Did Israel launch retaliatory attack on Iran? Tehran says ‘explosions were result of…’

Israel launched an attack on Iranian soil early Friday, ABC reported, citing a US official. Explosions and loud noises were heard in the city of Isfahan, according to Iran's Mehr news agency. This comes a week after Iran launched a drone and missile attack on Israel. 

Mehr news agency reported that flights were suspended in Isfahan, as well as the Iranian cities of Tehran and Shiraz, and airports across the country’s western borders. However, the details of the blast in Isfahan remain unknown. The city is believed to have been one of several launch sites for Iran’s April 13 attack.

A retaliatory strike on Iran

Israel launched a “retaliatory strike” on Iran less than a week after Tehran's drones and missiles attack, the US officials said while raising fears of a widening conflict across the Middle East. 

On Thursday, Israeli officials had notified the United States that they planned to retaliate in the next 24-48 hours, said two US officials on the condition of anonymity as quoted by Bloomberg. 

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Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder, in an official statement, said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant before the strikes were reported on Thursday. 

Austin and Gallant discussed “regional threats and Iran's destabilising actions in the Middle East.” However, the statement did not say if Israel warned the US about any strikes on Iran. 

No foreign attack against Iran

Sources told Iran's Press TV that no foreign attack took place on Iranian cities, including Isfahan, after the city's air defence systems were activated to intercept suspected drones earlier in the day. 

“Explosions heard in Isfahan were a result of the activation of Iran's air defence systems. No missile attack took place against Iran,” an Iranian official told Reuters on Friday. 

The Israeli military also said that warning sirens, which sounded early on Friday in northern Israel, were a “false alarm”. The sirens had gone off shortly after unconfirmed reports of Israeli strikes in Iran.

Israel vowed to respond to Iranian weekend attack

The explosion reports came a week after Israel vowed to respond to Iran's unprecedented drone attack on the weekend, leaving the region bracing for further escalation after months of fighting in Gaza. 

Iran launched over 300 missiles and drones against Israel following Tel Aviv's attack on Tehran's embassy in Syria on April 1, which resulted in the killing of two Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen later announced that Washington would impose new sanctions on Tehran, potentially aimed at diminishing the country's oil export capacity.  

(With inputs from agencies)