US officials say Israel struck Iran with a missile in the early hours of Friday (19/4), in what appears to be a retaliatory attack following the escalation of tension between the two countries in recent weeks.
There are conflicting reports about the scale of the attack on the Isfahan region, as well as the extent of the damage caused — and Iranian state media is downplaying its importance.
This Friday’s offensive was carried out following the intensification of hostility between Israel and Iran in recent weeks, in the face of the Israeli attack on the Iranian consultancy in Syria on April 1, and Iran’s unprecedented air attack against Israel last year. Saturday (13/4).
Below, you can see everything we know so far about this latest incident.
How do we know there was an attack?
Israel does not usually confirm its military actions, which on several occasions have targeted Iranian-backed armed groups in Syria and Iraq.
However, American authorities confirmed to CBS News, the BBC’s partner in the United States, that an Israeli missile hit Iran in the early hours of Friday. It is highly likely that the United States was informed in advance of the attack plan.
It is not clear what type of weapons were used, nor where they were launched from.
US sources said a missile was fired in the attack, while Iran said the attack involved only small drones.
The Iranian government strictly controls access to the country. The BBC does not have direct access to the central region of Isfahan, where the incident occurred in the early hours of the morning.
What is Iran saying about the attack?
Iranian authorities and media outlets have confirmed that there was an attempted attack, but are downplaying the significance of the incident. There were no reports of casualties.
Iranian news agency Fars reported that explosions were heard near a military base — and that air defense systems were activated.
A state news channel quoted a general in Isfahan as saying that the explosions heard in the region were “due to air defense firing at suspicious objects” — and that there was no damage.
The Iranian news agency Tasnim, linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, published a video of a nuclear facility in Isfahan that showed no sign of having been hit.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that there was no damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Hossein Dalirian, spokesman for Iran’s National Cyber Space Center, said that “there was no air attack from outside the borders”.
According to him, Israel “had only made one failed and humiliating attempt to fly quadcopters [drones]and the quadcopters were also shot down.”
Iran even imposed restrictions on commercial flights in the first hours after the attack, but the restrictions have now been lifted.
Explosions were also recorded this morning in Iraq and Syria — where armed groups supported by Iran operate —, but it is not clear whether they are directly linked to the attack in Isfahan.
The Syrian Defense Ministry said an air defense region in the south of the country was hit by an Israeli missile in the early hours of Friday morning. Israel has not confirmed that it was behind the attack.
Why was Isfahan targeted — and why now?
Isfahan Province is a large region in central Iran named after its largest city.
The region is home to important Iranian military infrastructure, including a large air base, a major missile production complex, and several nuclear facilities.
This latest attack comes less than a week after Iran launched hundreds of missiles and drones against Israel, an incident seen as a dramatic escalation in tension between the two countries.
Despite its large size and unprecedented nature, Iran’s attack was largely unsuccessful — the vast majority of projectiles were shot down by Israeli air defenses, with assistance from the US, UK and other allies.
This offensive on Israeli soil was in response to an attack on an Iranian diplomatic representation in Syria on April 1.
Israel also has not publicly confirmed that it was behind the attack, but it is widely believed that it was.
Will tension between Israel and Iran increase?
The real significance of this latest attack is still emerging — and it remains to be seen whether Iran will attempt to respond.
BBC security correspondent Frank Gardener described the scale of Friday’s attack as “limited, almost symbolic” — and potentially designed to ensure the conflict does not escalate further.
Israel has been under enormous international pressure from the US and other Western allies not to take any action that could turn the long-running “proxy war” between the two Middle East rivals into a direct conflict.
The resurgence of hostilities takes place in the context of the war in Gaza, where Israeli soldiers are fighting against Hamas, supported by Iran.
How did the world economy react?
There are concerns that the worsening conflict in the Middle East could affect oil supplies.
Brent oil, the international reference for oil prices, rose 1.8%, reaching US$88 per barrel, after the attack.
Oil prices had initially risen 3.5%, but prices stabilized when it became clear that the attack was limited.
The price of gold — which is often seen as a safe investment in times of uncertainty — briefly came close to an all-time high before falling to nearly $2,400 an ounce.
2024-04-19 13:36:20