Early Friday morning, reports surfaced indicating that Israel had launched an assault on multiple Iranian sites, which included areas close to the suspected whereabouts of Iran’s nuclear facilities. According to Israel’s Army Radio, at 5:00 a.m. local time, ABC News had identified Israeli airstrikes near Isfahan, Iran, as well as in various locations within Syria and Iraq.
The Times of Israel reported:
“Iran’s Fars news agency says that explosions have been heard near the airport at the country’s central Isfahan city, but the reason is unknown. “The cause of these sounds is still unknown, and investigations continue until the exact details of the incident are determined,” the semi-official Fars news agency says. Several Iranian nuclear sites are located in Isfahan province, including Natanz, centerpiece of Iran’s uranium enrichment program.”
There was widespread speculation on social media that the Syrian and Iraqi targets were connected to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the external terrorist branch of the Iranian military. The Israeli airstrikes were believed to be a reaction to a significant Iranian missile and drone assault on Israel during the weekend. While most of the attack was stopped by Israeli and allied air defenses, it marked the first direct assault by Iran on Israel from Iranian soil.
Israel had previously stated that any attack originating from Iran would be met with retaliatory strikes within Iran. Israel has been contemplating a potential strike on Iran’s nuclear program, regardless of U.S. support. It is believed that the Iranian regime lacks substantial air defense capabilities. Dr. Shay Har-Zvi from the Institute for Policy and Strategy (IPS) at Reichman University mentioned during a press briefing with Breitbart News that Iran’s air defenses, supplied by Russia, did not include the latest S-400 generation.
He also acknowledged that Russian-Iranian collaboration could prompt Israel to act swiftly against Iran, as there might be a limited timeframe before Russia provided Iran with more advanced air defense systems. He noted that Russia was unlikely to directly involve itself in a conflict between Iran and Israel.