Israeli forces appear to have carried out a counterstrike on Iran five days after Tehran targeted Israel with a barrage of drones and missiles in an unprecedented attack in retaliation for Israel's bombing of an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria.
The extent of the damage from the strike, which neither the Israeli nor Iranian governments commented on but was confirmed by two people familiar with the situation, remained unclear.
While largely appearing to downplay the strikes, reports from Iranian state media said that air defense systems had been engaged in several provinces early Friday morning and that there were limited explosions outside Isfahan, a historic city in central Iran that is home to a nuclear installation.
Later, Iranian state media reported that the sound of several explosions in Isfahan had been caused by the destruction of three small drones.
An Iranian anchor described Isfahan as being “in complete peace — people are living their normal lives.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency said there was no damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Earlier in the week, Iranian officials said that after their strikes on Israel they did not want to continue hostilities but would counterstrike "immediately" should Israel attack in response. So far, that has not happened.
Israeli officials notified U.S. counterparts on Thursday that a military response was coming, according to a source.
On Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he would not “speak to these reported events” but added that U.S. forces had “not been involved in any offensive operations” when asked about the strike.
The U.S. was "intensely focused" on de-escalating the violence, Blinken added during a news conference in Capri, Italy, during a G7 meeting.
'Target-rich environment'
Whether this turns into a dangerous escalatory spiral “will depend on how much damage was done inside of Iran,” former CIA Director John Brennan told MSNBC.
Intelligence agencies will be trying to determine the scope of the Israeli strike’s damage, and whether there are casualties, or how many, could increase pressure on Iran to respond, he added. As of Friday afternoon, there did not appear to be major damage or any reported casualties.
Isfahan is a “target-rich environment,” with an air base, a missile production facility and other areas that could be of interest, Brennan said.
Israel is neither confirming nor denying it was responsible for Friday morning’s attack. When approached by NBC News, both the Israeli prime minister’s office and the Israel Defense Forces responded with “no comment,” and there were no scheduled plans for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak publicly.
The official silence from the Israeli government could indicate a strategy to not further provoke Iran, which could increase public pressure there to retaliate. By remaining silent, Israel is giving Iran space to minimize the incident and plausibly claim there’s no need for escalation.
The Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the CIA also declined to comment.
The attack by Iran last weekend was the first time it had launched a direct military assault on Israel. It came less than two weeks after Israel bombed an Iranian diplomatic compound in Damascus, killing 12 people, including seven Iranian military commanders.
Israel, the U.S. and their allies fended off the Iranian drone and missile attacks, which caused relatively little damage.
Israel’s counterstrike is the latest escalation in a shadow war between the two countries that has raged since Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979. Until now, the two countries battled through proxy forces, top-secret assassinations, audacious cyberattacks and nuclear sabotage — but never head-to-head military engagement.
The counterstrike is likely to deepen anxieties in capitals worldwide about the prospect of an all-out war in the Middle East. The region has been on edge since Hamas stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,200 people. Israel’s devastating military offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 34,000, according to local health officials.
Iran has vowed to wipe Israel off the map. Israel perceives Iran as an existential threat, and it has accused the country of funding terrorist organizations and armed proxies throughout the Middle East, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen.
In the lead-up to Israel’s counteroffensive, world leaders had urged Netanyahu to exercise restraint.
President Joe Biden told the Israeli leaders that while the U.S. commitment to defend Israel is ironclad, the U.S. would not participate in offensive operations against Iran, a senior administration official told NBC News. U.S. officials told NBC News that Washington was concerned about Israel responding quickly without thinking through the potential fallout.
European leaders had also implored Israel to weigh its options carefully. French President Emmanuel Macron, for example, described the situation as “unstable” and emphasized that steps should be taken to keep it from escalating.
