According to state media, Iran has fired air defence batteries to shoot down three drones over Isfahan.
Anonymous United States officials told US media that Israel launched an attack against a site in Iran, but Israel has not officially acknowledged that it carried out the attack on Iran.
This came as regional tensions rise following Iran’s retaliatory strike on Israel after an attack against its diplomatic premises in Syria.
Israeli officials had promised to hit back after Iran sent drones and missiles towards Israel on April 13, 2024.
According to army officials and state TV, three small unknown flying objects were shot down near an Iranian army air base, just northeast of the city of Isfahan, within Isfahan province.
An Iranian commander told Iranian media that shots were fired at some objects and there was no damaged caused.
The International Atomic Energy Agency stated that it can confirm that there has been no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi “continues to call for extreme restraint from everybody and reiterates that nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts”, a statement from the agency read.
Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian parliament from Isfahan, asserted that the “desperate attempt” from Israel “with the help of local agents” had “failed and brought new disgrace for them.”
“Let them know that we are at peak readiness to protect our dear Iran,” he wrote on X.
Meanwhile, oil prices surged amid fears of a wider escalation in the Middle East.
Stephen Innes, of SPI Asset Management, noted, “It is now clear that the escalating shadow warfare between Israel and Iran … has finally ignited the powder keg in the Middle East, and we have moved decisively out of the shadows and into the glaring light of open conflict.”
“It should be noted that this is not a staged response to an Iranian drone attack but rather an indication that we have entered a new phase of this conflict, one that is likely to have significant and far-reaching consequences for Middle East peace and least of all risk markets.”
Stephen Innes
Separately, Syria’s official news agency quoted a military source as saying that missile strikes in the early hours of the morning had caused material damage to air defence sites in the country’s southern region.
The report did not specify the exact location and the extent of the damage but blamed Israel.
World Urges ‘De-Escalation’ After Drones Shot Down Over Iran
Several countries called for “de-escalation” following the incident in Iran.
The G7 Foreign Ministers urged “all parties” to “work to prevent further escalation” in the Middle East.
“In light of reports of strikes on April 19th, we urge all parties to work to prevent further escalation. The G7 will continue to work to this end,” they said in a statement.
The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Egypt was “deeply concerned” about an escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran.
Egypt also warned of the consequences of expanding the conflict and instability in the region.
The Ministry called on all sides to refrain from steps that could lead to a wider conflict in the Middle East.
It said in a statement that priority of the international community should be “to stop the massacre in Gaza and to ensure lasting peace” in the region by establishing a Palestinian state.
“It is becoming increasingly evident that the tensions that were initially caused by Israel’s illegal attack on the Iranian Embassy in Damascus risk turning into a permanent conflict,” it added.
In addition, the Jordanian Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi stressed that Israeli-Iranian retaliations must end, warning against the danger of regional escalation.
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