Italy calls for “de-escalation” and asks for “caution” from all actors
The head of Italian diplomacy Antonio Tajani, who is chairing a meeting of his G7 counterparts in Capri, calls this Friday for a “de-escalation” after information concerning an Israeli strike against Iran.
“We urge everyone to be cautious and avoid escalation. The G7 wants absolute de-escalation in a region in the grip of serious tension,” the Italian minister declared on public television RAI.
General Jérôme Pellistrandi discusses a possible “targeted” response from Israel in Iran
General Jérôme Pellistrandi estimates this Friday on RMC that the explosions heard in Iran could be a “targeted” response from Tehran to the Israeli attack
“It’s really targeted around Isfahan on military installations. A priori, it’s over, it was the response,” he believes.
“Now what we will have to see is Tehran’s response. Are they going to want to outdo this or are they going to somehow consider that this closes the chapter that they had open?” he asks.
Standard & Poor’s downgrades Israel’s debt rating amid ‘increased geopolitical risks’
The rating agency Standard & Poor’s Global lowered Israel’s debt rating by one notch this Friday, from AA- to A+, which still indicates a strong capacity to meet its financial commitments, in the face of “risks increased geopolitics.
“The recent expansion of the confrontation with Iran amplifies the geopolitical risks which were already high for Israel,” specifies the agency by attaching its rating to a negative outlook, meaning that a further lowering of the rating is possible.
Iranian sources deny any “attack from abroad”
The Iranian news agency Tasnim indicated this Friday, citing “well-informed sources”, that there was “no information indicating an attack from abroad”, after explosions heard in the country.
“Contrary to rumors and claims made by Israeli media,” there “are no reports of an attack from abroad on the central city of Isfahan or any other part of the country,” reports the agency, while no Iranian leader has publicly commented on these explosions.
IAEA assures that Iranian nuclear sites suffered “no damage”
The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran’s nuclear sites suffered “no damage” after explosions were heard in Iran.
The American Embassy in Israel announces restricting the travel of its staff
The US Embassy in Israel on Friday ordered its employees and their families to limit their travel within the country, hours after explosions were reported in Iran and attributed by US officials to Israel.
The embassy indicates on its website that “US government employees and members of their families” 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 urges its nationals to leave Israel and the Palestinian territories
Canberra urged its nationals on Friday to leave Israel and the Palestinian territories after explosions were heard in Iran and Syria, raising fears of a regionalization of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Citing a “high threat of military retaliation and terrorist attacks”, Canberra “urges Australians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to leave, if it is safe to do so”, the Department of Business wrote foreign in a note.
Israel warned the United States of an attack
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 CNNciting 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.
Flydubai airline cancels flights to Tehran
The Emirati airline Flydubai canceled its flights to Iran on Friday, it announced in a statement after the strong explosions reported in the center of the country.
“In application of the NOTAM published, our flights to Iran today have been canceled,” indicates this press release which refers to a “notice to air missions”, a message issued by a civil aviation authority to inform airlines of flight restrictions or dangers.
Warning sirens activated in northern Israel
In parallel with the explosions heard in Iran, the Israeli army indicated that warning sirens were activated in the north of the country.
Nuclear facilities near Isfahan “totally safe”
Nuclear facilities based in the Isfahan region in central Iran are “completely safe”, the Tasnim agency said after reports of explosions in the region.
“Reports published in some foreign media about an incident at these facilities are incorrect,” the agency added, citing “trusted sources.”
Israeli army says ‘no comment at this time’
The Israeli army told AFP that it had no comment “at the moment” on the subject of explosions reported early Friday near a military base in central Iran.
“We have no comment at the moment,” said an army spokesperson, while Israel promised to respond to the unprecedented attack launched by Tehran against Israel last weekend.
The Israeli army also announced Friday morning that warning sirens had been activated in northern Israel.
“No major damage” reported after the explosions heard
The official Iranian agency IRNA announced Friday that “no major damage” had been reported after the explosions heard at dawn.
“Following the activation of air defense in certain regions of the country,” “no large-scale damage or explosions have been reported,” the agency said, based on information reported by its journalists.
She clarified that “no information indicating the firing of anti-missile defense systems” had been received.
Explosions heard in Iran, after Israel threatens to respond to attack launched by Tehran
This live is dedicated to the explosions heard near Isfahan, the third most populous city in Iran.
Drones have been shot down, according to Iranian authorities. An Iranian official assured the Reuters news agency that no missile attack had been carried out and local media reported “no major damage”.
Drones have been shot down but there has been no missile attack “so far”, Iranian authorities said.
