US officials have confirmed about an Israeli strike in Isfahan province of Iran on April 19 days after Iran launched a drone strike on Israel in response to an attack at the Iranian embassy in Syria. Several Iranian nuclear sites are located in Isfahan province, including Natanz, cente rpiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment programme.
Iranian state TV said 'loud sounds' were heard in Isfahan, a major airbase, as flights divert around area amid tensions with Israel. Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran, ABC News also reported, citing a US official, days after Iran launched a drone strike on Israel in response to an attack at the Iranian embassy in Syria.
Commercial flights began diverting their routes early Friday morning over western Iran without explanation as one semiofficial news agency in the Islamic Republic claimed there had been “explosions” heard over Isfahan.
State television acknowledged “loud noise.”
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 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.
The semiofficial Fars news agency reported on the sound of explosions over Isfahan near its international airport. It offered no explanation. However, Isfahan 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.