Analysts and observers have been raising concerns about the risks of the Israel-Gaza war spreading into the rest of the region.
Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran, ABC News reported late on Thursday, citing a US official, while Iranian state media reported an explosion in the center of the country, days after Iran launched a retaliatory drone strike on Israel.
Media could not immediately confirm the reports.
Iran’s Fars news agency said an explosion was heard at an airport in the central city of Isfahan but the cause was not immediately known. Iran suspended flights over the cities of Isfahan, Shiraz and Tehran, state media reported.
Several Iranian nuclear sites are located in Isfahan province, including Natanz, centerpiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport was closed to all flights until 0700 GMT, according to a notice to airmen posted on a US Federal Aviation Administration database.
Some Emirates and Flydubai flights that were flying over Iran early on Friday made sudden sharp turns away from the airspace, according to flight paths shown on tracking website Flightradar24.
Israel had said it would retaliate, opens new tab against Iran’s weekend attack, which involved hundreds of drones, opens new tab and missiles in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria. Most of the Iranian drones and missiles were downed before reaching Israeli territory.
Analysts and observers have been raising concerns about the risks of the Israel-Gaza war spreading into the rest of the region.
Iran told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that Israel “must be compelled to stop any further military adventurism against our interests” as the U.N. secretary-general warned that the Middle East was in a “moment of maximum peril.”
Read More” Israeli military vows response to Iran attack as calls for restraint mount
Oil prices and jumped on the reports of the Israeli strike. Brent crude futures rose 2% to $88.86 a barrel, the dollar gained broadly, gold rose 1% and S&P 500 futures dropped 1%.
Israel’s assault on Gaza began after Palestinian group Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s military offensive has killed over 33,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the local health ministry.
No missile attack against Iran, Iranian official tells media
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.
Earlier, Israel also said that the warning sirens sounded in northern Israel were a false alarm.
On Friday morning, there have been reports of Israeli attack on Iran, while reports confirm that Iran’s nuclear assets are unharmed. While the US has confirmed that Israel informed the US of an attack on Iran.
