Thursday, April 19, 2024

1233 GMT — French police cordon off Iran consulate in Paris: security source

French police cordoned off the Iranian consulate in Paris and were preparing to enter it at the consulate’s request, after a report that someone had come in with an explosive, a police source has said.

“A witness saw a man enter carrying a grenade or an explosive belt,” the source said, adding that an elite police unit had been mobilised after the consulate requested an intervention.

An AFP journalist said the whole neighbourhood around the consulate in the capital’s 16th district had been closed off and a heavy police presence was in place.

Paris transport company RATP on X, formerly Twitter, said traffic had been suspended on two metro lines that transit through stops close to the consulate.

The man has now been detained by French security forces.

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1150 GMT — Germany’s Scholz calls on Israel, Iran not to escalate conflict

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on Israel and Iran not to escalate the crisis further.

“Everyone must ensure now and in the near term that there is no further escalation,” Scholz said during a party conference.

He underlined that Germany and its allies share this common position, but did not elaborate further on the reported attack on the Iranian province of Isfahan.

1147 GMT — Israeli ‘aggression’ on Iran is an escalation against the region: Hamas

Israel’s “aggression” on Iran is an escalation against the region, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri has told Reuters.

“We call for expanding the scale of the engagement against the (Israeli) occupation in response to the war of genocide in Gaza and the escalation in the region,” said Abu Zuhri.

1138 GMT — Israel gave US last-minute warning about drone attack on Iran: Italy

The United States told the Group of Seven foreign ministers that it received “last minute” information from Israel about a drone action in Iran, Italy’s foreign minister said.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who chaired the meeting of ministers of industrialized countries, said the United States provided the information at a Friday morning session that was changed at the last minute to address the suspected attack.

1128 GMT — ‘US ‘not involved in any offensive operation’: Blinken at G7

The United States was “not involved in any offensive operation”, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said following reports that Israel had carried out revenge strikes on Iran.

“I’m not going to speak to these reported events. All I can say is for our part and all the members of the G7 our focus is on de-escalation”, Blinken told a press conference on the Italian island of Capri.

1128 GMT — Eurozone bond yields tumble after reports of Israel’s attack on Iran

Eurozone bond yields have fallen as investors tried to reduce risk ahead of the weekend after reports of an Israeli attack on Iran.

Israel launched an attack on Iran, sources said, in the latest exchange between the two adversaries. But Tehran played down the incident and indicated it had no plans for retaliation – a response that appeared gauged towards averting region-wide war.

“Today is likely to be all about geopolitics”, said Chief Economist Europe at Jefferies.

0900 GMT — Israel minister slammed for implying Israel behind Iran blasts

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has come under severe criticism for harming Israel’s strategy against Iran after he suggested Israel was behind blasts that rocked Iran.

Iran’s state media reported that there were explosions in the central province of Isfahan, while a section of US media quoting American officials reported Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on its arch-foe Iran.

When contacted by AFP, neither the Israeli military nor the government offered comments on the blasts.

But Ben Gvir, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition, wrote “Scarecrow!” on X, meaning feeble in Hebrew slang, a suggestion Israel was behind the blasts but its action was weak.

0738 GMT — Iran says no damage caused after Israeli attack

Sounds of heavy explosions were heard in at least two Iranian cities in the wee hours of Friday morning amid an alleged Israeli attack inside Iran.

Iranian authorities, however, downplayed the incidents and said the sound of explosions in the central Iranian city of Isfahan and the northwestern city of Tabriz was the result of Iranian air defence systems firing at “suspicious objects”, as reported by state media.

Officials insisted that all military and nuclear facilities located in and around the city of Isfahan were safe and no damage had been caused.

Iran’s space agency spokesman Hossein Dalirian in a post on X said there was “no air attack from outside” of Iranian borders in Isfahan or other parts of the country.

Dalirian termed it a “failed attempt” to fly quadcopters that he said were “shot down.”

0632 GMT — No plan for immediate retaliation against Israel, senior Iranian official says

Iran has no plan for immediate retaliation against Israel, a senior Iranian official told Reuters, hours after sources said Israel launched an attack on Iranian soil.

“The foreign source of the incident has not been confirmed. We have not received any external attack, and the discussion leans more towards infiltration than attack,” the Iranian official said on condition of anonymity.

0453 GMT — US had advance warning of Israel attack on Iran: US media

The United States received advance notice of Israel’s reported strike on Iran but did not endorse the operation or play any part in its execution, US media quoted officials as saying.

NBC and CNN, citing sources familiar with the matter and a US official, respectively, said Israel had provided Washington with pre-notification of the strike.

Various networks cited officials confirming a strike had taken place inside Iran, with CNN quoting one official as stating the target was not a nuclear facility.

There was no immediate comment from the White House about the Israeli strike.

In response to a query from AFP, the Pentagon duty desk said, “We do not have anything to offer at this time.”

0451 GMT — Iranian airports lift flight restrictions: Tasnim Agency

Some airports in Iran have lifted flight restrictions, Tasnim agency reports, citing Iranian Civil Aviation Organisation.

0448 GMT — Tehran airports resume flights: state media

Tehran’s two major airports resumed flights, state media reported, following a brief suspension after explosions were heard in central Iran.

“Flights through Imam Khomeini and Mehrabad airports have resumed,” the official IRNA news agency reported.

0441 GMT — Residents of Iran’s city of Isfahan ‘didn’t hear anything’ amid reports of Israeli strike

Residents of Iran’s city of Isfahan said early Friday that they didn’t hear anything amid reports of an Israeli strike in the area.

“We’re OK,” academic Setareeh Sadeqi told Anadolu in a WhatsApp message.

“I didn’t even hear anything,” she wrote in the message.

Isfahan is “calm and quiet for now.”

Sadeqi separately wrote on X that an explosion “happened just outside of the city.”

0424 GMT — Israel urges embassies to stay silent on Iran attack, Channel 12 reports

Israel asks its embassies worldwide to refrain from making statements regarding an attack on Iran, Israel’s Channel 12 reports.

0420 GMT — Source tells Iran’s Press TV no foreign attack against Iran took place

No foreign attack on Iranian cities including Isfahan took place, an “informed source” told Iran’s Press TV, as Isfahan’s air defence systems were activated to intercept suspected drones earlier in the day.

0304 GMT — Iran media say nuclear facilities in Isfahan ‘completely secure’

Iran’s local media said that nuclear facilities in the central city of Isfahan were “completely secure” after explosions were heard near the area.

“Nuclear facilities in Isfahan province are completely secure,” Tasnim news agency reported quoting “reliable sources”.

0231 GMT — Iran activates air defence over several cities

Iran activated its air defence system over several cities, state media reported after the country’s official broadcaster said explosions were heard near the central city of Isfahan.

“Iran’s air defence has been activated in the skies of several provinces of the country,” the official IRNA news agency said.

0035 GMT — Israel reportedly targets Iran with missiles

Israeli missiles have hit a site in Iran, ABC News reported, citing a US official.

Iran’s Fars news agency also said explosions were heard in central Isfahan airport, but the reason was 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 said. Commercial flights began diverting their routes early on Friday morning over western Iran, AP news agency reported.

Over the weekend, Iran launched hundreds of drones and missiles in a retaliatory strike after a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Syria.

Isfahan is home to a major airbase for the Iranian military, as well as sites associated with its nuclear programme. Iran’s government offered no immediate comment. Isfahan is some 350 kilometres south of Iran’s capital, Tehran.

0050 GMT — Iran says no ‘missile’ attack, destroys 3 drones

There was no missile attack on Iran, an Iranian official has told the Reuters news agency, countering earlier US media reports of a missile strike on the country,

Iranian spokesman for the space agency was also quoted as saying that there were no reports of missile attacks, and the country’s air defences shot down several drones in the skies above Isfahan province.

Two US officials have however confirmed to CBS News that an Israeli missile has hit Iran. Reuters reported Israel has pre-notified United States about the strikes.

Anonymous US officials told CBS News that Israel used ballistic missiles to hit Iran.

A US official who spoke to CNN said Washington did not “green light” Israel’s attack.

“We didn’t endorse the response,” an official said. The official acknowledged that Israel had informed the US that it would be carrying out a strike against Iran in the coming days.

The Israeli military has not commented on the reported attack yet, but it said a security meeting is currently under way at Israel’s Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv.

2240 GMT — US, UK unveil sweeping sanctions on Iran’s drone programme

The US and Britain has announced widespread sanctions against Iran’s military drone programme, in response to its weekend attack against Israel.

“Today, we are holding Iran accountable — imposing new sanctions and export controls,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement.

“The Iranian regime’s attack against Israel was a reckless act and a dangerous escalation,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, adding that the UK had sanctioned the “ringleaders of the Iranian military and forces responsible for the weekend’s attack.”

Tehran launched its first-ever direct military attack on Israel late Saturday in retaliation for an April 1 air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus by Israel that killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including two generals.

2123 GMT — US and Israel discuss Iran and Middle East

Delegations from the US and Israel have held a virtual meeting to discuss soaring tensions between Tel Aviv and Iran as well as Israel’s vowed military action on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The bulk of the White House’s readout of the call on Thursday focused on Iran, just hours after a spokesperson said the teams would largely discuss Rafah.

The official White House readout of the meeting said it began “in a small group format to discuss the Iran attack and the collective efforts to further enhance Israel’s defense through advanced capabilities as well as cooperation with a broad coalition of military partners.”

Meanwhile, Pentagon Chief Austin also spoke with Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant on Thursday to discuss regional threats and Iran’s actions in the Middle East.