I wanted to send you the latest news about the Israeli attacks on Iran last night.
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I thought I’d do a quick round up of what the major media sources are saying, and then share some great insights I saw on social media.
Washington Post: Israel strikes Iran, Israeli official says; U.S. says it was not involved
Israel carried out a strike on Iran early Friday in retaliation for a barrage of missiles and drones launched last weekend, an Israeli official said. It was not clear what damage the apparently limited strike caused in central Iran, but the official — who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters — said it was intended to signal to Iran that Israel has the ability to strike inside the country. Secretary of State Antony Blinken declined to comment on whether Washington was warned about the strike, but he emphasized that “the United States has not been involved in any offensive operations.”
Iranian state media was muted in its response to the attack, saying Iran’s air defense systems intercepted “three small drones” in Isfahan province. There was no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites, including those in Isfahan, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Friday morning. Isfahan is the site of Iran’s largest nuclear research complex; the area is also home to a military base.
Associated Press: World reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Meanwhile, an apparent Israeli drone attack on Iran saw troops fire air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site near the central city of Isfahan. It came days after Tehran’s unprecedented drone-and-missile assault on Israel.
Israel also carried out a missile strike targeting an air defense unit in southern Syria, causing material damage, Syria’s state-run SANA news agency said, citing a military statement.
Israel had vowed to respond to Iran’s unprecedented weekend attack, leaving the region bracing for further escalation after months of fighting in Gaza. Allies have urged Israel to hold back on any response to the attack that could spiral.
Regional tensions have increased since the start of the latest Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7, when Hamas and Islamic Jihad — two militant groups backed by Iran — carried out a cross-border attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others. Israel responded with an offensive in Gaza that has caused widespread devastation and killed more than 33,900 people, according to local health officials.
CNN: Israel has carried out a strike inside Iran, US official tells CNN, as region braces for further escalation
Israel has carried out a military strike inside Iran, a US official told CNN Friday, a potentially dangerous escalation in a fast widening Middle East conflict that Iranian government officials have so far sought to play down.
Iran’s air defense systems were activated in the cities of Isfahan and Tabriz after three explosions were heard close to a major military airbase near Isfahan, state media reported early Friday morning.
Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi, the commander-in-chief of Iran’s army, said the explosions in the sky above Isfahan were related to anti-aircraft systems shooting at what he called a suspicious object, which did not cause any damage, Iranian state news IRNA reported. Other Iranian officials said air defenses intercepted three drones and there were no reports of a missile attack.
Iran has not identified the source of the strike.
Reuters: Tehran plays down reported Israeli attacks, signals no retaliation
Explosions echoed over an Iranian city on Friday in what sources described as an Israeli attack, but Tehran played down the incident and indicated it had no plans for retaliation - a response that appeared gauged towards averting region-wide war.
The limited scale of the attack and Iran's muted response appeared to signal a successful effort by diplomats who have been working to avert all-out war since an Iranian drone and missile attack on Israel last Saturday.
Iranian media and officials described a small number of explosions, which they said resulted from air defences hitting three drones over the city of Isfahan in central Iran. Notably, they referred to the incident as an attack by "infiltrators", rather than by Israel, obviating the need for retaliation.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters there were no plans to respond against Israel for the incident.
Now for some insights from social media that I found either compelling or interesting:
This article is FREE, so please do share it! And if you have any thoughts or other interesting insights that you saw and that I missed, please comment below!
Love and peace,
Stan R. Mitchell
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I wish you a restful and peaceful weekend, my dear friend. 🧡🤗
Our news in Spain said USA was informed of Israel’s imminent attack to Iran. Lol. I pray Iran will maintain their non-retaliatory policy as they announced, Stan. Seriously, these two main wars, in Europe and Middle East are draining our mental energies, not to mention the losses of human beings and resources. It breaks my heart to see our fellow sisters and brothers still warring in this time and age. You’d think our past history would serve as a lesson. Sigh..😭