UK leader calls for"calm heads"in Middle East
FromCNN’sCaitlin Danaher in London
The UK'sPrime Minister Rishi Sunak said he wants to see“calm heads prevail”in the Middle East.
“Significant escalation is not inanyone’sinterest,”Sunak said at a press conference in London on Friday.
Israel carried out a military strike on Iran on Friday, a US official told CNN. Israel has not commented and Iran has not identified the source of the strike.
The British prime minister said that the UK is working with its allies to confirm the details oftheattack.
“It’sa developing situation, itwouldn’tbe right for me to speculate until the facts become clear.”
Sunak repeated his condemnation ofIran’s"barrage of missiles against Israel on Saturday"and reiteratedIsrael’sright to self-defense.
Blasts above Isfahan were caused by air defense systems, Iran’s army commander-in-chief says
From CNN's Adam Pourahmadi
Iran’s army commander-in-chief said the explosions in the sky above the province of Isfahan were related to anti-aircraft systems shooting at what he called a suspicious object that did not cause any damage, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported.
“Experts are investigating this incident and will inform about the matter after receivingtheresults,” Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said, according to the IRNA report.
The commander-in-chief's comments align with an earlier report from Iran's Tasnim news agency, which quoted senior military commander Second Brigadier General Mihandoust in Isfahan saying there was no "damage or incident" following the explosion in that area.
The senior commander also said the blast heard were caused by "air defense firing at a suspicious object."
China calls for Iran and Israel to de-escalate tensions
From CNN's Hassan Tayir in Hong Kong
China spoke out against any escalation of tensions in the Middle East after Iran was targeted in an aerial attack.
“China opposes any behavior that may further escalate tensions," said Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a regular press briefing on Friday in Beijing.
Some context: Israel carried out Friday's attack, a US official told CNN. Israelhas not commented, and Iran has not identified the source of the attack.
EU chief and Italian foreign minister call for restraint after strike on Iran
From CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau in Rome and Niamh Kennedy in London
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani have called for restraint afteran attack on Iran.
Israel carried out Friday's attack, a US official told CNN. TheIsraeli militaryhas not commented, and Iran has not identified the source of the attack.
A "diplomatic effort" from EU and G7 members is already underway to quell tensions in the region after the strike, Tajani told reporters on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers summit in Italy.
“We call on everyone to be prudent to avoid an escalation in the area,” he said, reiterating Italy's call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
EU chief von der Leyen also called for de-escalation, saying it is "absolutely necessary" for the Middle East to stay "stable," urging all sides to "refrain from further action."
"We have to do everything possible that all sides restrain from the escalation in that region," von der Leyen stressed during a trip to Finland on Friday.
Hours after an attack on Iran, here's what we know
From CNN's Simone McCarthy
Anaerial attackon Iran on Friday came fresh on the heels of earlier tit-for-tat Iranian and Israeli strikes, a potentially dangerous escalation of theMiddle East conflict as a decades-long shadow war between the two countries emerges into the open.
What the US says: Israelcarried out thestrike, a US official told CNN. The US was given advance notification Thursday of an Israeli strike in the coming days, but“didn’t green light”an Israeli response, another senior US official told CNN.
What Israel says: Israel hasnot claimed responsibility or commented.
What Iran says: Iranian officials and state-aligned media have so far sought to play down the incident.
Iranian air defensesintercepted three drones, a Tehran official said, after reports of explosions near an army base in the central province of Isfahan. There were no reports of a missile attack, he said.
A loud blastnearIsfahan city was caused by “air defense firing at a suspicious object,”a senior Iranian military commander said, adding there was no “damage or incident,” according to the state-aligned Tasnim news agency.
All facilities around Isfahan were secure,including significant nuclear sites, Iranian media reported. The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed no Iranian nuclear sites were damaged.
Why is this happening now? The attack follows an unprecedented Iranian assault on Israel last weekend that Tehran said was retaliation for a deadly suspected Israeli airstrike on Iran’s consulate in Syria on April 1. The reprisals marked the first time the Islamic Republic had launched a direct assault on Israel from its soil.
In the wake of Iran’s retaliatory attack, countries including the US called for restraint from Israel to prevent escalation, as Israel’s war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza has already stoked regional tensions.
What's next? Hours before the first reports of explosions in Iran emerged Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian had warned that Tehran’s response to any further Israelimilitary action against it would be “immediate and at a maximum level."
The details of a potential “maximum response” have been planned by Iran’s armed forces, he added.
Iranian media, however, appeared to downplay the severity of Friday’s attack, publishing footage and images of calm scenes in Isfahan and the northwestern city of Tabriz.
A regional intelligence source with knowledge of Iran's potential reaction said Tehran was not expected to respond to the strikes — but did not give a reason.
Direct state-to-state strikes between Israel and Iran are “over,” says regional intelligence source
From CNN's Nic Robertson in Jerusalem
A regional intelligence source with knowledge of Iran's potential reaction to Friday's strike, which was carried out by Israel according to a US official, said that direct state-to-state strikes between the two enemies were "over."
The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly, spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity about two and a half hours after CNN first reported the attacks.
The source said that, to his knowledge, Iran was not expected to respond to the strikes — but did not give a reason.
Iranian government officials have so far sought to play down the impact of Friday's attack.
TheIsraeli militaryhas not commented, and Iran has not identified the source of the attack.
Israel would need substantial Western support to enter full-scale war in the Middle East, expert says
From CNN's Elizabeth Wolfe
Israel would need significant support from Western allies to enterinto a full-blown war in the Middle East, according to Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center research foundation.
"Israel does not have the capacity for a long-term all-out war without external support. It would need the commitment from the United States to continue providing arms. It relies on the United States and other Western powers on a number of military fronts," she told CNN's John Vause.
Appeals made by Israel's Western allies for it to exercise restraint in the wake of Iran's attack last weekend likely played a large role in Israeli officials' calculations on how strongly to retaliate, she added.
“It was clear that there was tremendous (international) pressure on Israel not to escalate things further."
For context: The US, the UK and France all helped Israel counter Iranian missiles and drones during last weekend's attack. Israel’s military said “99%” of projectiles fired by Iran were intercepted by Israel and its partners, with only “a small number” of ballistic missiles reaching Israel.
Iranian media shows footage of calm scenes in areas where air defenses were activated
From CNN's Adam Pourahmadi
Iran's media on Friday published footage and images of calm scenes in the areas where air defenses were activated and explosions were reported.
Israel had carried out a strike on Iran hours earlier, a US official told CNN. The Israeli military has not commented and Iran has not identified the source of the attack.
Air defensesintercepted three drones, an Iranian official said. And air defenses caused blasts near an army base in Isfahan province, according to Iranian media.
Iranian media showed residents walking near Isfahan landmarks such as the Naqsh-e Jahan square and along the Zayandeh Rud river, while normal traffic was reported in the city, according to semi-official news outlet ISNA.
Isfahan airport was operating as normal after airports were earlier closed around the country, according to semi-official Tasnim news.
In the northwest city of Tabriz — where air defenses were also activated —video showed normal traffic and pedestrians in parks and on the streets.
"Material losses" reported in southern Syria following an Israeli strike, Syrian state media says
From CNN's Benjamin Brown and Irene Nasser
"Material losses" have been reported in southern Syria after an Israeli strike, Syrian state media SANA reported Friday, citing a military source.
"At approximately 2:55 am today, the Israeli enemy launched an aggression with missiles," SANA reported.
Israel targeted Syria's "air defense sites in the southern region. The aggression led to material losses," SANA reported.
The Israeli military told CNN that it does not comment on reports in foreign media.
