Major explosions were noted this Friday in Iran, in a context of tensions in the region. Israel had threatened to respond to the attack launched by Tehran against its territory on the night of Saturday April 13 to Sunday April 14. This Iranian attack came following a raid against the Iranian consulate in Damascus, blamed on Israel. We take stock of what we know about these explosions.
Three explosions in Iran, air defense activated
Tehran reported three explosions that occurred at dawn this Friday near a military base in the center of the country, the official Fars agency reported. According to state television, these “loud explosions” were heard in the central province of Isfahan, and the causes are not yet known.
Iran immediately activated its air defense in several provinces. Drones have been shot down but there has been no missile attack “so far,” Iranian authorities said.
No major damage, according to Iran
According to the official Irna agency, based on information reported by its journalists, no major damage has been reported.
Central Iran is home to several of Iran's known nuclear sites. Nuclear facilities based in the Isfahan region are “completely safe,” the Tasnim agency said. “Important installations, in particular nuclear installations, are completely safe and no accidents have been reported there,” also underlined the official Iranian agency Irna.
Israel refuses to comment
“We have no comment at the moment,” an Israeli army spokesperson told AFP about the explosions. The Israeli army also announced this Friday morning that warning sirens had been activated in northern Israel.
Stopped for a while, flights have resumed from Tehran
Air connections resumed early Friday morning at Tehran's two airports after being suspended following the explosions, according to the official Irna agency.
Planes could again land and take off from Imam Khomeini international and Mehrabad domestic airports, IRNA said, indicating that a flight from Rome, which had been diverted to Ankara, was expected in Tehran.
The United States was warned
Washington was warned of the Israeli attack on Iran but neither approved the operation nor played any role in its execution, officials were quoted as saying by US media.
NBC and CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter and a US official respectively, reported that Israel had warned Washington of the strike. “We have not approved the response,” a US official said, according to CNN.
A military position in Syria also targeted
Israeli strikes also targeted a Syrian army position in southern Syria at dawn this Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) said.
“Israeli strikes targeted a radar position of the Syrian army between the provinces of Soueida and Daraa,” Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the OSDH, based in the United Kingdom but who has from a vast network of sources in Syria.
Australia and the United States advise caution to their nationals
In response, the US Embassy in Israel ordered its employees and their families to limit their travel within the country. The embassy indicates on its website that "US government employees and their family members" cannot travel "for personal reasons" outside the major cities of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba. This security notice is valid “until further notice”, she said.
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”.