The Israeli military reportedly launched missile strikes against Iran, as revealed by a senior U.S. military official in an interview with NPR on Thursday. Concurrently, there were reports of explosions occurring in Iraq and Syria.
Israel launches missile strikes into Iran
These strikes seem to be a retaliatory measure promised by Israel following an Iranian attack on Sunday, during which Tehran launched hundreds of drones and missiles toward Israel. While most of Iran’s projectiles were intercepted or caused minimal damage, the U.S. military official, speaking anonymously on Thursday, shed light on Israel’s response.
The specifics regarding the scale of Israel’s strikes and the type of weaponry employed remain unclear.
According to the Iran state news agency IRNA, Brigadier General Mihan Dost, a military official in Isfahan, central Iran, stated that loud sounds heard east of the city were the result of air defense systems intercepting what he referred to as a “suspicious target.” He reassured that no damage was incurred in the area.
However, other Iranian news agencies have not corroborated reports of such a strike and instead suggested that the sounds near Isfahan were caused by the interception of one or more drones. As of now, there has been no response from Israel’s military or the prime minister’s office to NPR’s request for comment.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has affirmed through social media channels that Iran’s nuclear facilities remain unharmed.
Meanwhile, Israel’s hardline National Security Minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, criticized Israel’s purported strike against Iran as “weak” and too limited, expressing his sentiments on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Despite these developments, commercial flights continue to operate normally in and out of Israel. Additionally, Israel’s Home Front Command system, responsible for issuing threat alerts to civilians during tense military situations, has not altered its threat level.
In Iran, flights were briefly grounded in the morning but resumed a few hours later. The United States and other Western allies had been urging Israel to refrain from military action to prevent the escalation of a regional conflict stemming from the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Tensions heightened following an airstrike, which Iran attributed to Israel, resulting in the deaths of two Iranian military commanders at the country’s consulate in Damascus, Syria, on April 1. Iran cited this incident as the motive behind Sunday’s attack on Israel.
The region has remained on edge since Hamas initiated attacks on Israel on October 7, leading to casualties on both sides. Israel’s subsequent incursion into Gaza, resulting in significant casualties, has further exacerbated tensions. Additionally, Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have engaged in frequent exchanges of fire along the northern Israeli border. Meanwhile, Houthi militants, supported by Iran, have targeted international commercial vessels passing through the Red Sea in recent months, claiming to retaliate against Israel’s ongoing invasion of Gaza.
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