Explosions were reported within Iran by Iranian state media, multiple central Iranian sites near the city of Isfahan have been struck.
Flights in western Iran were reportedly being diverted early Friday morning local time, as per the Associated Press. Isfahan is known to house Iranian nuclear facilities and sites.
Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, warned on Thursday that if Israel were to undertake any further military actions against Iran, the response would be “immediate and at a maximum level.”
Update:
An Iranian official informed Reuters on Friday that the explosions heard in Isfahan were caused by the activation of Iran's air defense systems. The official stated that no missile attack had been launched against Iran.There are conflicting reports within media outlets. Per ABC News, a senior U.S. official confirmed that Israel launched missiles against Iran.
Update 4/19: Following reports that Israeli fighter aircraft had allegedly struck an air defense radar site inside Iran, both top U.S. and Israeli officials refrained from publicly acknowledging the incident on Friday. This apparent silence was seen as an effort to de-escalate the situation and prevent Iran from retaliating.
The lack of acknowledgment was particularly significant given weeks of public calls from U.S. officials urging Israel to exercise restraint.
