File image.
Explosions were heard near the Iranian city of Isfahan early on April 19 with several news agencies reporting an Israeli retaliatory strike against an air base near the city.
Iranian state TV said that “three drones were observed in the sky over Isfahan. The air defense system became active and destroyed these drones in the sky.”
Local officials initially grounded flights and cleared its airspace over Isfahan, but lifted restrictions on flights soon after. State TV later said the situation in the city was normal and no ground explosions had occurred.
Senior military commander, Second Brigadier General Mihandoust, told the semi-official Tasnim news agency there was “no damage” and the noises heard overnight were due to air defense systems targeting a “suspicious object.”
Other semi-official news agencies reported that sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program in Isfahan were “completely secure” and the attack appeared to be limited in scope.
However, unnamed Israeli and American officials told United States news outlets that Israel had carried out a retaliatory strike against Iran.
The New York Times said that three Iranian sources confirmed that an air base near Isfahan had been hit. The air base is the home to Iran’s fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcats fighter jets.
Meanwhile, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters the U.S. was not involved but was notified by Israel before the attack. Another source from Iran said that the country has no plan to strike back immediately.
“The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed. We have not received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack,” the Iranian official told the news agency on condition of anonymity.
CNN quoted a senior U.S. official as saying that Israel told the U.S. the attack was not targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. Both CNN and Fox News quoted officials describing the Israeli attack on Iran as “limited”.
An Israeli source told the Washington Post that the attack was meant to serve as a warning that Israel’s military has the ability to reach Iran.
Separately, “material losses” were reported in Syria around the same time as the attack on Iran after an Israeli strike targeted “air defense sites” in the country’s southern region, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reported citing a military official. A radar site in the governorate of al-Suwayda, near the border with both Jordan and Iraq, was reportedly struck.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel over the night of April 13 and 14 in response to an Israeli strike that targeted Iran’s embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, at the beginning of the month and killed a number of its senior members.
Israel has vowed to respond, without saying when or how, while its allies have called on both sides to avoid further escalation.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had warned Israel before the attack on Isfahan that Tehran would deliver a “severe response” to any attack on its territory.
Iran told the United Nations Security Council on April 18 that Israel “must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests” as the U.N. secretary-general warned that the Middle East was in a “moment of maximum peril.”
Israel’s leadership and the military were silent after the reports of the attack on Iran, likely in an attempt to avoid further escalation.
Overall, the attack on Isfahan appears to be Israel’s response to Iran’s unprecedented missile and drone strikes. The attack was likely carried out using drones, which may have been launched by Israeli intelligence from Iranian territory, or missiles launched by Israeli fighter jets from the direction of Syria, Jordan or Iraq. The limited scale of the attack suggests that Iran has re-established deterrence with Israel.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
oil and gold prices are hitting high on news of this incident! so someone in new york/ wall street are making big bucks on it and who runs wall street the jews! crypto and bonds are falling big on the news
no real headlines in german media! – no mention on pars today ( parstoday.ir)! – iranian sources report three israeli drones shot down?
hier steh ich nun ich armer tor und bin so schlau wie je zuvor!
they look like ufos… no explosion also …
no fire and smoke columns have been seen! therefore israeli attack has failed
i would state that the strikes on april 13th and 14th were precedented because the israel’s have been abusive for the last 20 years against iran. iran is a muslim oriented country and in all probity, you could have alluded to the fact that israel has attacked the armenians the christians in east jerusalem as well as a report on iran.
someone desperately need a war between israel and iran.
israel desperately needs a war between america and iran.
the zionist will never fight a war by themselves.
if the us tankers are nearby, then just wait for the nato, reconnaissance planes. then the game is on!
iran needs to wipe out foreign agents and traitors on its territory. just like russia.
so, was something hit or not?! anonymous sources are not reliable. satellite images? photos or videos of smoke or explosions?
in 1962 i told mommy that gay uncle hans had attacked by anuz hundred of times—she retaliated by renting me out to gay mualattos
damn man that is fucked….
….fucked up the arse that is you dirty little pooofta
that was it? that is all the greatest democracy in the middle east has to offer? my farts have more substancne! (especially when i eat at chipotle)
we americans can do this way better! clowns!
amerikans better at mental illness, lgbt, rape crime violence mass shooting stupidity per capita incarceration per capita consumption psych meds, illicit drugs money worship immorality losing wars, lying
southfront you must avoid alarmist and unfounded attacks on iran accusing israel without proof. the matter is very délicate and the situation is bad enough as it is.
everyone nose its the filthy jews…. the synangogue of satan as god calls them….
you know, lucifers spawn is the jew.
god tried to save the jews but they are so corrupt, violent and blood thirsty that god failed and the satanic jew still lives on…. but not for much longer.
the world prays iran wipes israel off the map
agree this is an amerikan provocation—israel is their pet terrier that barks often and urinates in the arab bedroom
this is again a jewish stunt from the jewish controlled media, they sent three walmart quadcopter against iran to make it look like they retaliated.
looks similar to ukrainian drones in moscow. maybe jewish terrorists are next?
whats iran gonna do?? whats any muslim gonna do???
theyre all brain dead coward muslims.
the fact is whites and jews dominate the world and always will.
israel could blow tehran off the map and iran and middle east will do nothing.
same shit for the last 40 years
iran fires 300 projectiles and only three get through. israel launches 3 drones and all get through.
and this wasn’t even a real attack.
iran better kiss its ass goodby in a real war.
the whole thing was staged and agreed upon in advance, just like iran’s attack. the drones were most likely launched from within iran.
iran has hypersonic missiles that would give it the edge. and iran has very good air defense. sure, in view of the size of iran, it is impossible to prevent the entry of drones, but what is the point if everything important is well protected? just flying around like a tourist?
stupid amerikan quoting yahoo news
three israeli airbases destroyed as per satellite imagery. 99% interception is a big joke. all those intercepted were dummies.
impotent amerikans kill 3 scorpions in the desert—their dumb peasants beg for taco
only those that worship money can be ethical—i worship amerikan dollar…”the only god in amerika is money”. malcolm x
fake news nothing hit iran
99% interception turned out to be a big joke. satellite images revealed major damages to warehouses and buildings in israel’s airbases. israel and it’s evil allies forgot that their lies will be exposed by satellites.
big shock, cnn admits no damage at esfahan airbase.
lmao, i don’t see my indian kike here nor other kikes… where are you kikes?
these anonymous sources in israel and us are big liars. always reporting sensational lies to attain media victories.
chickenshite choose lying as is their nature.