Major explosions were reported this Friday in Iran amid tensions in the region. Israel has threatened to respond to Tehran’s attack on its territory on the night of Saturday April 13 to Sunday April 14. This Iranian attack came after a raid on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which was blamed on Israel. We summarize what we know about these explosions.
Three explosions in Iran, air defense activated
Tehran reported three explosions that occurred at dawn this Friday near a military base in the center of the country, the official Fars news agency reported. The “loud explosions” were heard in the central province of Isfahan, state television said, with the cause still unknown.
Iran immediately activated its air defenses in several provinces. The drones were shot down, but there was no missile attack “yet,” Iranian officials said.
According to Iran, there was no serious damage.
The official Irna news agency said no major damage was reported, according to its journalists.
Central Iran is home to several prominent Iranian nuclear sites. Nuclear facilities located in the Isfahan region are “completely safe,” Tasnim reported. “Important facilities, in particular nuclear ones, are completely safe, no accidents have been registered there,” the official Iranian agency Irna also emphasized.
Israel refuses to comment
“We have no comment at this time,” an Israeli army spokesman told AFP about the explosions. On Friday morning, the Israeli army also announced that warning sirens had been activated in northern Israel.
Suspended for a while, flights from Tehran have resumed
Air traffic resumed at two airports in Tehran early Friday after being suspended due to the explosions, the official Irna news agency said.
Planes can again land and take off from Imam Khomeini International Airport and Mehrabad Domestic Airport, IRNA reported, adding that a flight from Rome was expected in Tehran and was diverted to Ankara.
US warned
Washington was warned of Israel’s attack on Iran but did not approve the operation or play any role in its execution, US media quoted US officials as saying.
NBC and CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter and a US official respectively, reported that Israel had warned Washington about the strike. “We did not approve the response,” a US official said, according to CNN.
A military position in Syria was also attacked
Israeli strikes also targeted Syrian army positions in southern Syria at dawn this Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) said.
“The Israeli strikes targeted a Syrian army radar position between Sueida and Daraa provinces,” Rami Abdel Rahman, director of OSDH, who is based in the UK but has an extensive network of sources in Syria.
Australia and the US advise their citizens to be careful
In response, the US Embassy in Israel ordered its employees and their families to limit travel within the country. The embassy states on its website that “U.S. government employees and members of their families” cannot travel “for personal reasons” outside of major cities such as Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Be’er Sheva. This safety notice is effective “until further notice,” she said.
Australia, for its part, called on its citizens to leave Israel and the Palestinian territories due to the “strong threat of military reprisals and terrorist attacks.”
Source: Le Parisien
I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.
