1 hour ago
By Raffi Berg,BBC NewsShare
Getty ImagesExplosions have been reported in the central Iranian province of Isfahan
An Israeli missile has hit Iran, US officials have told the BBC’s partner station CBS News.
Blasts were heard in the central province of Isfahan and flights have been suspended over several cities, Iranian media say.
Iran is on high alert after Israel said it would respond to an Iranian attack against it on Saturday night.
Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles in its first ever direct attack on Israel.
Almost all were intercepted by Israeli air defences with support from the US, UK and other allies.
Iranian media has not reported any direct impacts and has said all the nuclear facilities are safe. The Israeli military has not commented.
Isfahan province is home to a large air base, a major missile production complex and several nuclear sites.
Iran’s Fars news agency says explosions have been heard near Isfahan international airport and an army base in Isfahan city, activating local air defence systems.
Video from Isfahan posted on BBC Persian’s Instagram account shows orange flashes in the night sky and the sound of what appears to be bursts of anti-aircraft fire.
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In recent days, Iranian leaders had warned that any Israeli attack on Iran would trigger a swift response. There have been attempts among the international community to de-escalate the crisis, with calls for restraint.
On Thursday, UN Secretary General António Guterres said there had been “perilous escalation” between Israel and Iran.
“One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable – a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved,” he told the Security Council.
(C)UNIAN 2024
Jolly Good show.
This escalation ain’t good for Ukraine. It diverts arms and ammunition, needed to fight the Russians, to Israel instead. This already had negative consequences at the frontline. The IDF’s campaign to turn Gaza into an uninhabitable wasteland has seriously reduced the availability of shells for the AFU. But since Biden’s much more sympathetic towards Israel than to Ukraine, this is unlikely to change. That bonehead of a president, possibly suffering under dementia, doesn’t have the mental flexibility that’s required for reasonable foreign policy. That Trump ain’t any better, just a different kind of incompetent, leaves voters without any good option in November. As cynical as it is, they can only hope for one or better both candidates dropping dead. 😖
“There is ammunition that is badly needed in Ukraine but is being delivered to Israel,”
Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, cited in the New York Times
“There is ammunition that is badly needed in Ukraine but is being delivered to Israel”
That doesn’t mean that there isn’t just as much available that could have been delivered to Ukraine, had Republicans not been blocking President Biden’s request for 6 months. Or that ammunition wouldn’t be available to be provided to Ukraine as soon as the Senate approves the aid and delivers the bill to the President. (Now that the House has finally passed something.)
Biden did not support this attack.
True, Veth, but an immediate stop of US arms deliveries would have prevented it (by sending a clear signal to warhorny Netanyahu), but Biden didn’t order this. Once again, the indecisive stance of the president ain’t helpful for Ukraine or world peace. 🙁