April 19, 2024 - Iran targeted in aerial attack

Iranian air defenses shot down three drones Friday, according to a Tehran official, as state media said no large-scale strikes or explosions had been reported following blasts near the central city of Isfahan.

It comes after a US official told CNN Friday that Israel had carried out a strike inside Iran, in a move that threatens to raise regional tensions.

Iran's air defense systems were activated in several regions as a precaution against potential aerial threats, according to state news agency IRNA.

Extensive checks in Isfahan, a critical central province with significant nuclear facilities, indicate that all sensitive military and security installations remain secure, with no incidents reported.

Missile defense systems were not activated, IRNA added.

The Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) urged its citizens in Israel to "depart if it's safe to do so."

The department warned that "military attacks may result in airspace closures, flight cancellations & diversions & other travel disruptions."

It is concerned that Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport "may pause operations due to heightened security concerns at any time, & at short notice."

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, a US official tells CNN, in a move that threatens to trigger further deadly conflict throughout the Middle East.

The attack came hours after Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CNN that if Israel takes any further military action against Iran, its response would be “immediate and at a maximum level.”

The details of a potential “maximum response” have been planned by Iran’s armed forces, he said.

Israel had for days been weighing its response to Iran's unprecedented weekend strikes, most of which were intercepted.

Iran launched the attack in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria earlier this month.

That airstrike destroyed the consulate building and killed at least seven officials, including two top commanders.

The Israeli military said they "don't have a comment at this time," when asked by CNN about reports of explosions in Iran.

Israel carried out a strike inside Iran early Friday local time, a US official tells CNN. The target is not nuclear, the official said.

The US also said it had advance warning of Israel's retaliation against Iran but "didn't endorse" it, a senior US official said.

Israel had told the US on Thursday it would be retaliating against Iran in the coming days, a senior US official said.

"We didn't endorse the response," the official said.

Israel had been weighing a response to Iran's weekend airstrikes targeting the Jewish state, most of which were intercepted.

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, a US official tells CNN. The attack came just hours after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told CNN in an interview that if Israel takes any further military action against it would be “immediate and at a maximum level."

Iran's state-aligned Tasnim news says nuclear facilities in Isfahan province are "completely secure," citing a "reliable source."

Other Iranian media outlets are reporting the same.

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, a US official told CNN Friday. The target of the strike was not nuclear, the official added.

Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, a US official tells CNN, in a move that threatens to push the region deeper into conflict.

The target is not nuclear, the official said.

Prior to the Israeli strike Friday (local time), the US expectation was that they would not target civilian or nuclear facilities, another senior US official told CNN.

CNN has previously reported that Israel told the US its response would be limited in scope. US intelligence had suggested Israel was weighing a narrow and limited strike inside Iran because they felt like they had to respond with a kinetic action of some kind given the unprecedented scale of the Iranian attack

The range of targets was “never specified in precise terms but nuclear and civilian locations were clearly not in that category,” the second official added.

The US has been urging Israel not to respond to last weekend’s Iranian attack, which President Joe Biden on Thursday called “unprecedented.” The US “didn’t green light” an Israeli response, the second official said.

Oil prices surged nearly 4% and US stock futures fell sharply Thursday evening amid reports of explosions in Iran.

In recent trading, US oil prices climbed 3.7% to $85.80 a barrel. Brent crude, the world benchmark, gained 3.4% to $90.13 a barrel. 

Energy prices moved sharply higher as Iranian news agencies reported explosions heard near Iran’s Isfahan Airport.

The developments drove US stock futures steadily lower, with Dow futures down 480 points, or 1.3%. Nasdaq futures lost almost 2%.

“Israel’s response could determine whether oil supplies are ultimately under threat.”

Gold futures were up 1% at $2,422.4 per ounce in morning Asian trade with investors piling into safe-haven investments.

But stock markets in Asia sank as appetite for risk weakened, according to analysts.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 slid 3.5%. South Korea’s Kospi lost 3%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index fell 1.5%. China’s Shanghai Composite inched down 0.1%.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian warned Israel on Thursday against taking any military action against Iran.

The foreign minister said Iran sincerely hoped Israel would not repeat "the previous egregious error," referencing the apparent Israeli strike on Iran's embassy complex in Damascus, Syria.

The missiles and drones that Iran fired against Israel on Saturday were carried out in response to the suspected Israeli strikes and “stayed within a minimum of frameworks,” he said, adding that the intent was to take "equal action," and "to let it be known we do have the means to respond." But he warned that if Israel chooses to retaliate, “the next response from us will be immediate and at a maximum level.”