Israel strikes back at Iran: Explosions heard following revenge attack - days after Tehran's drone assault

19 April 2024, 05:17 | Updated: 19 April 2024, 09:10

Israeli missiles have struck Iran as explosions rung out following the activation of air defences on Friday morning.

Iran's air defences were triggered early on Friday in response to reports of explosions near the city of Isfahan, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Explosions were heard just after 5am local time in the central province of Isfahan, Iranian state media has said.

Air defence intercepted three drones in the region, with no major damage sustained to buildings or facilities according to reports.

Tensions between the two states were raised following Israel’s air strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus on April 1 - a strike that killed 13 people, including two top Iranian generals.

In response, Iran fired around 300 miles and drones at Israel on Saturday, the majority of which were shot down by Israeli air defences.

A senior Iranian official has now said the country has no immediate plan for retaliation against Israel.

There has been no confirmation of the strike from Israel following reports of the explosions.

Following the strikes, Tory MP Mel Stride told Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: "The message from government is clear: deescalation is really important now."

Mel Stride on Israeli strikes against Iran

The Work and Pensions Secretary highlighted the UK's allyship following Iran's attack five days ago, but was unable to confirm whether the UK had been given advanced warnings of Friday's air strike.

It comes as US media confirmed officials in Washington were given advance warning about Israel's plans for retaliatory strikes, but asserted it not endorse the action.

"Now is the time for deescalation," Mr Stride told Nick, adding: "we are urging Israel, Iran, everyone across the region, to do that.

"Israel has an absolute right to defend itself. We must not overlook the severity of what happened when Iran attacked - on a very significant scale incidentally, Israel last weekend."

Read more: Jeremy Hunt admits Britain needs to increase defence spending – but no extra cash will be given before next election

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Isfahan is home to an Iranian air base with several key military sites located in the province.

It follows initial reports from Iran's state media which quoted officials denying the attacks, before rapidly revising their position.

There have also been no reports of injuries emerging from the country, as Iranian media reinforced that all nuclear facilities remain intact.

Two US officials have also confirmed the missile strikes, according to reports from US media outlets NBC and CBS News.

Iran says that its airspace has now reopened and that it’s business as usual at all major airports in the country.

The US has now restricted travel for its embassy staff in Israel "out of an abundance of caution" following the retaliatory strikes.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency, which has links to the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), posted a video confirming Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre remains intact.

The footage, released a matter of hours after the explosions, were accompanied by caption that : “Isfahan’s nuclear site is completely safe”.

It also shows a number of Iranian troops standing beside what looks to be an air defence system.

A number of videos circulating online appear to show explosions above skies of Isfahan, as Iranian air defences were activated,

Flights have been grounded and airspace remains closed across several Iranian cities.

Airspace across neighbouring Tehran was also temporarily closed following the strike, however, it has since re-opened according to news outlets in the country.