Iran says it shot down several drones after reported Israeli attack
NEW DELHI,APR 19 : Israel on Friday attacked a site in Iran with drones, a US official told ABC News, days after Tehran’s all-out assault on the Jewish state as fears grew over a possible wider conflict in the Middle East. However, Tehran said it was not affected by a drone attack and that its air defence system destroyed three drones.
Explosions were heard near an airport in the central Iranian city of Isfahan but were a result of the activation of Iran’s air defence systems, an Iranian official told news agency Reuters.
There were unconfirmed reports of explosions in Syria and Iraq and the US official too did not confirm anything about those developments. Videos on social media showed missiles lighting up the dawn sky.
Israel’s reported attack came days after Iran launched a first-ever direct attack on Israel on April 13. Tehran launched over 300 missiles and drones on Israel. The Iranian strikes were in response to an April 1 Israeli strike on an Iranian embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus.
Iran activated its air defence system in several provinces of the country and fired air defence batteries following reports of Israel’s attack, state-run IRNA news agency reported. Iranian state television said nuclear facilities near Isfahan were “fully” safe after Tehran activated its air defence system.
The Israeli military said they did not “have any comment at this time”, when asked about the reports of attack on Iran. A senior US official said the US had got advance warning of Israel’s retaliation on Iran but “did not endorse” it.
Amid the tensions, all flights to Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz, were temporarily suspended, the director of Iran’s public relations company told state-run Mehr TV. Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai diverted their flights around western Iran at about 4:30 am (local time), reports said.
Iran later lifted its flight restrictions in several airports, Tasnim, a semi-official Iranian news agency, reported. Earlier, airports in the west, northwest and southwest were shut amid reports of Israel’s attack on Iran.
Israel’s attack came hours after the US and the UK slapped fresh sanctions on Iran following Tehran’s attack on Israel. The fresh sanctions targeted 16 people and two Iranian entities that produced engines that power the drone used in the April 13 attack on Israel.
-PTI
