Israel launched an attack on Iran on April 19, responding to Tehran’s offensive last Saturday night. The American media, citing three Iranian officials, reported that Israel targeted a military base in the Isfahan area. The US newspaper cites information from two Israeli military sources, blaming Israel for the attack.
The base has housed F-14 Tomcat fighters purchased by Iran from the United States before the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The Shahid Babaei base, in the region, is known to have MRO facilities for this kind of aircraft.
The Isfahan base has launched missiles towards Israel.
The Iranian state media report on the intervention of air defense systems at a military base near Isfahan. The Iranian Space Agency claims to have shot down three drones: “They said we launched 500 drones and missiles; now they respond with three drones, all shot down,” writes the agency’s spokesperson, Hossein Dalirian, on X with a series of smiley emoticons. “They say they didn’t inform America in advance,” he adds.
The explosion was heard in the west of Tabriz and around an area called Wadi Rahmat. According to the follow-ups, it was determined that the Tabriz air defense fired after seeing a suspicious object. There were no explosions in Tabriz, and even now, the city is entirely peaceful, as per Iranian media.
Earlier, there were reports of several “mini quadcopters” being shot down near Isfahan.
Isfahan contains infrastructure related to Iran’s nuclear program, including the subterranean Natanz plant for uranium enrichment. Iranian state television characterizes the sites as “fully intact.”
Iranian media circulated images from Isfahan, downplaying the damage.
Following the explosions, flights at Tehran’s two main airports have resumed. “Flights through Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports have resumed,” reports the official Irna news agency.
CNN reports that Israel assured the United States that the offensive would not target nuclear facilities. NBC News says the United States is not involved in the operation. Bloomberg cites military sources indicating that Israel informed Washington on Thursday about an impending attack within the next 24-48 hours. “We did not give the OK for the response,” said an American source to CNN.
“Happy Birthday, Khamenei.” Several users on social media commented on the Israeli raid against Iran on the 85th birthday of Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was born on April 19, 1939.
