as Israel trying to "save face" after it was targeted by Iran in strikes over the weekend, according to Abas Aslani, an Iranian journalist and researcher.
"It's a bit early to judge whether it's over or not, but at the moment... it doesn't seem to be a regional war emerging," Aslani told CNN, noting there is still a chance the situation could escalate.
Since a suspected Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Syria earlier this month, people in Iran have mostly stood behind their government's airstrikes against Israel on Saturday, he said. It is "a matter of national pride" for many Iranians.
"Whether they are reformist or conservatives, critical or supportive of the government, because it's an issue of security they have been mostly supportive of Iran's action against Israel," Aslani said.
UN watchdog says no damage to Iran nuclear sites, calls for restraint
From CNN's Adam Pourahmadi and Irene Nasser
There has been no damage to Iran's nuclear sites after an aerial attack in Isfahan province on Friday, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said, as it called for restraint in the region.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said its chief, Rafael Grossi, "continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts."
"IAEA can confirm that there is no damage to Iran's nuclear sites ... [and] is monitoring the situation very closely," it said.
Earlier, an Iranian official said air defenses intercepted three drones. Multiple Iranian state-aligned news agencies reported that sites associated with the country's nuclear program were “completely secure” and the attack appeared to be limited in scope.
Some context: A US official told CNN that Israel carried out a strike inside Iran. The target was not nuclear, the official added. Prior to Friday's strike, the US expectation was that Israel would not target civilian or nuclear facilities, a second US official said.
The Middle East is on edge after a strike on Iran. Here's what we know
From CNN staff
Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, a US official told CNN on Friday, in a move that threatens to further escalate conflict in the Middle East.
Iran’s air defense systems were activated in several locations after explosions were heard close to the airport and an army base in the province of Isfahan, state media reported early Friday morning.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack.
Here's what we know:
- What Iranian reports say: Threeblasts were heard near a military base where fighter jets are locatedin northwest Isfahan, Iran’s semi-official FARS newsagency reported. Following the strike, Iranian media reported that all facilities around Isfahan are secure, including significant nuclear facilities in the area. Iran's National Cyberspace Center spokesman, Hossein Dalirian, said air defenses shot down three drones and "there are no reports of a missile attack for now."
- What was the target? That remains unclear, but the US official told CNN the strike's target was not nuclear. According to FARS, a military radar was a possible target. Ghahjaworstan, where an explosion was heard, is located near Isfahan Airport and “the eighth hunting base of the Army Air Force,” FARS reported.
- How did we get here? Tensions remain acute across the Middle East as Israel wages war in Gaza against Palestinian militant group Hamas, an Iranian ally. Meanwhile, a decades-longshadow conflict between Israel and Iran erupted into the open on the weekend when Iran launched an unprecedented attack on Israel that Tehran said was retaliation for a deadly suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran’s consulate in Syria.
- What Israel says: The Israeli military said Friday they "don't have a comment at this time" when asked by CNN about reports of explosions in Iran. Israel's war cabinet has met periodically this week without announcing any definitive action following the Iranian strikes on Israel last weekend.
- What the US says: Israel’s allies, including the United States, have called for restraint from Israel in a bid to preventa regional war. The US "didn’t green light" an Israeli response, another senior US official told CNN. Prior to Friday's strike, the US expectation was that Israel would not target civilian or nuclear facilities, the second official said.
- What happens next? That also remains unclear. Reports of the explosions came hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahiantold CNNthat ifIsraeltakes any further military action against Iran, its response would be “immediate and at a maximum level.” He added: “If the Israeli regime commits the grave error once again our response will be decisive, definitive and regretful for them.”
