For many American media this Friday, "Israel attacked Iran", citing several officials interviewed by American channels including CNN and NBC. According to them, the explosions reported early this Friday in central Iran were linked to an attack Israeli strike against Iran in retaliation for Iranian strikes against Israel on April 13 and 14.
“Israel had to fight back but at the same time send the following message:
Yes, we can pass. Don't do it again. If you start again, then everything will explode
,” said a former American general on CNN. For its part, the Israeli army told AFP that it had no comment “at the moment”.
“No damage” to Iranian sites
Iran reports three explosions near a military base in Qahjavarestan, a town located between Isfahan and its airport, in the center of the country, according to the official Fars agency. Drones have been shot down but there has been no missile attack “so far,” authorities said. And the nuclear installations based in the Isfahan region are “completely safe,” said the Tasnim agency.
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Iran activated its air defense in several provinces but “no damage or large-scale explosions were reported,” said the official Irna agency, based on information reported by its journalists. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that the sites had suffered “no damage”. At the start of the morning, activity resumed at all of the country's airports, including the two in Tehran and those in Isfahan and Shiraz, after having been suspended following the explosions.
Washington was warned of this attack on Thursday but neither approved the operation nor played any role in its execution, the officials also declared cited by the American channels NBC and CNN.
Embassy calls for travel restrictions to Israel
The American embassy indicates on its website that “US government employees and members of their families” cannot travel “for personal reasons” outside the major cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba.
This security notice, valid “until further notice”, means that they cannot go in particular to the north of the country, near the Lebanese border where the Israeli army and pro-Iranian Hezbollah have been exchanging fire almost daily since october.
In general, U.S. nationals should remain “cautious” because “security incidents often occur without warning.” “The security situation remains complex and can change quickly,” recalls the embassy.
She adds that depending on circumstances, the restrictions could extend to “other areas of Israel (
including the Old City of Jerusalem
) and the occupied West Bank.” Australia, for its part, urged its nationals to leave Israel and the Palestinian territories, due to a “strong threat of military reprisals and terrorist attacks”.