Tehran has played down what has been reported as an early morning Israeli strike on the city of Isfahan, indicating that Iran has no plans to retaliate.
Explosions echoed out over the Iranian city early Friday, provoking fears that the current conflict in the Middle East could expand. However, an Iranian official told Reuters there were no plans to respond against Israel for the incident.
Reports are conflicted as to where exactly was struck and whether it was using drones, missiles, or both. US sources said a missile was involved in the attack, while Iran said it had involved small drones. There have been no reports of casualties.
However, the general location of the strike has come as no surprise to military analysts.
The central Iranian province of Isfahan is home to a number of Iranian nuclear facilities, including the Natanz uranium enrichment plant and the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Centre.
There are also a number of important military sites in Isfahan, including Shahid Babaei airbase and facilities for missile production and development.
Sources told The Jerusalem Post that the attack hit Iranian air force assets at Isfahan in order to send a message to the Iranian regime that they were choosing not to escalate, but that they could “have done worse right here” by striking the nearby nuclear sites.
In response to the military movements, airlines changed flight paths over Iran, cancelling some flights and diverting others to alternate airports, with other planes returning to their departure locations due to airspace and airport restrictions.
However, come Friday morning Iran had reopened airports and airspace shut during the attack.
Israel has thus far said nothing about the incident, which comes after days of planning to retaliate against Iran for Saturday’s strikes, which were the first ever direct attack on Israel by Iran in decades of indirect war waged primarily through proxies Hamas and Hezbollah among others.
The two longstanding enemies had been heading towards direct confrontation since a presumed Israeli airstrike April 1 destroyed a building in Iran’s embassy compound in Damascus, killing several Iranian officers including a top general.
The United States had been attempting to persuade Israel to calibrate its response to the direct Iranian attack such that it wouldn’t provoke Iran into all-out war. The British and German foreign ministers visited Jerusalem during the week as part of this diplomatic effort, while Western countries tightened sanctions on Iran to placate Israel.
However, right-wing elements within the Israeli government were dissatisfied with the response, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir tweeting a single word after Friday’s strikes: “Feeble!”
Countries around the world have since called for both sides to avoid further escalation.
However, speculation is rife that this attack was not the anticipated response to Iran’s unprecedented barrage last Saturday, but rather was intended to “test the waters,” by gauging Iran’s air defences, as western officials told BBC News.