Israel has attacked Iran, according to multiple reports. Israel reportedly carried out airstrikes on a target in Iran, according to US officials. An ABC News official reported that the airstrikes struck a site in Iran, though specifics regarding the exact target hit or the extent of the damage remain unclear.
Videos circulating on social media appeared to show anti-aircraft fire above Isfahan, a city in central Iran. Isfahan is home to one of Iran's nuclear facilities, the Daily Mail reported. According to Iranian news outlet FARS, the airstrikes occurred around 5 am local time in the region near Isfahan Airport and the eighth hunting base of the Army Air Force.
Israel Counterattacks Iran
The airstrikes by Israel are seen as a response to Iran's launch of hundreds of drones and rockets at Israel on Saturday. Israel, along with its international allies, largely managed to thwart the attack.
Following Saturday's strikes, the Biden administration stressed the need for de-escalation from Israel, urging them to "take the win" after successfully thwarting the Iranian attack.
Following the Israeli strikes, several airports in Iran have closed, and there are reports of unconfirmed explosions in Iraq and Syria.
Senator Marco Rubio tweeted shortly after the reports, highlighting Israel's capability to conduct strikes on Iranian targets without entering Iranian airspace, using aircraft over Syrian and Iraqi airspace.
While the US military played a pivotal role in thwarting Iran's Saturday strikes, Biden made it "very clear to" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the need for careful and strategic action.
Biden encouraged Netanyahu to acknowledge the success of preventing the attack and cautioned that the US would not participate in any Israeli counter-offensive.
No Stopping Israel
The Iranian attack came in retaliation for Israel's strike on Iran's consulate in Syria on April 2, resulting in the deaths of 13 people, including two Islamic Revolutionary Guard generals.
As Israel maintained its plans to retaliate against Iran, a senior Iranian official issued a stark warning, saying that Iran would start the production of nuclear weapons in response to any Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities.
Iran also threatened to deploy "weapons it has never used" if Israel were to strike, while it stressed that it did not wish to escalate the conflict unless provoked by Israel.
As Western nations called for restraint in Israel, Abolfazl Amoue of the Iranian Parliament's National Security Committee underscored Iran's readiness for a forceful response to even the slightest provocation.
On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian echoed these sentiments, cautioning that Iran would retaliate at the "maximum level" if Israel attacked.
"In case the Israeli regime embarks on adventurism again and takes action against the interests of Iran, the next response from us will be immediate and at a maximum level," Amir-Abdollahian told CNN.
