DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran fired air defense batteries early Friday morning as explosions could be heard near a major air base near Isfahan, raising fears of a possible Israeli strike following Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on the country.
It remained unclear if the country was under attack, as no Iranian official directly acknowledged the possibility and Israel’s military did not respond to a request for comment. However, tensions have remained high in the days since the early Saturday assault on Israel amid its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and its own strikes targeting Iran in Syria.
One Iranian government official suggested sites may have been targeted by drones.
IRNA said the defenses fired across several provinces. It did not elaborate on what caused the batteries to fire, though people across the area reported hearing the sounds.
In particular, IRNA said air defenses fired at a major air base in Isfahan, which long has been home to Iran’s fleet of American-made F-14 Tomcats — purchased before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies also reported the sound of blasts, without giving a cause. State television acknowledged “loud noise” in the area.
Isfahan also is home to sites associated with Iran’s nuclear program, including its underground Natanz enrichment site, which has been repeatedly targeted by suspected Israeli sabotage attacks. However, state television described all sites in the area as “fully safe.”
Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai began diverting around western Iran about 4:30 a.m. local time. They offered no explanation, though local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace may have been closed.
Iran later announced it grounded commercial flights in Tehran and across areas of its western and central regions. Loudspeakers informed customers of the incident at Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran, online videos purported to show.
Iranian state television began a scrolling, on-screen alert acknowledging a “loud noise” near Isfahan, without immediately elaborating.
Hossein Dalirian, a spokesman for Iran’s civilian space program, said on the X social media platform that several small “quadcopter” drones had been shot down. It wasn’t immediately clear where that happened or if it was part of the ongoing incident in Iran.
Meanwhile in Iraq, where a number of Iranian-backed militias are based, residents of Baghdad reported hearing sounds of explosions, but the source of the noise was not immediately clear.
FLIGHTS DIVERT AROUND WESTERN IRAN AS ‘EXPLOSIONS’ REPORTED OVER ISFAHAN
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Commercial planes began diverting their routes early Friday morning over western Iran without explanation as one semiofficial news agency in the Islamic Republic said “explosions” had been heard over the city of Isfahan. State television acknowledged the sound.
The incident comes as tensions remain high in the wider Middle East after Iran’s unprecedented missile-and-drone attack on Israel.
Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai offered no explanation for diverting around western Iran, though local warnings to aviators suggested the airspace might have been closed.
The semiofficial Fars news agency reported the sound of explosions over Isfahan near its international airport. It offered no explanation for the blast. Isfahan, some 350 kilometers (215 miles) south of Tehran. is home to a major airbase for the Iranian military as well as sites associated with its nuclear program.
Iranian state television began a scrolling, on-screen alert acknowledging a “loud noise” near Isfahan, without immediately elaborating.
IRAN SAYS IT WILL RESPOND TO ANY ISRAELI ATTACK
UNITED NATIONS – Iran’s foreign minister is again warning Israel that any use of force in response to his country’s recent drone and missile attacks will be “decisive” and “make the regime regret its actions.”
Hossein Amirabdollahian told a ministerial meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Thursday that Iran’s attack over the weekend was a legitimate response to a suspected Israeli missile strike on its embassy compound in Syria on April 1 has concluded. Therefore, he said, Israel “must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will retaliate.
Amirabdollahian warned, “Certainly, in case of any use of force by the Israeli regime, and violating our sovereignty, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate a bit to assert its inherent rights to give a decisive and proper response to make the regime regret its actions.”
Iran and its allies fired more than 300 drones and missiles toward Israel, and 99% were blocked by Israeli air defenses with help from the U.S., Britain, France and Jordan. A 7-year-old girl was hurt, and an Israeli base suffered minor damage.
