Israel struck Iran with missiles at at least one military facility early Friday, according to ABC and CNN.
A US official confirmed to ABC News that Israeli missiles hit a site in Iran. Israel struck Iranian soil, an official told CNN, clarifying that the target was not a nuclear facility, with unconfirmed reports that an Israeli strike also took place in Syria and Iraq. Iranian officials who spoke to the New York Times spoke of a strike at the Isfahan air base.
According to the FARS news agency of Iran, an explosion was heard northwest of the Iranian city of Isfahan, while the same information is also broadcast by the Iranian Press TV. However, Iranian officials later claimed that there was no strike on the ground, but instead that three targets were intercepted in the skies over Iran. At the same time, Tehran assured that its nuclear facilities are safe.
Shortly after the alleged Israeli missiles were reported, Florida Senator Marco Rubio published a post on X that read “Israel has the ability to strike targets inside Iran without entering Iranian airspace from aircraft over the airspace of Syria and Iraq".
The senator in his second post informed that Isfahan hosts the Khatami air base and is located northeast of the city.
Shortly after the Israeli strike Iran cleared its entire airspace and diverted all planes away from the missile launch sites, likely preparing to launch a response.
🚨 BREAKING: IRAN CLEARS AIRSPACE AFTER ISRAELI STRIKE
Iran has promised an intense and brutal response to any attack on Iranian soil by Israel.
Tonight, multiple reports and US officials have confirmed that the IDF has hit a site inside Iran.
Moments later, Iran cleared... https://t.co/NAdMHqQ4pZ pic.twitter.com/9doY6ZTqOJ
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 19, 2024
The blasts came as Israel vowed to respond to a drone and missile attack by Iran on Saturday night against Israel.
Earlier Iran's foreign minister vowed before the UN Security Council that Tehran would make Israel "regret" any attack on the Islamic Republic.
"Iran's legitimate defense actions and countermeasures have ended, so the terrorist Israeli regime should stop any military adventurism against our interests," Hossein Amirabdollahian said during the SA meeting on the Middle East situation.
"If the Israeli regime uses force and violates our national sovereignty, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate for a second to reassert its rights by retaliating decisively and sufficiently to make this regime regret its actions," he added.
