Israel strikes Iran, according to multiple reports
- An Israeli strike hit Iran, multiple outlets reported, citing unnamed senior US officials.
- Israel has not claimed responsibility for the strike.
An Israeli strike hit Iran overnight, causing several explosions, unnamed senior US officials told multiple news outlets.
Explosions were heard near an Iranian military base in the early hours of Friday morning, multiple outlets reported. Though there's still a lack of clarity about the cause of the explosions and the damage caused, reports from ABC News, CBS News, CNN, and NPR, citing US officials, say Israel struck Iran.
The New York Times reported that the Israeli military mounted the strike, citing two Israeli defense officials it had spoken with.
At press time, Israel has not formally claimed responsibility for the strike.
CNN, citing the semi-official Fars news outlet, reported that the explosions were heard in the city of Ghahjaworstan, which is near Isfahan. The Iranian news outlet said Ghahjaworstan was near Isfahan Airport and "the eighth hunting base of the Army Air Force."
The American official who spoke with CNN said the target struck was non-nuclear. On Friday morning, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on X it could "confirm there is no damage to Iran's nuclear sites."
"Nuclear facilities should never be a target in military conflicts. IAEA is monitoring the situation very closely," the organization wrote.
Iranian state media reported that Iranian air defense was also activated. CNN quoted an airline company spokesperson saying on Iranian TV that all flights to Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz had been suspended. The Civil Aviation Organization then told CNN the suspension had since been lifted.
On the markets, oil prices shot up after reports of a possible escalation in the tensions between Israel and Iran. International benchmark Brent crude oil futures rose as much as 4.2% before trading 2.8% higher at $89.54 a barrel at 11:15 p.m. EDT, Business Insider reported.
The reported explosions and strike came days after Iran's unprecedented and large-scale attack on Israel last weekend, during which Tehran and its proxies fired more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel. Nearly all of the munitions were shot down by Israel and its partner forces in the region, including the US.
Israeli officials earlier this week vowed to retaliate against the attack, despite many of its Western partners urging restraint, warning that any action could trigger a larger military confrontation and plunge the Middle East even further into violence.
"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," Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, told CNN's Erin Burnett on Thursday.
The Israel Defense Forces, the US Department of Defense, and US Central Command didn't respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.