Iran downplays Israeli airstrike in Isfahan, says no retaliation planned

Iran downplays Israeli airstrike in Isfahan, says no retaliation planned

Hours after an Israeli airstrike near a major air base and nuclear site in central Iran, both sides played down the attack, signalling a step to calm tensions between both nations. These tensions have risen since Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Iranian-backed Palestinian groups, attacked Israel on October 7, sparking a devastating Israeli offensive in Gaza that has continued for more than six months.

Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed proxy in Lebanon, immediately began striking Israeli targets, opening up tit-for-tat fighting along a second front, while Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, Syria and Yemen have also fired missiles and drones at Israel throughout the war.

IRAN-ISRAEL CONFLICT: THE LATEST

• Point #

  Iran has no plan for immediate retaliation against Israel, as officials in Jerusalem indicated that an alleged drone attack on a city south of Tehran was meant to send a signal rather than cause damage. The Iranian official also cast doubt on whether Israel was behind the attack in Isfahan, despite comments from some Israeli politicians practically accepting responsibility.

• Point #

  Though the country planned no retaliation, Iran’s foreign minister on Friday said Tehran was investigating the strike on the Isfahan city, adding that so far a link to Israel had not been proven as he downplayed the strike. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told NBC News the drones took off from inside Iran and flew for a few hundred meters before being downed.

• Point #

  The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on an ally of Israel’s far-right national security minister and two entities that raised money for Israeli men accused of settler violence. The sanctions, in addition to those already imposed on five settlers and two unauthorised outposts already this year, are the latest sign of growing US frustration with the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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