Following Israel’s “retaliatory strikes,” Iran’s Isfahan nuclear facilities are now “completely secure.”

Friday saw explosions in downtown Isfahan, according to Iranian state media, while US media cited authorities claiming Israel had struck back at its bitter adversary.

Following reports from the nation’s official broadcaster that explosions had been heard close to the capital city of Isfahan, air defense systems were activated over many Iranian cities, according to state media.

Following Iran’s weekend missile and drone barrage on Israel, Israel had already threatened to retaliate. The majority of them were thwarted.

Iran’s space agency spokesperson, Hossein Dalirian stated that “several” drones had been “successfully shot down,” while the Fars news agency reported that “three explosions” had been heard close to the Shekari army airport in the northwest of the province of Isfahan.

“At this time, there are no reports of a missile attack,” Dalirian said on the social media network X.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency said, citing “reliable sources,” that nuclear facilities in Isfahan are “completely secure.”

Citing US authorities, ABC and CBS News stated that Israel was responsible for the attacks. Neither the Pentagon nor the White House responded right away.

“At this time, we don’t have a comment,” the Israeli military said AFP.

SUSPENDED FLIGHTS
Iran, a major supporter of Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, undertook the assault in revenge for an attack on its Damascus consulate on April 1 that was generally attributed to Israel.

A local activist organization reported blasts in southern Syria as well.

Rayan Maarouf, the owner of Suwayda24, an anti-government website that carries news from the southern province of Sweida, said that “strikes were carried out on a Syrian army radar position.”

On Friday, flights were canceled over large portions of Iran.

Tehran’s official IRNA news agency said, “Iran’s air defense has been activated in the skies of several provinces of the country.”

“Flights to Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz, as well as airports in the west, northwest, and southwest, have been suspended,” the Mehr news agency said.

Israeli authorities have not said when or where they would respond to Iran’s missile bombardment, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that his nation has the right to self-defense.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres presented a dire image of the Middle East scenario on Thursday, announcing that escalating tensions stemming from Iran’s assault on Israel and the Gaza crisis might turn into a “full-scale regional conflict.”

The Middle East is at a critical juncture. A dangerous escalation has occurred recently, both in words and acts, Guterres informed the Security Council.

He urged all sides to show “maximum restraint,” saying that “one miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable—a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved.”

In early Asian trading on Friday, oil prices increased by almost three percent in response to reports of explosions in Iran.