Tel Aviv: Israel-Iran tension reached a new crescendo as Tel Aviv fired missile at 'limited targets' in Iran in a retaliatory attack on Friday, a day which also matks the birthday of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
The attack came a day after Iran hinted at reviewing its 'nuclear doctrine' in a sign of further escalation. Earlier, Israeli officials notified the US officials that a response was coming like the way the Iran did before launching ballistic missile attack on Iran.
Iran state media reports that air defense systems were engaged in several provinces and that nuclear sites in Isfahan, in central Iran, are safe. It came few days after Iran had attacked Israel in response to an alleged attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus leading to the killing of seven top officers of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps including General Mohammed Reza Zahedi.
According to the US media which quoted a senior US official, who said Israel told the US the attack was not targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. Both CNN and Fox News quoted officials describing the attack as “limited.”
An Israeli source was quoted telling the Washington Post that the attack was meant to serve as a warning that Israel’s military has the ability to reach Iran. Israel’s Home Front Command said there were no special instructions for staying near bomb shelters, indicating no Iranian response was expected.
Iranian air defences were activated in the skies over the area, according to Iranian semi-official Fars News Agency. Three explosions rocked the east of Isfahan and near the Isfahan International Airport. Israeli media reported that a missile strike targeted Isfahan town. It said that several senior officials were present in the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
However, Iran said that there were no missile attacks but only drone attacks. Iranian state media on Friday reported that several small flying objects had been shot at in the skies over the central province of Isfahan. The Iranian media reported that flights to Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz had been suspended.
Iran's warning
Earlier, Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, warned Israel against taking any military actions targeting Iranian interests. He stated Iran has concluded its "defense and counteroffensive measures" and urged the international community to stop Israel from carrying out any military operations against Iran. During discussions on the Middle East situation at the UNSC, Amir-Abdollahian said, "Iran's legitimate defense and countermeasures have been concluded. Therefore, the Israeli regime must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our centres, assets and interests. Certainly, in case of any illegal 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 right to give a decisive and proper response to it to make the regime regret its actions."
He accused Israel of carrying out a missile attack on Iranian diplomatic premises in Damascus on April 1. He said that Israel's action was a "clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations international law and the Vienna Convention." He said, "The missile attack on the 1st of April on the Iranian diplomatic premises in Damascus showed yet again that this regime does not hesitate to violate the fundamental principle of the immunity of such places and people as well as the known and well recognised Vienna Conventions. As the majority of the members of the Security Council declared at the April 2 meeting here, the attack was a clear violation of the Charter of the United Nations international law and the Vienna Convention, and thus is strongly condemned."(With agency inputs)
