Israel has reportedly launched what's being called a "limited" strike on Iran in retaliation for that country's attack on Israel on Saturday.
Iran media began reporting a series of explosions at around 10 p.m. EST:
Reports of explosions in Iran (Isfahan), Iraq (Baghdad and Babil) and Syria.
— FJ (@Natsecjeff) April 19, 2024
A lot of videos and images circulating. Sharing some here claimed to be from Isfahan. pic.twitter.com/T6V7gNLOGo
Iranian media is reporting 3 explosions in southern Iran.
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 19, 2024
There is still no confirmation of an attack by Israel.
It is still rumor at this point.pic.twitter.com/nBU0CfMVCK
Fox News Digital has confirmed there have been explosions in Isfahan province where Natanz is located though it is not clear whether it has been hit. Natanz is the site of one of Iran's nuclear facilities, though state television has described all sites in the area as "fully safe."
A well-placed military source has told Fox that the strike was "limited." Sources familiar said the U.S. was not involved and there was pre-notification to the U.S. from the Israelis.
Pentagon officials have not confirmed the strike. The White House and the National Security Council (NSC) have declined to comment on the unfolding situation.
Three Iranian officials confirmed that a strike had hit a military air base near the city of Isfahan, in central Iran, early on Friday, but did not say which country had mounted the attack. Fars News, an Iranian news agency affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, said that explosions were heard near Isfahan’s civilian airport, adding that the cause of the blasts was not immediately clear. Several Iranian news agencies reported that nuclear facilities in the area had not been hit.
Jen Van Laar, from our sister site RedState, had additional information from a source:
🚨BREAKING INFO ON ISRAEL AIR STRIKES IN IRAN, SYRIA, IRAQ 🚨
— Jennifer Van Laar (@jenvanlaar) April 19, 2024
Sources w/knowledge of military operations tell @RedState
⚫️RU detachment at Bushehr nuclear plant has been told to shelter in place
⚫️There were no alerts on IRN or RU radar
⚫️Attacks believed to have been taken out… pic.twitter.com/633RxHkFxI
Fox News's Jennifer Griffin reported, "So, what we have heard so far from Iranian press is that there were three explosions in the Isfahan area, which... is the location of the Natanz nuclear facility."
"We have no indication as of yet that the Natanz facility was the target or any of the nuclear facilities were a target tonight," she added. "You could have situations where there are air defense systems that would be targeted."
"What we know from past reporting on the situation in Iran, and what its capabilities are, is that Iran is very limited in terms of... the number of ballistic missile launchers that they have. These are mobile launchers," she said, noting that Iran has 100-200 launchers.
According to the Times of Israel:
Iran’s local media says that nuclear facilities in the central city of Isfahan were "completely secure" after explosions were heard near the area.
“Nuclear facilities in Isfahan province are completely secure,” Tasnim news agency reports, quoting “reliable sources.”
Griffin added that "well-placed" U.S. military sources told her that this was a "limited strike."
She said it's significant "because Israel has never carried out an overt military strike like this in Iran, just as Iran had not done so, until Saturday night. So a Rubicon has certainly been passed."
"Now, everybody watches and waits to see what the reaction is," she added.
The Israelis reportedly told U.S. officials on Thursday to expect an attack within 24-48 hours but have not yet claimed responsibility for the strike.
According to Fox News's Trace Gallagher, the White House has not commented and likely will not tonight because "they turn the lights off at midnight." Thus far, neither the Pentagon nor the State Department has responded to the attack. However, The Jerusalem Post reports that "The US Embassy in Jerusalem [issued] a security alert to employees and their family members restricting their travel to the Tel Aviv, Beersheba and Jerusalem areas, citing 'an abundance of caution following reports that Israel conducted a retaliatory strike inside Iran.'"
Update 12:52 a.m.: Reuters reports that Iran denies that it's been attacked by Israel.
Explosions heard in Isfahan were a result of the activation of Iran's air defence systems, an Iranian official told Reuters on Friday, adding that no missile attack was carried out against Iran.
This is a developing story. Check back for additional details.
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